This week, we’re helping a Tennessee kindergarten get subscriptions to a scholastic science magazine, and a Mississippi high school get the tools geometry students need to succeed. We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects.
The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science and math projects for red-state public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
Our projects from last week were completed, so we have two new ones today! This kindergarten class, south of Nashville, has in-person and online students, and the teacher needs a resource that’s good for both.
MAIN PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students fantastic nonfiction texts to learn about the word around them.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Eastside Elementary School, Shelbyville, Tennessee
Total: $175.79
Still Needed: $175.79 Completed, thanks! Please see next project!
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. Masters:
My Students: My school is comprised of 90% of students who receive free or reduced-price lunch and 32% are English language learners. It is located in a small urban town in middle Tennessee.
My students are curious about the world around them, enthusiastic about everything we do, and creative.
They love hands-on activities, books, science, and imaginative play. Everything is exciting to a kindergarten student! These amazing kids deserve the best resources, environment, and experiences I can possibly provide for them. I am blessed to be their teacher.
My Project: Let’s Find Out is a scholastic magazine subscription (print and digital) for kindergarten students that builds background knowledge about science and social studies topics. The subscription comes with student print and digital issues as well as videos and games for them to watch and play! My kindergarten students are curious about the world they live in, and they’re always asking questions! I want to give them rich and engaging nonfiction texts and activities that will build their knowledge. This is also perfect for both in person students and my virtual students.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Our new long-term project got a boost from an August matching opportunity from the Gates Foundation, and we’ve got some time to nudge it the rest of the way. Katrina was 15 years ago now, but this small Gulf coast town is still struggling. The high school geometry teacher is trying to keep her students safe in the face of uncertainty.
LONG-TERM PROJECT
Resources: Help me give my students the geometric supplies that are needed to be successful in the classroom. Each student’s kit will contain a ruler, a protractor, a compass, colored pencils, glue and the bag to hold it all.
Economic need: Nearly all students from low‑income households
Location: Hancock High School, Kiln, Mississippi
Total: $683.19
Still Needed: $340.26 $210.26
Teacher’s Comments from Mrs. McCullough:
My Students: Being in southern MS, we are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Our area was devastated by it. Many of my students and their families lost everything. Fast forward to now; we are dealing with COVID-19. As a teacher in a low-socioeconomic school, I see that my students are constantly faced with challenges both in and out of the classroom. When my students walk into my classroom, I do not want them to worry about whether or not they will have the supplies and if the supplies are virus free. So it is important I have supplies in our room that they do not share. About 70% of our students receive free or reduced lunch, and it is the only meal some of them get each day. Some of my students cannot afford the food they need to feed their growing bodies, and I can’t afford to supply all of their needs for school supplies to help them be successful and enjoy learning in Geometry. This is where you can make a difference in our future.
Most of my students have a desire to learn and love learning; they want to excel in their education.
My Project: With COVID-19, the future is uncertain. However, what is certain is the sharing of supplies is no longer something we can do. If each child has their own pack, they will not have to worry about someone else making them ill. This is just one more thing I can do to help them stay healthy.
These tools will help me bring their learning to life.
Most students excel at hands on learning. Great students are created when they do not only remember a theorem, but when they can demonstrate the theorem by using their “tool packs.”
Thank you in advance for believing in and supporting public education. You are appreciated!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Last week, we helped complete both of our projects — many thanks to our readers!
Mrs. Ortiz’s five 6th-grade science classes in Detroit needed some literature in their classroom to help them explore and connect with the real world. Books requested include Hidden Figures and John Lewis’s graphic novel trilogy, March. The project was Literature in the Science Class.
She writes: I would like to thank each of your for making this project a reality. It is imperative that students have access to resources that will provide understanding to relevant cultural issues. Thank you for providing the supplies that will diversify our classroom library and provide my students with a variety of topics that gives them the opportunity to choose what they would like to read and will help students answer their questions. Thank you again for your generosity.
Meanwhile, in Houston, Ms. Madrigal’s 4th graders needed engaging books about math, plus other supplies, including headphones to help them focus while others in their homes are going about other business. The project was iTeach Math!
She writes: I am absolutely and forever grateful for the kindness of each and everyone who helped by donating and/or promoting my class project. This year is specially hard, working from home, virtually for the start of the year and maybe beyond. My students and I thank you for positively contributing in making our learning experience unforgettable.
Our Dollars at Work
At the end of May, we set out to help Mrs. Campos, a kindergarten teacher in Brownsville TX, on the Gulf coast near the Mexican border. Students at her school had been sent home to learn remotely, where they have also started the new school year.
But many parents have lost jobs, and can’t buy the school supplies needed for kids to follow along with their lessons. We were able to help them out through the project I Want and Need to Do My Work! (More photos at the link.)
I cannot begin to express the joy that you have given to my students. The school supplies and snacks to start our brand new school year have sparked a flame in my students to start doing their work and homework at home since we began our school year 2020-2021 virtually.
My kindergarten students loved their notebook, pencils, scissors, erasers, crayons, snacks that I placed in a ziploc bag with their own name on it. I thank you and our students thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity. They would all love to come and get it themselves from me but unfortunately because of this pandemic only 1 of my kinder students was able to come to school to get it. Most of the supplies bags were given to the parents to take home.
On our first day of virtual learning they were so eager to show me their bag with the new supplies, it made our first day very smoothly because they had everything they needed to work from home.
Thank you for choosing our classroom to support...your support truly made a difference to our kiddos.
📓 Teacher Perspectives 📚
This is kind of interesting: DonorsChoose did a survey of teachers who use their site, to get their views on how COVID-19 is impacting them and their schools. (Survey methodology and link to the full report is at the bottom of this graph-rich summary page.) ✏️
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project combats the anti-science push in conservative America by funding science and math projects in red-state classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.
Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund science or math projects, preferably in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required!
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 845! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.org.