Can you imagine what it must be like to feel like you just can't take anymore and then having to get up, go to school only to face the reality that you're having trouble there too? That's a reality for many of my students everyday, and I want to inspire them with the story of Elie Wiesel.
I work in an urban, public school whose population is diverse.
I have great kids, but many are struggling readers. Our school has been classified as needing to improve in our state, and we have been working hard to do just that. The academic struggles of our students are compounded by their daily personal struggles. Our school provides a variety of different counseling services and has a network within the school to assist our students. Sometimes, though, the last thing on some of my students' minds is reading a book. By introducing a novel about human struggle and survival, I'm hoping that these students will be able to find hope in literature.
My Project
I am requesting a class set of the novel Night. Night directly connects to the required district curriculum and will help my students answer the questions: Are people born heroes or are heroes created by circumstance? and What makes someone a hero? The lessons and research we do surrounding the novel will allow them to actively engage in a novel study that they will connect to their own lives and experiences. I want my students to realize that a hero is not simply someone you look up to for what they've accomplished- being a hero is not really about how many baskets you made in the game or how much money you've made. It's about who you are. Being a hero is about what you do with what you have, surviving when it seems like there's little hope, and somehow finding a way to help others, as well. It's about bravery and finding your way. It's about our kids- our students- and the potential they have to be heroes- even if only for themselves.
The study of a novel has to be about more than just passing a course, more than just the words on the page- it has to connect to the lives of the readers.
The novel Night has the potential to teach students the value of struggle and survival, but it will also help me teach them the value of literature. For struggling readers who face many personal battles, this is a tough sell. In the absence of hope, the stories of others can provide light, but not when my class is "in the absence of Night.
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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. Thomas and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.