Elie Wiesel is remembered for the quote, "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." Verily, I seek out books for the classroom library that give students access to content that requires deep discussion.
My kids are inspiring, resilient, and absolutely amazing.
In my classroom, the students comprise a community that largely reflects their own: diverse interests, backgrounds, and viewpoints that lead to unbelievable character and self-representation as they challenge each other to see the world in many different ways.
The school in which I work is wonderfully sensitive to the needs of students and staff, providing us with attentive support and supplies for learning - however, budgets are limited, and a host of new books for the classroom library is a costly desire.
My Project
As I stated previously, my kids are inspiring, resilient, and absolutely amazing. In my classroom, the students comprise a community that largely reflects their own: diverse interests, backgrounds, and viewpoints that lead to unbelievable character and self-representation as they challenge each other to see the world in many different ways.
My students need 31 books to deepen discussion and understanding including Uncle Jed's Barbershop, Talkin' about Bessie, and Only One You. My students deserve books that allow them to explore and engage these differences via literary means, just as they are deserving of books that invite conversations otherwise overlooked. Discussing the issues of inequality, of justice, of adventure, of loss, of triumph, of self-worth: these are the motivations behind our request for such wonderful books as those in our project list.
It is my most fervent wish that young children be given the opportunities to engage and dissect controversial and meaningful topics through interactions with authentic and powerful texts.
Donating to such a project will change the lives of my students by giving them access to a complex dialog which allows them to develop their own points of view. It is as Harper Lee once stated, that "the book to read is not the one that thinks for you but the one which makes you think."
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 Ms. Mabie and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
