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Melanie Mickey

I teach 5th grade math in one of the poorest districts in our state. Our city`s median annual income for families is right around $30,000. Naturally, our district cannot afford luxuries for our students. My students appreciate everything I do for them. I try to give them what I can, but I want to do more. We spend most of our time trying to prepare for our state test, which is given in March. Herein lies the dilemma: how do you start early enough to prepare the students for such an all-encompassing test without burning them out in the process? My solution is to try and make it fun. Getting away from the textbook and using supplemental materials helps keep the students interested and motivated. Unfortunately, these supplemental materials can be very expensive. That is why I decided to join Adopt-a-Classroom. Anything that can make math fun is going to be money well spent. My fifth graders are very competitive, and they love to play games. I hope to purchase math games for them.