Empowering students to connect
The Connecticut Opportunity Project rewards teachers for projects that encourage students to engage
Author: Jen Cooper
The Connecticut Opportunity Project rewards teachers for projects that encourage students to engage
Author: Jen Cooper
When students make deep personal connections to learning and school, their potential explodes and the whole community benefits. That’s the guiding principle behind the Connecticut Opportunity Project, a joint effort between DonorsChoose.org and the Dalio Foundation. Recently, the Opportunity Project awarded $10,000 of DonorsChoose.org funding credits to five Connecticut teachers for projects that help students make connections and thrive.
For the 2017-18 school year, the Connecticut Opportunity Project issued a challenge: They asked state teachers to collaborate with their students to design projects around the themes of personalization, relationships and connections—three research-backed ways to help students engage with schools and learning.
Connecticut teachers responded with 428 student-centered projects at 49 schools, statewide. And they brought their A-game! From that list of inspiring work, five projects earned $10,000 to fulfill their project wish lists.
Ready to be inspired? These four Connecticut Opportunity Project winners use books, performing arts and physical activity to help students connect and engage in learning.
Hartford Public High School is gaining a new student center in one of the school’s classrooms. Designed by Hartford students, for Hartford students, this welcoming space will have a chill café vibe, with comfortable seating, student art on the walls, rows of books and drawing supplies.
Instead of rushing out the school doors at the end of the day, the student center will invite students to stick around, connect with teachers and peers, and complete their school work. Thanks to the grant, they’ll have everything they need—from computers and printers to city bus cards to get home. And yes, there will be snacks.
Elizabeth is a 9th grade English teacher and has been teaching for seven years. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Adolescent Education with a concentration in English and a Master’s of Science in Literacy (birth-grade 12). She attended St. John’s University in Queens, NY.
“Remember the why. Why did you want to become a teacher? Why did you work so hard to get here? Why do you come back to school day after day? When you reflect on special moments, remind yourself why you are a teacher and feel confident in those reflections, then you have made the right choice.”
Taking a group of students to see Michelle Obama speak! ?
Through teaching, you can bring your passion for a subject area into the lives of students and make lessons and activities fun and purposeful. Over the years, you’ll make positive connections and build professional relationships.
At Fairchild Wheeler High School in Bridgeport, students are about to get a lot punchier (pun intended ?). And Jeremy Susi, one of the school’s P.E. and health teachers, believes this is a very good thing.
The DonorsChoose.org grant will purchase all the gear that students need to engage in safe, high-intensity boxing activities. According to Coach Susi, boxing helps students de-stress and focus in the classroom. Here’s to hitting the books (and punching bags). ?
Jeremy is a 10th and 11th grade Physical Education and Health Education teacher. He has been an educator for five years. He has a Bachelor of Science in Movement and Sport Studies with a minor in Health Studies.
“Involve students in the learning process as much as possible, be it through open discussions, projects or hands-on activities.”
At the end of the semester, after weeks of training and practice with push-ups, curl-ups, distance running and flexibility, countless students improve their results, often astonishing themselves with a performance that they didn't think they were capable of.
Teaching is a selfless profession that provides you with an opportunity to influence youth positively and improve the future.
You know that special magic when you read a book and see yourself reflected in a character? That deep, personal connection helps build empathy and resilience and breeds lifelong readers. Students at M.D. Fox School in Hartford will soon have many more opportunities to experience that magic.
Through her grant project, Laura Munafo is filling the shelves of her classroom library. With access to high-interest books filled with relatable, authentic characters, at-risk students—particularly young men—will have many more opportunities to connect with books and with school. With the remaining funds, Munafo is providing equipment for a teen center, offering attendance incentives to combat absenteeism and planning some exciting field trips.
Laura is a 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts teacher. She has been a teacher for 10 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in Elementary Education. She attended the University of New Haven.
“Take care of yourself first. It’s easy to give too much of yourself to the profession and get burned out. Remember to put yourself and your family first to avoid burnout. Your grading and to-do list will always be there. You can’t support your kids if you are falling apart.”
Every time a student who “hates reading” finds a book they are totally into.
The kids make it new and different every day. They make life interesting, and helping kids learn something new reminds me frequently that the world is a very amazing place.
In Harding High School’s performing arts classes, students take civic action with the help of midi keyboards, microphones, laptops and digital recording tools.
Thanks to the DonorsChoose.org grant and the vision of the school’s performing arts teacher, students will have access to the tools and supplies they need to create change through engaging performing arts projects. They start by researching issues they’re passionate about, and then create projects to address them. The projects range from dance performances to public service announcements and commercials. These student-choice projects promote awareness, voice student views, encourage dialog and promote solutions.
Sheena is a high school Performing Arts teacher. She has been teaching for 36 years! ???? She has a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and a Master’s in Education. She went to Western Connecticut State University as an undergrad and St. Joseph’s and Southern Connecticut State University as a grad student.
“Never be afraid to be you. Your passion, your story and your students equals success. Incorporate your passions into your teaching, share your story (to your level of comfort) and remember, you will grow to know your students better than anyone else...trust your instincts!”
A former student who had been extremely shy but blossomed in choir returned to give me a poem. She saw it somewhere and took the time to write it down. A few lines from the poem that say it all:
“You are shaping lives and minds preparing for years to come….
When they will hold the banner and heed the beating of life’s drum.
You will see their progress and know you’ve done things well,
and you’ll find the satisfaction there that no poet’s pen can tell.”
Teaching is a profession that affords you the opportunity to impact the future positively, regardless of your students' backgrounds, obstacles or challenges. We give hope by helping other people excel.
Though they teach different subjects and grades, Elizabeth Matthews, Jeremy Susi, Laura Munafo and Sheena Graham have this in common: they’re passionate teachers who engage students. Engaged students persist through school and graduate ready for what’s next. When the community comes together to support teachers and students in this endeavor, the community gains college and career ready citizens. That’s the Connecticut Opportunity Project model.
You can read more about the Connecticut Opportunity Project and its initiatives on their website.
Find a list of great projects from more than 350 Connecticut teachers on the Dalio Foundation’s DonorsChoose.org page.
From performing arts to books and boxing, the Connecticut Opportunity project teachers engaged their passions in the classroom and enriched the lives of their students.
How will your career engage your passions? Want to determine your fit for teaching?