My students come from the most diverse district in the entire state. Roughly 80% of our students are enrolled in the free or reduced price lunch program, and there are over 70 languages spoken throughout the district.
Because of our high poverty rate, many of my students have been forced to step in the role of a parent for their younger siblings, or have had to get a job to help their family financially.
Most of my students have never had the opportunity to just be a kid.
My goal is to give them this opportunity through reading and through being an integral part of a reading community, all while teaching them to take ownership of their education and their future.
My Project
We are requesting sets of books that reflect the diversity of our school to read for our Book Club! For the first time this year, I helped students start a Book Club at my school. This is an opportunity for them to meet new people, read material they would otherwise not be exposed to, and participate in an academic community in which their voices truly matter.
Currently, we have around 20 students who are excited to participate in our biweekly club.
These students are a mix of 9th-12th graders with a wide-range of reading experience, interests, and goals. Though we have an extensive book room at our school, we are unable to use those texts for Book Club because they are currently being used by classroom teachers at different grade levels. Also, an essential part of this club is for students to be able to self-select high-interest books so that they feel as though they’re a true part of the community.
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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 Ms. Reed and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.