I teach a very creative, active and eager to learn bunch of third graders in an urban school district in Ohio. My number one goal as a teacher is to build a classroom community where each and every student feels welcome and safe to take the risks needed to become the best learner that they can be.
Risk, trust, challenge, cooperation, and problem-solving are the five core values that the staff, and students of our school teach, learn and live by every day.
By teaching these core values from an early age we are building a community of learners and leaders who will not only support one another but also challenge each other to reach for the stars and be change makers.
My Project
I am lucky to be able to spend my days with a very diverse group of students from all over the world. Our school has a large ELL (English Language Learners) population where each student brings many unique experiences to our classroom. We often have students who come to us not knowing how to speak English and we welcome them with open arms. As a third grade teacher, I start building our classroom community on the very first day of school. We talk about what makes each of us special and unique and we learn how to appreciate and celebrate the diversity within our classroom. The current book selection in our classroom does not have books that represent our newest students and where they come from in the world.
With the purchase of these new books, my students will see characters that look like themselves and they will be able to relate to many of the same challenges faced by the characters in the books.
They will hear stories about children going through many of the same situations that they are going through. As a class we will read and discuss how to celebrate and accept those that our different than ourselves. Through our discussions around these books we will focus on how to stand up for what is right and support those in need. Some of the books focus on different religious celebrations celebrated by some of our students, living in poverty, speaking a different language, immigrating from another country, women scientist, and how to make others feel welcome and respected.
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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. Young and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
