My students need 60 copies of "Keeping You A Secret" as a doorway to be introduced to and explore LGBTQ issues.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Jackson's classroom raised $453
This project is fully funded
My Students
Have you ever felt excluded and out of place? Ever feel completely left out and no one cares about you or your issues? At my school, there has been an increased LGBTQ population and no one has supported this group, welcomed them, or introduced anything specific to their needs.
My school is an inner-city, low income school that over the years has seen an increase in the LGBTQ population but the teachers nor administration has done anything to educate our students or address the needs of this population.
"Keeping You A Secret" is a story about a high school student who has to deal with many issues our students are going through- sexual identity, whether to "come out" or not, family reactions, and peer reaction. For too long, our LGBTQ population has been ignored and excluded and this novel will speak to those students. I am requesting 60 copies of this novel for my students to read.
My Project
My goal is to introduce the topic of LGBTQ issues and introduce a novel that reaches out to all my students but welcomes those who are questioning, confused, "out," or "closeted," a novel that will be inclusive in the curriculum. Many of my Latino and African American students have pushed for a curriculum that is inclusive and makes connections to their culture, yet no one has spoken up or out for other groups and populations at our school. This novel will demonstrate that inclusion and discussion should not just be race based, but address ALL of the students in our building. Through this novel, students will research the issues of LGBTQ, and those faced by teenagers who stay quiet because of the comments by others such as "That's so gay" and how that single comment can be exclusive and intimidating at the same time. I will incorporate articles and non-fiction pieces in alignment with the common core standards and ultimately have students write a piece on the issue.
Too often there is noise made about the exclusion of literature connected to race and how that impacts students of color.
Far too quiet and too rare is the exclusion of LGBTQ issues despite there being an LGBTQ population in schools. Offending some should not take precedence over the needs of the students actually in the building. As educators we are responsible to address ALL of our students' needs, not just the ones that conveniently fit in our boxes. I hope to address that need.
More than three‑quarters 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 Ms. Jackson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
