My students need a variety of biographies that will introduce them to important leaders and role models such as I am Jackie Robinson, Nelson Mandela, and Grandfather Gandhi.
Who was your role model when you were a kid? Maybe it was a family member or a friend. Maybe it was someone you learned about in a book!
I teach at a "high poverty" school, and most of my second graders are encountering and overcoming incredible challenges each and every day.
Many come from unstable homes and some experience food insecurity. They do not all have big dreams for the future or even know what opportunities they could be reaching for.
My Project
Many of my students lack strong role models with whom they can closely identify. Whenever I share books about leaders such as Nelson Mandela or Rosa Parks, my students pay very close attention. They tune in to the challenges that these leaders had to overcome in their own lives, and they often have many questions about the suffering they endured. It is not at all unusual to have students make connections to their own experiences and share their stories. I would like to have a much wider selection of biographies highlighting the lives of incredible people from all over the world both past and present. I want them to be introduced to notable men and women who made great accomplishments as scientists, mathematicians, environmentalists, artists, writers, activists, astronauts, and more. I am requesting a variety of biographies to include On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein, Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, and One Giant Leap: The Story of Neil Armstrong.
I believe that my students are capable of achieving great things, but they are not always convinced of this.
I want to introduce them to many important causes and to many important people who have made a difference in our world - often overcoming significant challenges in their own lives. The great leaders of our future are sitting in classrooms today! Thank you for considering our project!
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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. K. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.