If you were leaving a school, what would you do with Donors Choose items? No immediate plans to leave, just wondering.
http://help.donorschoose.org/hc/en-us/articles/203139017 I haven't done any projects on there, but if I wanted to take them with me, I'd follow the directions above and get principal permission. Whether or not I would aim for taking it would depend on what the item is and whether I feel as though it would be better for the student population I'm leaving to have that under someone who hasn't used it (i.e. a listening center might be helpful, but something more specific to my teaching might not) or better for me to continue using it with my new population.
I think I'd take them although along similar lines as mathmagic, I'd probably consider whether the items (at this point, a few iPad minis and headphones) would be more needed where I was or where I was going. Right now I'm in a high poverty school with little technology. If I were moving to a school/district with a lot of tech, I might leave them. Some people in my school know I have the Donors Choose items, but the district does't really track them so I don't think anyone would even notice if I took them. In the case of these two items, almost all of the donors were people I know personally so I think that would also have me leaning toward taking them. They donated them to me more than they did the students. I don't know. That's a good question!
Definitely check your district's policy. Ours has a really tight control on what you put on Donor's Choose. Yes, they can, because you are using the school's name in asking for the product. Some principals are more strict than others in what they allow to be let go from their scool
The items I currently have from Donor's Choose... probably just leave them, no effort made to keep them. They're great, but not necessities I couldn't beg or borrow in another situation.
Check your district policy. Mine is....Anything you purchase or have donated to you, you keep a receipt or written documentation when, where, how much, etc. about the item so you can take with you when you leave. These items are yours. Anything purchased and then reimbursed by the school or school district or any other type of organization or grant that helps teachers (aka. PTO), those items stay with the classroom as they are school property. I really like the idea that if someone gets an item from DC for a particular classroom, it would be nice to leave it for the next teacher or pass it on to another teacher who would appreciate and use the items.I totally believe in paying it forward.
My understanding is Donor's Choose policy is items are donated to the school, not the teacher. I interpret that as a decision between you and your school.
I don't believe that's always the case; but I've never participated in DC. I've had a previous coworker receive funds to purchase the Scholastic magazines for her students. She used these for two years before she moved to a new school district and took them with her. She's still using them with her new class.
The D.C. policy, as posted earlier, is the latter - that it's a decision between the school (principal) and teacher.
I will be leaving almost everything behind I've gotten from DC, including a bunch of tablets. My school is strict about keeping those things in the school, and also I will be specifically handing them off to a colleague who has gone above and beyond for me and I know she will actually use them. I might feel differently if I knew they were just going to sit someplace unused.
I've always taken everything with me because nobody pays attention enough to be bothered, honestly. However, I'll leave the big stuff. I got a guided reading table that I obviously have no room for. I did take my rug from my last school, but I will probably leave it behind at my current school.
I'm wondering about that right now because I might move. I don't think I can take my class set of Chromebooks, just logistically speaking. (Too big and heavy) Same thing with my goggle cabinet, and my industrial 3-hole punch. They only stuff I think I would want to take are the LittleBits and the 3D printers I raised money for. Though those weren't through Donors Choose so I think they belong to the school according to my grant.
Yeah. I generally pull in about 2000-5000 a year from DonorsChoose and other grants I write. Most of my DonorsChoose grants get funded through corporations like Chevron and stuff though. Rarely through donations from parents or friends.
I did a DC project my second year of teaching and my dad and FIL were the only 2 people to donate. Due to that, I took the items with me when I switched schools. My principal left when I did and no one kept track of things at that school. It was a mess.
