I teach in an urban, diverse school of 3,000+ students in the heart of Central New York. A typical classroom can have students from Myanmar, Somalia, Bosnia, and Belarus learning side-by-side with students who have never left the state. It makes for quite the interesting teaching and learning experience!
Our school is, even by our state's own calculations, drastically underfunded.
We are a refugee relocation city, and many of our students are the sons and daughters of newly arrived immigrants. Built for 2,000 students, is incredibly overcrowded. Teachers share classrooms, and space is at a premium. All students do not have copies of their own textbooks and often do not have access to even the most basic of learning materials. Even still, my goal is to make my classroom a safe and versatile space where students can reach their fullest potential!
My Project
Many of my students are reluctant readers. Some of them will read if they absolutely have to (i.e. it is assigned to them and they can't get away with just reading the synopsis online and/or watching the movie). Most of them, however, simply will not, no matter how interested I make it sound or how I entice them with the promise to "watch the movie afterward."
I need to populate my classroom library with titles that will bait the reluctant reader.
I want my students to not only pick up the book but actually enjoy what they are reading. I want them to say, "hey this looks interesting," and get caught up in the very first page. These titles, ones I have enjoyed myself, reflect some of their own experiences (teen pregnancy, disabilities, and yes, even jail time.) Help me get them to, if not love reading, maybe like reading a little bit.
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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. Nix and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
