I teach high school chemistry to 180 10th & 11th graders in a high-poverty, urban area of Michigan. 100% of my students are African-American and 95% are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Due to the budget troubles of my district, my students do not have access to textbooks or proper science lab supplies. Many cannot even afford proper school supplies for themselves, including pencils and notebooks. The reality of their situation is not lost on my high schoolers, though, and most of my students are driven to obtain a college degree as a means of making a better, more prosperous life for themselves and their families. With that goal in mind, my students are working very hard this year in our chemistry L.A.B. What's with the abbreviation, you ask? Because unlike normal science "labs", ours is always centered around the three values of Learning! Achieving! and Believing! (abbreviated to L.A.B)...even when poor environmental conditions and factors try to distract us.

About my class I teach high school chemistry to 180 10th & 11th graders in a high-poverty, urban area of Michigan. 100% of my students are African-American and 95% are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Due to the budget troubles of my district, my students do not have access to textbooks or proper science lab supplies. Many cannot even afford proper school supplies for themselves, including pencils and notebooks. The reality of their situation is not lost on my high schoolers, though, and most of my students are driven to obtain a college degree as a means of making a better, more prosperous life for themselves and their families. With that goal in mind, my students are working very hard this year in our chemistry L.A.B. What's with the abbreviation, you ask? Because unlike normal science "labs", ours is always centered around the three values of Learning! Achieving! and Believing! (abbreviated to L.A.B)...even when poor environmental conditions and factors try to distract us. Read more