Celebrate Black Teachers and Students
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.
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Mr. Henley from Greenville, MS is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
See what Mr. Henley is requestingMy students need 100 individual copies of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," so they can read in class and take them home and read them for homework.
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.
Shakespeare and the Hot Scholars of room 400 have something in common. They both don't know anything about the other. While it's too late for Billy, my kids have plenty of time to learn about and appreciate Shakespeare and the 9th grade is the perfect place to start.
My students live in the heart of the Delta.
This beautiful region is home to some amazing history and rich culture; however, this region is also home to some of the worst public schools in the nation. My children attend a school where the graduation rate hovers just above 60%. Essentially, 1 out of every 3 freshmen I teach will not graduate from high school. Despite these odds, my classroom is still filled with talented, capable students just waiting for someone to push them to success. With your help, I can do just that. In successful high schools across the nation, Shakespeare is a staple of 9th grade English. In my school, the Bard isn't even mentioned. If I want my students to have the same life opportunities as every other child in this nation, I need to hold them to the same high standards. They will not be able to compete on the ACT, at college, or in the job market if I don't set my expectations for their performance as high as successful schools outside of the Delta.
Shakespeare is a tough author to tackle for all 9th graders, but I am 100% certain my students can conquer this challenge. With enthusiasm and diligence, my students will be able to appreciate "The Merchant of Venice" while practicing reading objectives at a very rigorous level. Your donations would buy a copy of this play for every single one of my students. This means I will be able to assign reading homework because they will able to take the books home with them. Students will start to develop the higher level critical thinking and reading comprehension skills necessary to succeed in the rest of high school and in college. Your donation will open up many more doors of opportunity for my students.
My students have so much potential that is just waiting to be unleashed.
They have my unwavering support, but I do not have unlimited funds and neither does my school. As is too often the case, the only part missing is the resources. In this case, the thing missing from this English classroom is books. Your generosity will help to fix this absurd problem. "The Merchant of Venice" will hopefully be the first of many Shakespearean works the Hot Scholars of room 400 conquer.
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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mr. Henley is requesting.
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