My students need 3 copies each of 10 works of classic literature, including "The Pearl", "Hamlet", "The Crucible", "Farewell to Manzanar", and "To Kill a Mockingbird", each with a teacher's guide.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
"What's Auschwitz mean? Wait, what's the Holocaust?"
"Who is Shakespeare? Wasn't he friends with Leonardo DiCaprio in some movie?"
"Wait, explain that 'internment camp' thing! Did that really happen?"
I'd like to say that these comments were just a joke, but alas, they are actual statements I have heard in the past year from students that have entered my classroom. Some days I am so frustrated by the lack of prior knowledge my students come to me with I want to cry, and some days I just shake my head in disbelief at the level in which our education system has been failing these students.
While I realize that I cannot make up for years of poor education, I hope that I can help my students obtain just a bit more information than what they entered my room with. I hope to increase my students' awareness of the world around them, of basic history, and of classic literature that their better-off peers have access to and read.
My school is located in the Arkansas Delta, one of the most diverse - yet mostly segregated - portions of the state. That is not to say that the high school in which I teach is solely for African-American students, but many of the wealthier families in the area send their children to private academies in nearby towns. 100% of our school receives free lunch and my students often are forced to attend classes without supplies.
My hope is that at least one student will walk away enthralled with one of the books provided through this project. Reading alone will increase my students' test scores, comprehension, and fluency. A love of reading will increase their likelihood of attending college, obtaining a productive job of their choosing, and returning to help others in their high-needs community.
In an area with high unemployment and low college attendance rates, please give these students a chance!
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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. Stork and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.