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 are high-spirited individuals who have been neglected or marginalized by the regular school system. They attend an alternative school which means that they are the last kids to get resources.
My students love to read. I mean they really LOVE to read, granted that you can point them toward a book that captures their interest AND meets them at their independent reading level. These kids currently attend an alternative school, which means that they have been forced out of the "regular" school because they are either too far behind or have not met the behavior standards of the traditional setting. Many of my students have fallen significantly behind due to post-Hurricane Katrina conditions in combination with special education needs. They need to gain the critical reading skills to work their way back to a high school diploma track and for life beyond the classroom. Unfortunately, these students are also the school district's lowest priority. Currently, I am trying to build a library in our classroom so that I can incorporate more interesting reading materials into our day-to-day lessons and allow students to check out books to bring home.
What my students really need are high-interest, low-level reading books. They need page-turners that will encourage them to read for fun. With the few materials I have obtained at this point I have found that my students really get excited about reading when you show them the right book cover. Now I just need more books to line the shelves!
With your help, my students, the "academic underdogs," of the school system will have the opportunity to gain reading skills that can help them overcome the academic and social circumstances that have held them back. They say, "If you build it, they will come." We're building a library.
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. Sanders and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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