This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
I often say that although I am a teacher, I feel as if I am a student. I am constantly learning from my students. Being in a culturally- and financially-diverse classroom this year is changing me as a teacher. I am learning to best suit the many needs of my students. My students are humble, selfless, and kind. They give, even when they do not have much to give. They make me want to do everything in my power to give back to them.
We are in a Title I school where over 93% of the students come from low-income households.
Regardless of this statistic, I know that my students have great capabilities and potential. They are motivated and driven to learn even at their young age because they want to overcome the obstacles they face in their everyday life. For this same reason, I am determined to give them the learning environment that they deserve to learn in: one that is nurturing, welcoming, and stocked with the tools needed to build their future.
My Project
Many of the classic books I grew up with depicted kids and characters who looked like me, which is why I never saw anything wrong. It wasn't until I started teaching that I realized the huge discrepancy in children's literature. In many of the books in my library, very few had children that looked like my students.
My project includes books that have characters of a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.
These books have characters that look like my students, their families, their friends, AND me. They will allow my students to see themselves in the books they read which will allow them to see that they are a part of this world. They will make students enthusiastic about reading and finding their love for books. These books are not about picking apart the differences in our students, they are about ACKNOWLEDGING the differences, EMBRACING them, and using them to bring us closer together. These books will assure that my students know that they are important and accepted.
We hope you will donate and help get these "mirrors" into my classroom.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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. Cavalieri and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
