Current mood:	full
Entry tags:	stephen colbert

Help American Education Directly
I don't mention it much save in passing but the education in America has long been a big issue for me. It's grown worse every year since I graduated from high school and now we are at a crisis point. In my city of Los Angeles 45% of children drop out of school and never graduate. That's beyond scandalous.

Last night while falling asleep to Larry King, I heard Stephen Colbert mention an organization called DonorsChoose.org where teachers directly ask for help and the general public can respond. After spending a little time on the website myself, I was shocked at the simplicity of most requests. I found a local teacher in an 80% low income area asking for money to buy his students two spiral notebooks of lined paper. Notebooks. How basic. Here is what he wrote:


Everyday I stare out at 32 great writers. I teach 5th grade in a poor urban school. I have students who speak English, Spanish, and Zapotec. But they all love to write--they write notes to friends, they write essays for me, they write letters to penpals.

My school gives us lined paper to use for assignments. It works okay, but I don't want to tell you how many backpacks are stuffed with wads and wads of paper. So I want to get my students organized. I want them to read something they wrote last week, last month, even last year.

How can I do it? By giving them spiral-bound notebooks. They will use one notebook for essays and classroom assignments; they will use the other for journal writing. I have found that students who may not want to write homework for me will sit for 20 minutes writing about their exploits on the playground, or their favorite TV show.

So here's where you come in. I have a room full of writers who don't see the permanence of the written word because it sometimes doesn't last the trip home. With your help, I can put into their hands (and backpacks) a lasting collection of their words. I know my students have something to say.

Show them that someone else believes in them and their words.Show them that someone else cares about what they think. And then they will show the world.

My students need 2 spiral notebooks each, 70 total. The cost of this proposal is $196, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment.


There are many more very simple situations like this found on the website. Please, spread the word about this wonderful organization. Better yet, help make it work!