I am trying to raise money for iPads for my classroom — please consider donating! Any little bit helps!

I have started a fundraising campaign to try to raise $3,000 for iPads (and cases, headphones, and educational apps) for my students. Thanks to the extreme generosity of many, we have already raised $1,781! (To those who have already donated, thank you so, so very much.)

The donation site can be found here:

http://www.gofundme.com/ipadsforK1

I am raising money because, as I set up my combined kindergarten/first grade classroom at the Atitlán Multicultural Academy, I realize how severely constrained by a lack of materials and resources we are. There is a small library for the school, but extremely few books that will be appropriate for my very young students. Most of the students are Mayan— and many are sponsored by Americans who pay 100% of their tuition, meal, and travel costs— and travel long distances from the mountains to receive an English-language education that will enable them to escape the cycle of poverty and lack of education that have plagued their families for many generations.

I am realizing that if my students had access to iPads, their worlds would be expanded immeasurably— they would not only have access to texts appropriate for their individual levels, they would have access to educational software that would address their reading and math levels, creating individualized instruction for each student. The possibilities afforded by this technology would truly be immeasurable. This is the case in any school, but it is especially true here, where students don't have access to books or libraries with the educational materials they need to learn and write.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or want to let me know anything.

Again, the site can be found here:

http://www.gofundme.com/ipadsforK1

Any little bit you can spare helps! Each donor will receive a personalized, hand-written thank you card made by a very grateful kiddo! (The cards will be sent as soon as a teacher from the school goes back to the States so they can be sent— there is no mail here!)

Please consider donating any amount you can— $10 is $10 closer to the goal! Thank you so very much! 

Here is a picture of some of my students. (You can tell that they are all thinking about how excited they are to learn to read and write!) How could anyone resist those faces?