DALLAS (KRLD) - A non-profit is raising money for teachers to help them adjust to a new environment and prevent the growth of a "digital divide." The group, Teach for America DFW, says gifts will be matched through September 17, up to $50,000.
Teach for America is raising money both to help teachers develop online lesson plans and coach teachers who may be returning to class in-person.
"Teachers were not prepared for the changes that were being made over the summer and into this school year because every few weeks, something changed," says Rafaela Washington, a 4th grade teacher at Ogle Elementary School in Frisco. "This coaching is really going to allow teachers to be supported in the form and fashion they need as they're having to face this last minute."
Teach for America says a $50 donation will pay for an hour of coaching; a $25 donation will pay for a "teacher technology toolkit," which includes a camera that can be moved for teachers working with students in-person and virtually at the same time. Donations can be made at www.northtexasgivingday.org/TeachForAmerica.
Washington says coaching can help teachers adjust lesson plans and ensure children learning in-person will not be distracted by additional precautions.
"We want to be problem solvers, and we want to develop problem solvers in our classrooms and in our students," she says. "We want them to be resourceful and look at things in different ways."
Teach for America says the pandemic has hit students from low-income families hardest, and "education gaps that existed pre-pandemic are only being exacerbated." The non-profit has 40% more teachers in North Texas this year, and Washington says the first 100 days are the most important to set up kids up to succeed, so teachers have needed to adjust quickly.
Frisco ISD started with in-person classes Thursday.
"We're so excited to see [students] back. We're trying to teach all new routines and procedures, how to maintain social distance, how to keep our masks on, and how to sanitize the proper way," Washington says. "But deep down inside, we're like, 'Yes, they're back!'"
