Welcome to The Inoculation Project! This week, we're helping elementary school classes in Texas and Florida gather the supplies they need to teach basic science. This is part of our ongoing effort to help fund science and math projects in red-state public schools in low-income neighborhoods.
As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, an organization founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. If you’re short on cash, don’t worry — we’re glad to see you anyway! And your comments and shares are a good free way to help.
Today’s main project, which we started last week, will provide safety equipment for a never-before-funded science classroom in San Antonio. Donations to this project are now being matched, thanks to support from Tom’s of Maine. The Tom’s of Maine Green Your School Fund is giving $1 million directly to classrooms so students can learn about the world around them.
THIS WEEK’S MAIN PROJECT
Resources: My students need safety aprons, safety goggles, safety gloves, and lab equipment to complete their hands-on investigative labs everyday throughout the school year.
School Poverty Level: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Bob Hope Elementary School, San Antonio, Texas
Total: $860.19 (matching donations from Tom’s of Maine)
Still Needed: $658.36 $351.31 ($176 from us!)
Expires: November 20, 2017
Teacher’s Comments from Ms. Torres:
My Students: I am a teacher at a Title I elementary school in San Antonio, Texas. Our demographics include low socioeconomic status families, in which our students receive free breakfast and lunch everyday. The families in our community are dedicated, involved, and hard working people that want what is best for their children. Our students are just as dedicated to being active participants in their education. My job is to provide them with the knowledge that is needed to make their success become a reality!
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela
My Project: Safety equipment will promote a safe classroom environment, while learning in the science lab. This choice encourages children to become lifelong learners, while promoting responsibility. While having safety aprons, gloves, and goggles might seem like a small thing, it has a large impact on how children develop the intrinsic motivation necessary to be active participants in their education. My students will be able to use their equipment daily; building their love of science. Your donation will make many children, in an under served community, extremely happy by giving them the opportunity to complete safe, intriguing, science investigations throughout their time at our campus.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Because we like to have two projects going at once, and our main one is pretty ambitious, I’m adding this second one with a more modest goal, featuring matching funds from an anonymous donor.
BONUS PROJECT
Resources: My students need science materials for our hands-on science center. This will allow students to experiment on their own within the classroom during social centers.
School Poverty Level: More than three‑quarters of students from low-income households
Location: Helen A Davis Elementary School, Tampa, Florida
Total: $389.53 (matching donations from an Anonymous Funder)
Still Needed: $389.53 $122.47 ($62 from us!)
Expires: November 20, 2017
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Franke:
My Students: Inside my Title One classroom, you will find anywhere from 18-21 English Language Learners (ELL). Although lacking the English language and almost never having financial stability, these young children arrive to school each and every day with a smile on their face, ready to learn. Surprising as it may seem, many of my students enter my classroom on day one, never having the opportunity to hold a book in their hands, putting them months, if not years behind academically and I love that I, as their teacher, have the opportunity to make their first academic experience the absolute best.
After teaching ELL students for the past 13 years, I know there's nowhere else that I'd rather be.
My goal each and every day is to make my students want to come to school. I want them to enter my classroom each morning with a smile on their faces and with the excitement of knowing that today we're going to have fun and learn some cool new things. With your financial support, I will be able to continue planning both fun and engaging hands-on lessons that will benefit each and every child that walks through my classroom door.
My Project: As educators, we all know that kids learn best through play and interaction with peers. With these science supplies, students will have the opportunity to work together in our classroom to experiment in the areas of Physical, Earth and Life science. All of the supplies included are hands on and developmentally appropriate for young scientists. Kids also have the opportunity to build social skills, fine motor skills, and language skills while working in the area of science. Throughout the entire year, the supplies will be rotated so that children learn through thematic units. This makes learning science easier, being that they can relate the information to their real world.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Last week, we completed our main project, Learn and Grow With Engineering and Science, for a series total of 584! Mrs. Thomason’s three-year-old Head Start students in Alabama will receive balls, ramps, tubes, funnels, and other materials to help them explore building and problem-solving. She writes:
We want to thank you so much for your generous contribution. This will help out classroom in so many ways. It means so much to me and the children. We will use these materials to help each child learn and grow. We will be posting pictures to let you know the great projects the children will create. Thank you again so very much.
Our Dollars at Work
This past April, we helped Mrs. Durgin’s Lafayette, Louisiana early-elementary class with science learning centers and games, to help them learn in active and hands-on ways. The project was Science from the Flood. (More photos at the link.)
I am excited. The science games are terrific. The kids are working and mastering their skills. That is what I wanted, was a way to master the skills while having fun. These activity boxes and games offers the kids the opportunity to do this.
The kids really enjoyed receiving the games. The thought that someone who does not know them , gave expecting only their effort do their best, was overwhelming. The kids want to say thank you.
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project is an effort to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in traditionally red-state classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, an organization that allows you to contribute to specific, vetted projects in public schools, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small-dollar donations. Here’s an introductory video about DonorsChoose featuring Michelle Obama and Stephen Colbert.
Each Sunday morning, we focus on helping to fund one or two science and math projects in red states, preferably in neighborhood public schools where half or more of students are from low-income households. We welcome everyone who shares our interest — no money is required! Feel free to post a video, or just tell us how your weather is.
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects. The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.