Ms. Petitt’s Classroom Edit display name

About my class

Less than a year ago, I entered a classroom with less than 20 books on the shelves. Largely through generous donations and used book purchases we have built a small classroom library. Unfortunately, we are still lacking in books related to social-emotional learning topics. With many of my students having limited access to a large variety of books at home, I feel particularly burdened to provide access to these materials at school. Literacy is critical for all students but for students who struggle with expressing themselves and regulating their emotions, the language, communication and discussion opportunities created by reading books is immeasurable. Through expanding our social-emotional book library, we will be able to increase both our literacy skills and our ability to empathize with characters and others in our world. The characters in the stories we will read have been bullied, been left out, felt different, overcome trials and persevered - just like many of my students. The opportunity for my students to see themselves in characters in the story is second to none. Between an expanded classroom library and the guided reading materials necessary to teach critical reading skills, my students will soar to higher reading levels, better regulate their emotions and continue to chase their goals.