Donors

Thank you!

Welcome to my donor page!
Thank you for visiting; thank you even more for your consideration and support! We are in the business of creating the next generation. (I write "we" and "our" because ownership flows far beyond school staff. Community members, parents, and especially students have a stake in this ground.) Everyday, in small ways, our classroom molds the future of Billings and beyond. Our students learn to read and write. They learn math and business. They participate in becoming the citizens and scientists of the future. Your support of public education can make a world of difference.

Who our students are:
McKinley School is in the center of the city of Billings, itself in central Montana. As a part of Billings Public Schools, we serve a wide range of students from all walks of life. Many McKinley School students, however, face greater challenges than most.

Our students:

Are homeless; 9% of them.
Have an incarcerated parent (or two); approximately 15% do.
Receive free or reduced lunch and breakfast; over 70% need food support.
Struggle against poverty; many are projected to be 94.5% below the poverty level.

Many live in desperate poverty. But statistics do not describe it. In our room, some students wear the same clothes for days on end. Lice comes and goes. Hunger is common, as one student told me, "I like school; there's always food here." Our students face challenges that we cannot truly imagine.

At the same time, I cannot stop bragging about my students. They become voracious readers. Sharp mathematicians. Brilliant writers. (Take a look at the student impact page.) My students have a tenacity and curiosity that humbles and challenges me. My goal is to live up to the greatness of these kids.

Who I am:
My name is Mark Kane and I am a certified teacher at McKinley School. I am passionate about teaching. I believe it is, without disrespect to other fields, the greatest endeavor to which a man can set his life. I will be a teacher as long as I have breath in my lungs and blood in my veins. It is the most creative, joyful and challenging career that I've ever known.

At McKinley, I serve on our school's Technology Team and Leadership Team. Within the district, I am fortunate to be involved in TILT (Teachers Integrating and Learning Technology) and the district's Elementary Math Cadre. I have had the good fortune to receive hundreds of hours of professional training in Technology and Common Core Math.

My master's degree is from Montana State University-Billings (B.A. from Wheaton College) and I have over a decade of experience working with students, in several fields. I live with my wife and two children in Billings. We enjoy outdoor pursuits, reading, and family time. I hope to run my first marathon in 2014 with shorter races scaffolding my learning experience until then!

Your donation to my classroom brings resources that the district cannot provide. Some students live in a world saturated by technology; our students largely do not. My classroom consistently has students whose entire household has no telephone, no car, and no technological device (computer, iPad, etc.). While we cannot singlehandedly solve the struggle of poverty, we can give impoverished students the chance to learn in a first rate classroom. Students need to have access to the technology of today so that they have a shot at technological jobs of the future. You are providing this opportunity that can set direction for a child's life.

Nuts and Bolts:
Like all of Billings Public Schools, McKinley School is a tax-exempt, non-profit institution. Therefore, it can accept tax-deductible donations. If you are interested in becoming a donor, and I do not already have your contact info, please use the field on this page.

Special Projects:
People have asked me about the next goal for my classroom. I have some ideas roughly sketched out in my mind, but nothing to go public with on the web. If you are interested, please contact me. I would love to brainstorm with you.

Technology fulfilled:

Thanks to fabulous parents and community partners, our classroom has some amazing resources and tools. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!

Reading & Research - Provided by the Harry & Alta Mae Wardell Grants

Some of my favorite ideas are not my ideas at all. In 2013 my own kindergartener came home with a subscription to Raz-Kids. In her classroom, Raz-Kids is a reading tool that allows students to progress rapidly or slowly in reading -- based upon the individual's progress, not one-size-fits-all. At home, it reinforces the classroom learning. Best of all, it serves as a fantastic school-to-home connection. As a parent, I can see what my daughter is reading at school. Maya reads for hours; she loves this subscription. After seeing how it benefitted my family and talking with colleagues who have implemented it, I knew Raz-Kids needed to join my classroom.

In addition to the subscription to Raz-Kids, we received a subscription to Reading A to Z. These projectable and printable books serve as big book centers and research material for our inquiry projects. It has been difficult to find non-fiction resources for emergent and early readers. This subscription provides real, age-appropriate science and historical readers for first grade research projects. For an example of our research, click here or here (same project, different school years - researching animals connects into Unit 6 of our new reading curriculum and fulfills numerous common core standards in reading and writing).

This reading and research grant was provided by Tom & Susan Wardell as a part of the Harry and Alta Mae Wardell Grants through the Billings Education Foundation. I cannot express my gratitude enough that there are so many folks working to support kids. You all are my inspiration.

Lightspeed Audio System

This little box is greatest piece of technology ever invented for a classroom. I am so thankful to the donor who provided it. I'd rather never have another piece of paper than to lose this system. I wear a necklace mic and the speaker projects my voice, even a whisper, in total surround sound to every nook and cranny in the room. The effect is hard to describe, since it is not "loud" like a concert speaker might be. It sounds, to students, like I am speaking from inside their own heads. There are no "bad seats" where students strain to hear. For students with attention deficits, this sound cuts across the distractions. And of course, those students with hearing impairments finally have a perfect solution -- I connect wirelessly to their hearing aids. Every person in my room, starting with me, is happier and more productive because of this gift. A note about the cost: My refurbished unit cost $750. A new one costs more, about $1300.

Interactive Whiteboard

This digital tool spins the age-old chalkboard on its head. Imagine your childhood blackboard. Now imagine that board with embedded YouTube videos, with objects that bounced as you touched them, with math problems that taught you how to solve them, with safe web content. But don't forget! It is still a whiteboard, so the teacher can write over everything. This tool is truly remarkable. As I learn to use it better, my students find themselves leaning in, excitedly, to learn. They hunger to be the next student to come forward. (Do you remember dreading going to the board? Me too. My kids long to come up.) Oh, and it floats on wall mount that adjusts to the height of each student. Cool, huh? No one even strains to reach.

Student Response System

Linking into the whiteboard above, these student response clickers allow students to digitally respond to questions I pose in class. Because of this system, I can instantly see how well students understand a new concept – in real time. This information enables me to move on to more challenging material (or remediate) within a lesson without waiting to correct papers or administer a test. When students raise their hands to answer I might know how well a few students comprehend the lesson. With this system, every student has a chance to quietly respond. Further, the system logs precisely who understood the concept and who did not. I am able to take small groups of strugglers and immediately re-teach during center time. Likewise, I can challenge those who are mastering the concepts quickly. This response system is a game changer. I am very grateful.

iPad

While my dream is to have an iPad for every student, even just having one iPad has made a world of difference. Students use it for a many of the educational apps that I've listed in my portfolio. But the most amazing part of having an iPad is being able to be in two places at once. Truly. As I walk around the classroom, I hold the iPad in my hand. Through two apps running simultaneously, I can be in the back of the room and write digitally on the iPad and everything shows up on the front board.

Perhaps you remember the scene in "Ferris Buhler's" classroom where the teacher's back is to the board as he writes? That never happens in my room. I stand next to my students and coach them as we collaboratively write from 10 feet away. This technology still blows my mine when I use it. It even records lessons.