What Your Donations Mean to Teachers & Kids

When people give to classrooms on DonorsChoose, teachers share their gratitude with heartwarming notes of thanks. 

We’ve chosen just a few of our favorites. Multiply the messages below by a few hundred thousand each year and you’ll have a picture of how much your gifts mean to teachers and their students.

You turn teachers’ dreams into realities.

“Thanks to you, we have a stocked supply room full of items our students of all science classes can use to have an authentic, hands-on learning experience. Many of our supplies had been broken and outdated, or just completely absent from our stock room, so it is very exciting to have these available for labs. Coming from a low-income high school myself, I know I didn't get to experience very many labs in science classes, so I am excited to be able to do some with my students for the first time as well.” – Ms. Yanagihara

“Have I mentioned how magical 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade can be? I wish you could see them reading and learning about atoms and elements. These kids are excited about learning. Your investment in their future inspires me each and every day. Thank you for believing in us!” – Ms. Kim

“​​It is very difficult to find the words to describe how incredibly grateful I am for your gracious donation. We don't have a school librarian and there are not many books to choose from in our library. This gift has been such a blessing. I have always believed that every student is able to enjoy reading; we just have to find the right book! I had one parent already contact me and ask how I was able to get her son to read a novel! She informed me that she has never seen him sit down in the evenings and read because he was enjoying the book so much.” – Mrs. Williams

"ʻAʻohe hana nui ke ʻalu ʻia." There is no task too big when done by all. When it comes to education, it truly does take a village or collective group of individuals to train up a child to be a contributing member of society. There are no words that can express my complete gratitude. I appreciate this generous gift you've given to my students. With this Cricut machine, my students will be able to create and express their culture and language through a modern-day medium. Mahalo piha mai kēia naʻau haʻahaʻa. Aloha.” – Ms. Kaipolani Niau Crouch

“Thanks to your generosity and thoughtfulness, my students and I are overjoyed with the supplies we will receive. This project will promote creativity, imaginative storytelling, and language development with a unique and engaging storytelling set. Again, thank you for your generosity and support. It's people like you who make a huge difference in education.” – Mrs. Gomez

You help teachers feel relieved and supported.

“I can't tell you how much I appreciate you choosing to fund this project! I know it is fun to purchase the games and toys and colorful items...and I thought the chances of this getting funded were pretty low. You have made my year! Every item here will be used to support every student in the school. I know these items are not glamorous, but it is all oh, so useful!”– Mrs. Klein

“Wow! I am so excited and so appreciative! This is the first time one of my projects has been fully funded. I am so grateful there are people willing and able to make educators’ purpose come to fruition. Thank you! Thank you! And once again thank you! You are amazing!” – Mrs. Bouzos

“So once again....thank you for your amazing donation. Your support for the school and the kids is an amazing thing. It is nice as a teacher to know that we get support through our community. As a teacher I want to give my students the world, with your help it gets me a little closer to doing just that.” – Ms. Casey

“Thank you for your support of my classroom. Snacks may seem trivial to some, but greatly affect classroom performance and behavior. This platform has allowed me to fund snack items that had previously come out of my pocket. Projects like this help me so much and I am forever grateful for this platform. Thank you! Thank You! Thank you! I am overwhelmed by the support you have shown my students.” – Ms. Henderson

“I am so excited to have these supplies! It’s my first year teaching, and this is my first classroom. I am SO excited to bring some creativity to math class. Thanks to your generosity, we can start making posters, doing projects, and we can stop worrying about pencils. Thanks so much!!” – Ms. Ledesma

You show students they deserve the whole world.

“My students and I cannot thank you enough for the kindness and generosity you have shown by helping us fund this project. I always tell my students that all superheroes do not wear capes. You guys solidify just that through your giving. I have noticed a huge jump in attention to content focus. Many of their grades have improved due to the attention of work. I plan to write a DonorsChoose each year.” – Mr. Quinton Wilson

“ I cannot thank you enough for helping me achieve this goal. The response from the community has been overwhelming and reminds me of all the positive people my students have in their lives--aside from their teachers.” – Mr. Porazzo

• "I loved this book so much that I told my dad and he bought me two other books from the same author.... he said I have never asked for a book before so he went and bought them for me right away."
• "I really loved getting to re-read this book."
• "Can I PLEASE check this book out over the weekend?"
• "I haven't read an entire book on my own in like 3 years. I am so proud of myself."
• "Other people keep taking the book I am reading. I really want to finish it!"

–students in Mrs. O'Mara’s class of students with special needs and class of English language learners.

“My own whiteboard? I can keep it? I have always wanted my own whiteboard!”
– Aaron, a first grader

“He came home and showed his dogs everything you gave him!” – The parent of Tristen, a first grader

“I wish I could give every person that donated these materials and books to me a hug. They don’t even know me and they are helping me learn. Thank you whoever you are!” – Taveon, a fourth grader

 Take a look at the new projects teachers are working on to show their students that learning is the best kind of adventure!