Are you an Island teacher in need of classroom materials, or do you know of a teacher who needs supplies? Teachers from the West Tisbury School have posted classroom projects on the website DonorsChoose.org and would like to share this opportunity with other teachers on the Island.

DonorsChoose.org is a tax-deductible online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help teachers get the materials they need. Teachers can create an account and then shop for things they need on websites such as Amazon, Carolina Biological Supply, School Specialty and many more. New teachers begin with three “points,” which is equal to up to $3,000 in materials. When a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose will then ship the materials to the school.

Teachers can also request a classroom visitor (such as the Boston Museum of Science traveling program or a guest speaker), and even a field trip!

So far DonorsChoose has helped public school teachers all over the U.S. raise over $230 million. West Tisbury teachers are currently in need of supplies such as a telescope, digital microscopes and wheelbarrows.

This is a great organization that has funded so many teachers, helped millions of school children, and it was all created by a public school teacher! With Massachusetts adopting new science standards next year (based on the Next Generation Science Standards), teachers will be needing lots of new materials and supplies, especially for science.

Current Island teacher DonorsChoose.org websites include a project asking for materials to help teach astronomy (a telescope and sunspotter), a project asking for a human skeleton to help teach anatomy, a few wheelbarrows to help the kindergartners in the garden, and electric circuit kits to make the electricity unit in fifth grade extra fun.

If you have the means to help, please visit their sites by going to 
donorschoose.org and search by zip code (02575 for West Tisbury). So far there are only West Tisbury projects, but please spread the word to teachers so we can have representation from all schools.

If you are not able to donate, please share on your Facebook page or through email. Our students and teachers thank you.

Annemarie Ralph
West Tisbury

The writer is a science teacher at the West Tisbury School.