A Love Letter to DonorsChoose

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 A Love Letter to DonorsChoose

(Unsponsored!)



I have created 9 projects through DonorsChoose, and ALL 9 were fully funded!



The truth is that students with disabilities require special tools. Though my principal allots $200 per year for instructional supplies and resources, this money goes quickly.

When I started in my current position 4 years ago, I had big visions for what I wanted students to have access to, including sensory and academic tools. Those 9 projects were funded between September 2022 and September 2023. (Not long after the final project was funded, I learned that my district does not approve of teachers submitting projects through DonorsChoose, so I stopped creating projects.)

However, I'd like to share some of what I learned from the process. If your district allows use of DonorsChoose, PLEASE take advantage. What a fantastic resource!
*One quick note is that all supplies must stay at the school, even after the teacher leaves. But in my mind, this is ok! Students will continue to benefit long after I am gone.  (We're a Coast Guard family. Leaving is a fact of life. 😂)

Projects I had funded included:

1- Self-regulation and sensory tools, like putty, a weighted lap pad, fidgets, bouncy bands for feet, weighted vests, wobble cushions, compression vest, vibrating pillow, noise cancelling headphones, weighted stuffed animals, stress balls, textured sensory stickers

2- Social skills instruction tools, like instruction books for teachers (Social Skills Activities for Special Children), books to read in small group, including Spot of Emotion books and plush toys, What Would Danny Do?, and instructional resources like the "Let's Talk" and "Be Kind" cubes

3- Novels for small group novel studies
    Novels requested and purchased include:
  • Because of Winn-Dixie
  • The BFG
  • Charlotte's Web
  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
  • Rise of the Earth Dragon (Dragon Masters series book #1)
  • The Tale of Despereaux
  • Wonder
  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
  • Magic Tree House Tonight on the Titanic
  • Magic Tree House The Knight at Dawn
  • Magic Tree House Viking Ships at Sunrise
  • Magic Tree House To the Future, Ben Franklin
  • Magic Tree House Late Lunch with Llamas
  • Magic Tree House Revolutionary War on Wednesday
  • Magic Tree House Monday with a Mad Genius
  • Magic Tree House Warriors in Winter
I also got scratch and sniff bookmarks, which make reading these novels in group extra fun! Each student chooses their favorite scent.

*I wrote a separate blog post on my love for novel studies, found here!*

4- Instructional resources for primary grade students served in the resource room, including:
  • raised line writing paper
  • different types of rekenreks
  • interactive number lines
  • finger focus highlighters
  • sight word swat game

5- Tactile reinforcers for the resource room prize box, including pencils, stickers, animal and ice cream shaped erasers, mochis, water bottle stickers, shoe charms, and pop it bracelets.

6- Velcro dots! For alllll of the instructional tools and resources I create for students, including First/Then and token boards.

7- $200 in Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards
This was to buy core math instruction-aligned intervention resources, and I covered the balance. My district uses Eureka Math (Engage NY) curriculum, and I bought the bundles for Grades 2, 3, and 4. These supplemental and review resources are aligned to the core curriculum, and these resources allow me and my paras to pre-teach, re-teach, and practice grade level skills so that when students go back to class, they feel confident and able to participate in lessons with their grade-level peers. 

In all, these funded projects provided my students with $3,107 in resources and materials!!

All I had to do was write a proposal, a DonorsChoose volunteer approved the project, and I sent thank you notes to donors after the projects were fully funded. 

Some donations came from friends and family when I shared the DonorsChoose donation link, and some funding came from community organizations. There are also occasionally gift matches or other promotions, which are helpful in a project being fully funded.

I hope I have sufficiently shared how and why I love DonorsChoose so much! And the best part is that students benefit - and continue to benefit year after year.

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