Provide Meaningful Scientific Exploration

Hello my name is Joel Kuschner and I have just started teaching at a small school district in Sebastopol, Ca. I teach an incredible group of kids ranging from 1st grade to 8th grade. I have two classes of 1st, two of 2nd, two of 3rd, two of 4th, and two 5th. I have one class of 7th and one of 8th that I see every day. Needless to say, this is a big assignment with a huge number of kids, close to 350 students, that I teach. I am teaching at 2 campuses, one of them is a k-4 Elementary, and the other is a 5-8 Middle School. I have 2 great classrooms to teach in, one on each campus.

 

My goal as a teacher is to give kids an unexpectedly fun education. Often times scientific thinking, reasoning, and curiosity is stifled, left out, forgotten, or moved aside for more important things. Teachers have so much on their plate that Science sometimes takes the back burner.

 

This year my main goal is to provide scientific enrichment through hands on labs, lessons, experiments, and engineering exercises. My main goal is to allow kids to walk away with a passion for understanding and inquiring about the world. Because I have so many kids, and because I have 2 classrooms, one thing that has been tough is managing all the supplies that come with each day. Right now I am bringing supplies back and forth every day and it would be great to be able to buy second sets of things for my second classroom. In addition, there are labs that I have done in the past, as outlined below, that truly make a difference for kids and engage a sense of wonder and curiosity. Below I have outlined the things I would like to raise money for:

 

*We are studying fossils in multiple classes and I would love to buy some fossil kits where they get to dig like an archeologist and keep the fossils. Here is a link to those items. I would need #1 lab kit and #2 of the fossil bearing mounds LINK TO FOSSILS Total cost to teach this to 70+ kids: $513

 

*I have 0 microscopes and would love to purchase a few for each class. I feel like science rooms should have microscopes for kids to explore. If I could get 3 for each room that would be enough to use between students. MICROSCOPE LINK 6 microscopes @$109 = $654

 

*I would like to buy several interact simulations. The ones I am most interested in are found HERE and include Code Blue, Space Race, and Skateboard Science. I would be so excited at the opportunity to use these in my STEM classes as the interact lessons are incredible. I have used them for social studies many times before and know they are a trusted brand. For the 3 courses, the total cost to purchase and buy student notebooks would be as follows:

 

Total Cost is $319 plus tax and shipping

 

 

*I have a bearded dragon in one class and it is something of a therapy animal for these kids. They hold him every class period, every day. Its the first thing they ask about when they come in but sadly I only have him in the middle school. I would love to be able to buy another bearded dragon for my elementary classroom. I think out of everything this would be lowest in importance for education, but highest in importance for classroom love and student morale. I would also be grateful if anyone had an old tank that they no longer use. That would save some money and still accomplish the goal.

 

TANK - I would have to only buy this if all other supply hopes were met. Cost $319.99

 

*I need small supplies like ductape, paper towels, scissors, glue, hot glue guns, scotch tape, staplers...but itemizing these things feels unnecessary. I would love to allot $200 discretionary money to buy the supplies that I need to run my class.

 

I have not included shipping or taxes and on the low end would be looking at $100 for all shipping and tax.

 

I am very grateful for anything you able to do to help, and completely understand if this is a bad time. I realize that with the pandemic, everything is harder, but keep in mind that this includes education. These labs and supplies would help make my classroom a more exciting learning environment.

 

Total amount I am hoping to raise is $2200, but any amount I hit will be incredible. Thanks for being willing to consider this and thanks for all of your support. Below are some of the projects I have done already this year: