I teach in an inner city Title I school where all students receive free or reduced rate lunch. My students and their families come from all over the world with a large variety of languages and cultures. I also have a high population of special education students within my classroom. They come to me eager to learn, with a wide range of abilities, and I want to be able to give them the quality education that they all deserve.
I consider my students lucky to grow up with such diversity in their classrooms, however, the resources that we are able to provide them in our city school is seriously lacking.
Many of them come to school hungry, and many of them live under conditions filled with poverty and have had traumatic experiences that occupy their minds. This seriously impedes their ability to sustain focus and learn in the classroom. My goal is to engage them with high-interest, relevant to their lives, quality materials that will make learning fun while being aligned with the new Common Core Standards. They deserve the same opportunities that wealthier communities are provided.
My Project
There are many challenges I face when teaching in an inner city school. The resources we have are outdated and irrelevant to my students' lives. Some of these children have so much going on in their home lives that sustaining focus on academics is close to impossible especially with such uninteresting and old materials.
Since our library has a very limited selection, and there isn't a librarian to keep our library up to date, my students are struggling to find high interest books that they enjoy to read.
I fondly remember going to the school library as a kid, as there was always a wide variety of new books on display to pick from. I want to be able to provide my students a variety of current novels that peak their interests and keep them motivated to independently read.
When students sit down in class with a brand new book, the feeling is indescribable. They feel important, valued and ready to learn. I want this experience for my students.
My ultimate goal is to get my students to love reading by the time they leave the 6th grade! Reading opens doors for the future and the children in my classroom deserve an enriching, fulfilling educational experience.
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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. Moisakis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
