I can't believe I've been teaching for 8 years. My post back in May can assure you that I'm not in this profession for the money or for the summer vacations. Although, it has been nice having the past 2 months off.
Every year at this time I start getting an anxious feeling that creeps over me. The kind of feeling that gives me a thrill out of buying boxes of pencils and packages of erasers from Target for some incredible deal like .25 cents! Or the excitement from flipping through the Teacher's Discovery catalogue and circling all the items I'd love to have for my classroom this year. I can't help but constantly check Zangle online to see if my class rosters have been posted. Maybe these are back to school butterflies. Whatever you want to call them, this feeling is so real and it happens every year. It's what drives me to make it through another school year. I love what I do.
Now, in case you haven't been following, the state of education in Michigan is a sinking ship. Lack of proper funding, unrealistic demands that every child will perform a certain way despite a multitude of road blocks that stand in the way, a focus on state-wide testing, and constant attacks on our salary and health insurance are just a few of the current issues that are going on. Every week new legislation is written that tries to viciously blame teachers for students' disappointing grades and in turn cause teachers to have to do more paperwork, more "teaching to the test". The worst part is, all of this legislation is written by people who have no experience in the field of education. None of them are educational experts who have devoted their career to the interest of students. They're written by wealthy, white men who send their children to private school. They're written by people who are so far removed from middle or even lower class reality. It's a shame.
So, now picture the beginning of the school year with teachers who are so excited to bring new ideas and new technology to their classroom only to be told that it's not in the budget to do this. Thus, my need to shop at Target and pay for the supplies myself. But, my classroom needs go beyond pens, pencils, and crayons. In my 7 years of teaching, I've had the same textbooks and technology in my room.
A dinky overhead projector, a computer, and a small TV in the front corner of the room. That's it.
I wipe overheads clean every night before I go home and make photocopies of them for absent students. I have to read Powerpoint presentations out loud for the students because they can't see them on my tiny TV screen. That's how antiquated my classroom is. We can check out more updated equipment from the library, but between 30 teachers and 2 technology carts, my chances of getting one when I need it for all the hours I need it is slim. Not to mention that getting one that's working perfectly is similar to your chances of winning $5 on a scratch-off lotto ticket. Bottom line: I need new technology for my room.
Knowing that my school can't afford this kind of equipment, I chose to embark on acquiring new technology for my classroom via two sources. Donorschoose.org, an award winning charity website for teachers that allow them to post a project and ask for funding from family, friends, and strangers. And a grant that my school district offers in the fall each year.
Here's my classroom request:Authentic Materials On The Big Screen!
The project on DonorsChoose.org is for a projector for my classroom that can be used with either a laptop or a document camera. It will allow me to project things like maps, brochures, menus, Powerpoint presentations, Jeopardy games, the textbook pages, etc. on to a big screen. No more wiping clean overheads! No more reading Powerpoints out loud for kids who can't see from the back of the room!
To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, enter the match code INSPIRE on the payment screen. This awesome match offer lasts through August 16th.
In the hopes of getting this projector, I also plan to write the grant asking for a document camera. Finally, I will be purchasing a laptop out of pocket for my classroom needs. With these tools, I truly believe my students will be set for success this year! It will truly change the way I'm able to teach my students.
It's a shame that my school isn't able to provide these technological advances to all the teachers in my building, as I know this would enhance how we all teach our kids. But, to have college-bound students in the 21st century, we need the proper funding and technology to give these students the best educational opportunities possible. I'm excited to start this process! Sometimes when you have to work hard for things, you learn to value and appreciate them more.
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