On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess

First, let me give a heartfelt thanks to those of you who have given to the DonorsChoose projects I have selected. To date we have helped to fully fund 13 projects and I could not be more proud of the folks who read my blog and generously opened their wallets for this cause.

Through Twitter I have become acquainted with one of the teachers (@sumrthyme) from my project list. I asked her if she could tell me a little more about her school and she said:

I teach kindergarten in rural South Carolina. Our district was featured in the Corridor of Shame documentary. ( http://www.corridorofshame.com/)

This is my 33rd year teaching. I still love teaching and truly consider it my calling, not just a job.

All of my schools funds have been frozen. We have received no money for classroom supplies or materials this year. 93% of our students receive free or reduced lunches so parental contributions are rare. In a "good' year, I usually get $600.00 to purchase supplies and materials. Most of this is spent on consumable items. I may have some money left to purchase 1 or 2 items such as learning center activities or manipulatives.  We did not lose any teachers this year.We are very grateful for this. Some positions were not filled if teachers and/or assistants retired or left due to other reasons. Some faculty/staff had to change schools.

We are not hiring substitutes this year. If a teacher is out, the students are placed in other classrooms. This results in loss of instruction for several classes. This has really hurt teacher morale at my school. DonorsChoose has been a tremendous blessing to me and my students. Through the generosity of donors, I have gotten many items that have enriched my students' instruction and educational experiences. Some of these include:

• LeapFrog Tag Readers and books
• materials for a wring center -crayons, pencils, journals, writing paper..
• math games and manipulatives
• a sand water table with molds
• an art easel, paints, play dough

It breaks my heart to think that a teacher should have to feel grateful that someone provided her students with paint and crayons and pencils. These items should be commonplace in a classroom and no teacher should have to beg for them.

So, thank you again for your efforts to provide these items to budding scientists.

Now, on to business.  You see, I was very happy to participate simply to do something good for others.  Some of the rest of you seem to believe that this must be a competition to see who can raise the most.  Apparently beating Isis at something earns you some kind of notch in your blog belt.  Recently, fellow ScienceBlogger and nurse hater PalMD said this via his Twitter (@palmd):

Why do @drisis readers hate children? Why? My pitifully small readership is still ahead in #donorschoose http://bit.ly/4dYRqL

Yo, @drisis im kicking your hot ass at #donorschoose ! why do your readers hate children? Why?

I can't believe that the @palmd readers have surpassed the minions and little chickens of @drisis !! #donorschoose

I got to thinking, what do I possibly have that could make some of you open your wallets just a little bit wider...or even open your wallets at all?  Well, there's only one thing I have that some of you want.

My identity.

So, here's the deal, little chickens.   Dr. Isis is currently third on the Scienceblogs leader board, very, very close behind PalMD and Chad Orzel.   You help me teach these boys (not Chad, but Pal and Brother Drug) the consequences of talking trash and I will post for my little chickens a full head to toe video of Dr. Isis in all her glory, dancing like a little chicken.

How badly do you want to see Dr. Isis?