My students are incarcerated in a juvenile jail 24 hours a day where they live in tiny cells. Many of my students come from poverty and have experienced trauma or community violence of some kind. Students have struggled with education and often come to the institution having dropped out of school. Up to fifty percent of our population is classified as Special Education and require services for disabilities.
Despite their often challenging circumstances, my students are resilient, brilliant youth who are working hard to transform their lives.
I am lucky enough to be their English teacher and want to give them opportunities to master tools that will help them to empower and rehabilitate themselves.
My Project
My students are predominantly students of color who have grown up in poverty. Ryan Coogler, the director of the film Black Panther, formerly worked at our institution and is now a local hero for my students. In this film they see themselves in the characters, and the message that it provides is one of hope and empowerment.
My students need to be reminded that there are powerful representations of themselves in mainstream media.
I am requesting a mask, some action figures, and other products from the film to enhance our classroom environment and help the students remember that they too can be superheroes both on and off the screen. Please help me create a culturally responsive classroom environment for my students.
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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. Mercurio and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.