Eric Buckman

I wanted to change the world. When I was a junior in high school a student at my school shot and killed his younger brother, whom I worked with the day before. That year I learned the impact of an educator and knew I had found my calling. Today I am able to teach kids they are loved and they can become anything they want to be. From a tragic moment, I realized a way to be the light in the world.

Every year my kindergartners write to an author and a famous person. We have received letters from Jane Goodall, Eric Carle, Tomie DePaula, and talked to Sharon Robinson on the phone about her dad Jackie! One year I told my class they could write to anyone and they asked if they could write to the President. We were shocked when we received a signed letter from President Barack Obama. The experience left a lasting impression on my classroom and showed how connected we are to the world.

I would love to be able to connect my students to the world. Currently we have a few tablets that we use daily. I record lessons for them to watch when they are absent, they read using online programs, and occasionally we are able to video call or email a pen pal or author. I would love to buy 25 Apple iPads and use them daily. This would let my students email authors and would allow them a device to respond to postcards from around the world that we receive though our Journey Journal project.