My Students

No paper, no homework!! To my students it sounds like a good idea, but for teachers it’s a crisis. I am a third grade math teacher in a low-income, Title I school. Currently, like every school in America, we have been affected by budget cuts so much that our school has run out of copy paper.

Third grade is a crucial testing grade.

Our students are faced with the daily challenges of performing well in school and passing the tests. My third graders are tested on every subject: language arts, math, science, and social studies. As a teacher I cannot do my job and teach without paper to provide the appropriate materials, like homework sheets, study guides, practice and activity sheets, as well as packets for students to take home to prepare them for their tests. Workbooks are not readily available for every grade or for every student. So, paper is our only option.

My Project

Our Standards of Learning Assessments (SOL's) start towards the end of May and June. I need copy paper to make practice packets and practice tests. As a teacher I would be doing a disservice to my students if I cannot provide materials for them to learn. Currently I have been buying one pack of paper here and there, sharing paper, and even re-using scrap paper. I cannot afford to buy a pack of paper daily, and my students cannot afford to bring me paper either. I will like to request several boxes of paper to help me until the end of the school year.

I believe having paper available will be a great help for the last months of school.

It will give me the chance to make the necessary copies of practice tests and packets to prepare for the SOL's. I feel like a teacher cannot teach if she does’t have paper, and students cannot learn without materials to study! I would like to thank you in advance for your generosity, and although my students may not be happy to get a homework packet, I will be very grateful to have materials to teach!