MISSION, Texas – Ten teachers from seven schools in the Mission CISD are using new tools in the classroom after Horace Mann Insurance Company completed their projects on DonorsChoose.org. The projects included a complete leveled books classroom library, a comfy listening center, Chromebooks, math activities, a wireless presenter with laser pointer and more. DonorsChoose.org is a website connecting donors with teachers.
“These items will not only help my students learn how to read and comprehend, but it will also help build their confidence towards reading and education,” wrote first grade teacher Nancy Garza in her project post. She says struggling readers will be able to pick a book on their level. “Having a child with confidence creates a mindset that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to do.”
San Juanita Mendez, the librarian at Bryan Elementary, is enjoying seeing the students reading on new lounge furniture. “Our students are now able to relax and read a book sitting on a comfortable sofa,” wrote Mendez on her project post. “The library is a more inviting and warm place for some to spend their afternoons. Their reading skills will surely increase as time progresses.”
Horace Mann agent Lori Gray says DonorsChoose.org is a great way for teachers to fulfill a need in the classroom that they might not be able to fill otherwise. “These educators are always looking for ways to help their students learn better,” says Gray. “DonorsChoose.org allows them to find what works for their students and get the materials they need to teach them.”
Horace Mann partnered with DonorsChoose.org, a website that helps connect teachers with donors, in 2011 and has since donated more than $2.5 million dollars. And Horace Mann agents have shown teachers throughout the nation how to successfully post DonorsChoose.org projects.
Projects funded:
About Horace Mann
Horace Mann (Horace Mann Educators Corp. (NYSE:HMN) is the largest national multiline insurance company focusing on educators' financial needs. Horace Mann provides auto and homeowners insurance, retirement annuities, life insurance and other financial solutions. Founded by Educators for Educators® in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Ill. For more information about the company, visit horacemann.com.
About DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit website where public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. To date, more than 202,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $268 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that have supported 12.5 million students.
Contact: Michelle Eccles, Horace Mann, 217-788-5394, [email protected].