Students from a diversity of backgrounds, academic levels, and personalities make up our classrooms. Hear the students speak about themselves in a poem they composed together called, "Where I am From" in which each student contributed a line. Here are a few poignant lines:
"I am from Oodles of Noodles and hot sauce on everything,
From realizing watermelon seeds don't grow in your stomach
I am from worn wooden floors (warm and creaking beneath my feet)
From "Calmate O te calmo" and "leave your little brother alone"
I am from my grandmother who crossed the border
From the moment I saw my dad after too many years
I am from Cantu pomade and a zebra print bathroom
From Sharrod and Shamar
From Antonio and Ximena
From William and Meredith
I am from Nigeria, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica,
and from right here
From picking up a violin
I am from the perogies that fill the kitchen with a comforting smell
And pupusas made just the way I like them
I am from the moment that first tomato grew, and I ate it off the vine..."
My Project
Each of the novels has been selected because the protagonist is a student who examines their own identity in relation to the community in which they live. My own students will use these novels as a part of a study on diversity in their own community. Students will reflect upon how their own distinct experiences strengthen their community.
I want students to read about experiences beyond their own and to question their own identities and roles they play in their community.
Far too often students are reading about protagonists far removed from their own lives. I want to create a space through these novels to ask tough questions about identity, prejudice, stereotypes, and self-acceptance.
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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. Civi and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.