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My name is Sarah Boitano and I am a 5th grade teacher who works in a Title 1 school where 95% of our students are English Language Learners and 100% of our students receive free and reduced lunch. It's a challenging environment, but the children's enthusiasm and character bring me back every day.
I love working with my students in Room 38, but as I've entered my second year teaching, I've realized that there's a barrier between myself and the students, as well as with their parents: the barrier of language. 90% of my students are English-language learners and 98% of my students' parents cannot speak English. This is especially challenging when many of my students have already experienced trauma in their lives and have emotional needs, so communicating with them and their parents is critically important to understanding them culturally and giving them the best chance for success in the classroom.
Unfortunately, I am not proficient in Spanish. This results in frustrating situations where I need to communicate critical information to my student's parents, but am forced to say everything through a translator, which creates an unnecessary barrier between us. Additionally, our school is not equipped with enough translators to fit our needs so many times communication is completely lost between teacher and parent.
To close this gap, I want to raise money so that I can learn educational Spanish through a program called Spanish4Educators . Spanish4Educators is a two week, full immersion trip in Antigua, Guatemala where I will learn educational curriculum in Spanish in a 1:1 tutoring setting. To learn more about the program here is the website: http://www.spanish4educators.org/
Being able to participate in this program will not only benefit me in my profession, but will benefit the 33 students I teach every year in my career. This trip will directly affect my school, my students, and the community around my school. I will be able to communicate and engage parents in their childs education, rather than being held back by a language barrier.
The total trip cost is $1,699, which includes lodging, meals, and cultural immersion. In order to sign up I need $200 of the total cost to make a deposit ASAP. I need the rest of the $1699 by June 1, 2016.
Being a teacher is not easy, but I love what I do and work at an amazing school with incredibly resilient children. By learning Spanish, I will be able to better address their needs academically, socially, and emotionally. I will be so thankful if you are able to contribute to my cause. This trip will change lives and a climate of a school. Thank you for all you can contribute!!
I love working with my students in Room 38, but as I've entered my second year teaching, I've realized that there's a barrier between myself and the students, as well as with their parents: the barrier of language. 90% of my students are English-language learners and 98% of my students' parents cannot speak English. This is especially challenging when many of my students have already experienced trauma in their lives and have emotional needs, so communicating with them and their parents is critically important to understanding them culturally and giving them the best chance for success in the classroom.
Unfortunately, I am not proficient in Spanish. This results in frustrating situations where I need to communicate critical information to my student's parents, but am forced to say everything through a translator, which creates an unnecessary barrier between us. Additionally, our school is not equipped with enough translators to fit our needs so many times communication is completely lost between teacher and parent.
To close this gap, I want to raise money so that I can learn educational Spanish through a program called Spanish4Educators . Spanish4Educators is a two week, full immersion trip in Antigua, Guatemala where I will learn educational curriculum in Spanish in a 1:1 tutoring setting. To learn more about the program here is the website: http://www.spanish4educators.org/
Being able to participate in this program will not only benefit me in my profession, but will benefit the 33 students I teach every year in my career. This trip will directly affect my school, my students, and the community around my school. I will be able to communicate and engage parents in their childs education, rather than being held back by a language barrier.
The total trip cost is $1,699, which includes lodging, meals, and cultural immersion. In order to sign up I need $200 of the total cost to make a deposit ASAP. I need the rest of the $1699 by June 1, 2016.
Being a teacher is not easy, but I love what I do and work at an amazing school with incredibly resilient children. By learning Spanish, I will be able to better address their needs academically, socially, and emotionally. I will be so thankful if you are able to contribute to my cause. This trip will change lives and a climate of a school. Thank you for all you can contribute!!