"I hate reading!" "There aren't any books I like!" These are the common refrains I hear the first few weeks in my English classroom. My students have not yet discovered how wonderful the written word can be and need new, engaging books to guide their way.
My students are a mixture of every type of reader from the excited ones who would read the phone book, to students who have one favorite book but don't know what to read next, to very reluctant readers who have not actually read much of anything since early elementary school.
While I mainly teach reading remediation, I also teach some of the higher achieving students at out school. The higher achieving students are also at risk, because they claim they do not have time to read. All of my students, regardless of reading level or reading "attitude" need books to help them be successful in English class and in every other class they take.
My Project
My hope is that with a more varied classroom library than I am able to provide on my own, my students will experiment with new genres, will share books with one another, and will find the books that help them become the people they want to be. The books will absolutely be a gateway to higher test scores, but more than that, these books will be a gateway to new opportunities. Studies show that schools that have classroom libraries have students that better utilize school and public libraries. So really, by investing in a few books, we are opening many doors for these children to be lifelong learners and more engaged citizens. I also believe (because I have seen it happen) that students will soon apply the concepts we are studying to their independent reading books.
Your donations will change lives, broaden horizons, and help to make a small classroom library a gathering place for students where we can exchange ideas, travel to new places, explore complex feelings, and think about social change.
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 Mrs. Huckstep and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.