I teach 10th grade English in a district suffering from a growing drop-out rate and increasing percentage of students in poverty.
When I heard about DonorsChoose, I asked my kids to write about what they wanted. Besides a few off the wall answers about padded, heated desks or iPods for each student, I was shocked to see so much interest in a classroom library. As a class, we only have time to read a limited number of novels each semester. According to the kids, our library is completely unapproachable...and they're right. It is a great place for research, but they're is nothing appealing about the selection of quality young adult fiction. I had no idea the kids had this hunger to read the newest and hottest books on the shelves of bookstores. Since a large of our students do come from a home suffering from economic distress, placing a book on the shopping list is out of the question.
I want to give students that access and surround them in novels that can help them escape their daily lives into the plot of a great book. "Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled: 'This can save your life." I believe that immersing my students in a world of interesting, accessible, and relevant reading material could change my students from non-readers to avid readers, from drop-outs to high school graduates, from a lackadaisical seat warmer to a motivated, self-driven student.
Your help will ensure that my students have that access to the material they are so hungry for. Knowing now that my students have the appetite for good fiction, I feel like I have to exhaust every outlet for help. Please help me give them this amazing opportunity to discover what the world of literature has to offer.
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. Howard and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.