A pen-pal/ video-chat exchange of 5 public school classrooms of various ages on the Lakota Sioux Reservation with 5 classrooms in Washington, DC would allow students to build relationships and broaden their understanding of people they would never be exposed to otherwise. This would ideally culminate in an actual exchange where at least 16 high school students (8 from South Dakota and 8 from DC) and their teachers would go to visit the students with whom they have been communicating.This would be in invaluable experience for both the students and the teachers and a replicable experience that will lead to a greater dialogue between the two regions. While many of the battles students and teachers fight from both regions are quite similar, there are countless differences that shed new light on our situations. Plus, this at the very least allows our students to see that a whole world exists outside of DC and South Dakota. This project could very well be implemented in other urban and rural areas across the nation, connecting even more students of minorities. L.A. to Appalachia, Detroit to the Mississippi Delta... the possibilities are endless.
FUNDING:
In order to facilitate the exchange between these two groups of students in the most efficient way possible, with the help of grant support I will continue to engage with and observe students and teachers from both regions. This will require a lot of traveling from South Dakota to Washington, DC to complete observations and interview students and teachers for roughly six weeks.
AIRFARE: $ 400.00 (Rapid City, SD to Washington, DC)
GAS: $ 780.00 (from Seattle, WA to South Dakota; driving between towns/schools - towns average 40+ miles apart; driving from South Dakota to Seattle, WA)
METRO/BUS: $ 88.00 (traveling between schools/airport in Washington, DC)
SUPPLIES: $ 176.00 (paper for lesson plans and writing, postage for mailing letters)
AMENITIES: $2,212.00 (hotels in South Dakota - avg. $79/night - 20+ nights plus tax)
FOOD: $ 504.00 (approximately $12/day)
MISC. EXPENSES: $ 750.00 (medical, phone charges, supplies for students)
TOTAL: $4,910.00
FUNDING FOR STUDENT/TEACHER TRAVEL TBD
ABOUT ME
TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
Crossland High School, DC Region - Fall 2009-Spring 2010
Spanish 2, 5, & 6
Martin Luther King High School, Philadelphia, PA - Summer 2009
Spanish I
As a Teach For America Corps Member, I had to create and implement my own curriculum and moved my kids to 80% mastery of all objectives despite the fact many of my students did not have the basic foundation needed to do so at the beginning of the year.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Fall 2006 - Spring 2009
English 98, 101, 101E & F, 102
I taught students how to analyze a written work and write various types of essays through expository and formal writing. 90% of my students were products of the Clark County School District and could not identify a verb or noun.
EDUCATION:
Teach For America Institute, Philadelphia, PA - 2009
M.F.A in the Creative Writing International Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Fall 2006 – Summer 2009
B.A. from Gonzaga University: 2005
• Overall G.P.A. – 3.58
• Double Major in English Literature and Spanish
Crossland High School, DC Region - Fall 2009-Spring 2010
Spanish 2, 5, & 6
Martin Luther King High School, Philadelphia, PA - Summer 2009
Spanish I
As a Teach For America Corps Member, I had to create and implement my own curriculum and moved my kids to 80% mastery of all objectives despite the fact many of my students did not have the basic foundation needed to do so at the beginning of the year.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Fall 2006 - Spring 2009
English 98, 101, 101E & F, 102
I taught students how to analyze a written work and write various types of essays through expository and formal writing. 90% of my students were products of the Clark County School District and could not identify a verb or noun.
EDUCATION:
Teach For America Institute, Philadelphia, PA - 2009
M.F.A in the Creative Writing International Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Fall 2006 – Summer 2009
B.A. from Gonzaga University: 2005
• Overall G.P.A. – 3.58
• Double Major in English Literature and Spanish
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