Hello Friends!

We are special education teachers in an environmentally-focused, non-profit charter school located in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Our student body is almost entirely low income students, reflecting the community we serve.

We provide individual and small group instruction to our special-needs students who face a myriad of issues including academic, social and emotional challenges, trauma and lack of opportunity to develop life skills and community connections. 

The biggest challenge we face is making our lessons come to life so that our students come to understand the utility of what they are learning in the classroom and why they need to acquire certain skills in order to succeed in the future. 

We have discovered that the best way to get our message across and engage and expand the skills of our students is to provide “field trips,” immersive, lived experiences in the community. 

Some examples of the community based instruction trips we have taken in the past include walking trips to the post office, the grocery store, and train trips to the Reading Terminal Market and the Philadelphia Magic Gardens. Many of these experiences are considered highlights of the school year by our students. It has given them hands-on opportunities to practice many of the skills they must master to succeed in the world like;

-communicating effectively in the community

-using money responsibly

-using public transportation

-reading a map

Seeing the utility of their learning is a huge motivator and they have everything to gain from more of these special trips and experiences.

Please consider donating to our fundraiser and supporting our students!

Back Up Plan