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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. J. from Portsmouth, VA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Mrs. J.'s classroom raised $236

Tears of a Tiger

My students need 30 copies of Sharon Draper's "Tears of a Tiger".

Mrs. J. Manor High School

Portsmouth, VA Grades 9-12

Three hundred students show up every year who cannot read on grade level. That figure represents almost three-quarters of our freshmen population. Our high school provides a Fundamental Reading class every fall in an attempt to improve their reading skills. I am given 18 weeks to accomplish this daunting task. Our students cannot read well because it is a skill they are not given an opportunity to practice. In the beginning of each school year, I post numbers on all four walls of my classroom: 0-5, 6-25, 26-50, and over 50. These figures represent the number of books found in each student's home. I ask the students to stand on the wall that represents his or her home. Rarely, do I have any students on the 6-25 wall. Every last student will be crammed on wall 0-5. Given the choice between buying groceries or buying a book, they understandably choose to eat. However, reading is no different from playing tennis or strumming a guitar--to do it well, it must be practiced. I believe that our students have simply not found the book that "speaks" to them. I believe that I have found that book in "Tears of a Tiger". Every year, I spend several hundred dollars of my own money developing my classroom library with books that might appeal to my students. I found a gold mine in "Tears of a Tiger". It is for these students what "The Outsiders" was for my generation. I introduce the first three or four chapters every year with a Reader's Theater (adapting the book to a play format) to entice just one student to take the novel home and read it. That's all it takes. I know when the student has finished the novel because he will show up before school to tell me all about it--and I can tell he's hooked. (The first time it happened, my heart stopped. The student came to see me before school saying, "You'll never believe what happened." Unfortunately, with my demographics of students, it could be almost any imaginable tragedy. I have since learned to pay close attention to who has my book checked out!) The novel then goes through the classroom one at a time. (I have now purchased several copies!) I would love the opportunity to read this novel as a class--to "hook" thirty students at a time to a love of reading. A donated class set of Sharon Draper's "Tears of a Tiger" could accomplish my goal. A generous donation to this project could potentially change the lives of my students. Falling in love with a novel in class can translate to reading outside of class. Reading translates into higher academic achievement, less frustration in school, and lower dropout rates. You can make a difference.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Nearly all students from low‑income households

300 students impacted 1 donor

Project tagged as

Portsmouth, VA
Grades 9-12
Literacy
Literature & Writing
Traditional School
Books
Nearly all students from low‑income households

Mrs. J. Manor High School Grades 9-12

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Portsmouth, VA View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

300 students impacted 1donor

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total

Tears of a Tiger • AKJ Books $5.22 30 $156.60

Materials cost			$156.60
Vendor shipping charges			$15.66
Sales tax			$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee			$3.92
Fulfillment labor & materials			$17.00
Total project cost			$193.00
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			$42.37
Total project goal			$235.37
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal			$235.37
1 Donor			-$227.06
Donations toward project cost			-$193.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			-$34.06
Excluded support for DonorsChoose			-$8.31
Still needed View calculation Hide calculation			$0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. J. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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This teacher needs your help!

Tears of a Tiger

Project tagged as

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Boost your odds

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

How we calculate what's needed

Project Activity

Project Activity

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.