Spotlight: Martin Luther King Jr. School

As one of the earlier program focuses of the Esports Foundation, we wanted to explore bringing technology to underprivileged children in an education setting. Still today, our ongoing plan is to move from the east coast to the west coast of the United States–start off locally in the Boston area where we know the most about–and help fulfill the needs of teachers with new technology in the classroom. One of the classrooms we were able to help was Ms. Cesar’s at the Martin Luther King Jr. school in Dorchester, MA. She talks about her request below:

My Students

“If the world is supposed to be their oyster, I want to teach them how to swim. My students are an energetic bunch; who wake up early in the morning, making sure they and their younger siblings are ready for school. They share laughter in the hallways and stories during Do Nows. Every day, a sea of students stream into my classroom, a trickle of their conversations leaking into their seating groups.”

“Many of the students’ cannot afford their own libraries at home and do not have the transportation to attend their local library. But, they still love to read. They swap books during independent reading time and question if there are any more books with characters they love. They love transporting themselves in the world of books. With reading being such a vital part of a child’s academic and lifelong success, I want to teach my students how to read and learn to love reading. I want to teach them how to make the world their oyster.”

My Request

“With the rapid technological advancements in society, students who are from low income backgrounds are disenfranchised and unable to access these technologies at home. With Chromebooks in our classroom, students will be able to use this technology to access reading program applications, to practice their math literacy, use Google Drive, and learn essential novice research skills. Students will also have the opportunity to enhance their typing skills on an actual keyboard.”

“These are also skills they will master in the years to come, to assist these students in becoming contributing members to society.”

Esports Foundation Update

“With the Chromebooks in the classroom, my students are able to engage in different activities throughout the day. As a class, we use the Chromebooks to engage in developing and sustaining reading proficiency, as a resource to learn explore new words, and an extra tool to enrich the learning experience. With the Chromebooks, we are able to use interactive web programs to work on mathematical concepts, while receiving feedback in real time. Students are also able to use the Chromebooks to access numerous digital books that is catered to their interests and their areas of growth. As an added bonus, students were excited to receive new technology in the classroom, to use, to learn, and to extend their learning.

With gratitude,
Ms. Cesar”