Camelot Science Teacher Raises Quick Cash for Computers

Talk about a rapid response! Less than a week after Camelot Chester Excel Academy science teacher Maria Gazmin put out the word on Donors Choose that she was seeking funding for five Chromebook notebook computers for her classroom she hit her fundraising goal.

“I heard from others who have used this method to limit the request to a realistic number, so I told my family and friends that I just wanted to raise enough to buy five computers,” Ms. Gazmin said.  “I’ll have them in time for the new school year.”

Donorschoose.com  is a non-profit organization, similar to GoFundMe.com but it is specifically for teachers.  Because Camelot serves mainly urban areas, these school districts typically do not have the resources to provide the kind of equipment found in suburban schools. That means if teachers want additional equipment to help their students learn they have to raise the money themselves.

Chromebooks sell for about $200 a piece and upgraded versions can run as high as $300. Ms. Gazmin says she will put the computers to good use.

“I want to expose my students to things like virtual lab simulation,” she said. “Also, I find that they are not strong in science research projects so I want to do more of that this year so they can create data presentations and things like that.”

Ms. Gazmin’s science classes typically have about 20 students who work in four-person clusters, so five Chromebooks, plus two laptops she already has in the classroom could accommodate everyone.  

Ms. Gazmin’s donation page is still active at http://www.donorschoose.org/gazminmc.