This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
By the time they finish 3rd grade, I want my students to have a strong, unwavering writing voice. Children need to know that their stories matter. They need to know that everyone has a story, and every story matters.
My students come from crowded apartments and tiny homes.
They come from neighborhoods where the "music" at night is often sirens or shouting or occasionally gunshots.
Most of my kids are reading and writing below their grade level. They lack confidence--they don't think anyone cares about their stories and about their lives. However, what they've experienced and the obstacles they navigate on a daily basis is astounding and often sad.
Our school is a strong community. We are a family. We care about each other, take risks with each other, and reach out to each other.
However, our school is surrounded by small, independent businesses--businesses that struggle and barely scrape by--along with a large number of older residents. Ferguson is the kind of community where most people fall in love with what the city has to offer, and they stay...for decades.
My Project
My students will be creating a classroom collection of memoirs--stories about one instant in their life when they were extremely proud, a moment when they were incredibly sad, a time in their lives when they were extremely scared.
My third graders will also be reaching out to the community and embracing them. The looting, the fires, the destruction--it's devastating, but if we don't have courageous conversations, our city will never heal. Getting the chance to interview the beauty supply store owner at the corner who lost most of her inventory to looters, or the senior citizen who's seen a rich history play out during their lifetime--this would ensure my students learn so many different skills: interviewing, writing, note-taking--along with exposing them to determined business owners and seniors who have seen history play out during their lives so far.
The laptops will be used to create and edit these stories. In the Spring, there will be a celebration of the writing
Connecting to other people is the key to making a difference and making a change.
If students see with certainty that the older person sitting at the bus stop has a valuable story to tell, they won't be so dismissive of the elderly. If my third graders see that businesses aren't places to litter or loot--that they are owned by people, people they get to know--and that those people are struggling just like their own families are, my kids will realize that we're all connected in this world.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Roslawski and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.