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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Drake from Smithfield, VA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Drake is requesting

Expanding Our Cultural Horizons

My students need books with main characters who represent minorities, so that they may grow more accustomed to various cultures and ways of life.

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Drake's classroom raised $235

This project is fully funded

My Students

I am a second-year teacher working with about 70 8th graders. We are from a rural area, and the majority of my students come from low-income families. As with most teenagers, my students struggle to enjoy reading. I have 25-30 minutes of silent reading time every single class period, because like anything, to be a better reader, you must practice.

Most of the students have grown to enjoy the time, and always ask for longer than those minutes.

However, I am still looking for ways to grow my classroom library. I have been lucky enough to receive some "hand-me-down" books from generous teachers before me, but I would like to build my classroom library with books that have main characters who are minorities.

My Project

Reading books allows students to broaden their cultural horizons. Often times, students are not exposed to different ways of life from their own. They socialize with people like them; that look like them, talk like them, and enjoy the same things as them. Which, by the way, is totally normal; we as adults do the same thing!

As a teacher, my one goal (if I had to narrow them all down) would be to build empathy among my students; not just in my classroom, but I hope to teach them practices that they could use even when they leave my class.

For this project, I have picked out novels whose main characters represent diversity. I would really like to grow my classroom library with books that all walks of life can relate to, and this project will help me do that. Specifically, the book Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, is a wonderful novel that represents a setting that a lot of my students may experience when they leave my class each day. Those that can see themselves in Will can enjoy the 'ghost story' that is Long Way Down, and those that aren't familiar with that way of life, can build an understanding of what "normal" is to some of their classmates.

I look forward to watching my students grow this year through books like these, and I thank anyone who will donate to my project!

Mrs. Drake Smithfield Middle School Grades 6-8

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Smithfield, VA View local requests

More than a third of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

70 students impacted 6donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Drake is requesting.

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Long Way Down • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Brown Girl Dreaming • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Better Than You • AKJ Education $12.40 1 $12.40
Posted • AKJ Education $12.40 1 $12.40
Patina • AKJ Education $12.40 1 $12.40
Beloved • AKJ Education $11.68 1 $11.68
Reach • AKJ Education $10.95 1 $10.95
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest • AKJ Education $7.29 1 $7.29
Bad Boy A Memoir • AKJ Education $7.29 1 $7.29
Inside Out and Back Again • AKJ Education $6.56 1 $6.56
Ugly • AKJ Education $6.56 1 $6.56
Every Soul A Star • AKJ Education $6.56 1 $6.56
Tears Of A Tiger • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83
Because of Mr. Terupt • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83
Sing Down the Moon • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83
Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary • AKJ Education $5.10 1 $5.10
Chains: Seeds of America • AKJ Education $4.98 1 $4.98

Materials cost

$166.88

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$2.50

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$199.38

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$35.18

Total project goal

$234.56

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $234.56

5 Donors

-$131.26

Donations toward project cost

-$117.57

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$13.69

match offer

-$96.25

Match offer toward project cost

-$81.81

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$14.44

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$7.06

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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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. Drake and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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