First Year Teacher in an Emotional Support Classroom
My students need a variety of different books dealing with topics such as multicultural awareness and self acceptance, as well as books that will motivate them to become life long readers.
Fredrick Douglass said, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." I am currently a first year teacher working in a full time Emotional Support classroom. The 3rd and 4th grade students that I am working with require additional support in academic areas, as well as with social skills. I have been going to school pursuing my Masters in Education with my Reading Specialist Certification. It has been my goal to share my experiences as a reader with my students and motivate them to become life long learners and readers. Although my students face many obstacles in their daily lives, I encourage them to escape through the use of literature.
As a first year teacher in the Emotional Support classroom, I have struggled to motivate my students to read. Through the strategies I have developed in my graduate courses I have been able to engage my students in literature and get them excited about the process. My students began reading stories about dinosaurs and quickly moved on to stories about space. I have seen a new spark of enthusiasm in their eyes, however I need additional resources to get my classroom library where it needs to be. A few weeks ago, the school that I work at had a book fair. I was pleasantly surprised at the excitement my students displayed. They frantically filled out their wish lists and picked up books at their instructional level. However, only one of my students parents actually came in to purchase books for her son. My students were heartbroken. Between myself and my teaching assistant, we were able to purchase some of the books. However, I would love the opportunity to give my students the resources that their parents are unable or unwilling to give.
In order to enhance my classroom library, I am requesting various genres of books for my students. I have requested poetry books to help my students with their fluency and decoding, multicultural books to assist them in their acceptance of one another, books on tape for students who have difficulty with comprehension, math books to incorporate literature across all content areas, and a variety of literature that will motivate my students to read for pleasure. These resources will not only help my students in the classroom, but will allow me to send home some of the books I have already purchased for my students to read at home. Reading is such a critical part of education. It trickles into all academic areas. I want to provide my students will the same opportunities their peers have. I have already lit the fire in them to read, I now need to make the resources available for them to find books that match their interests and ability levels.
You will make it possible for my students to continue to gain knowledge about the world and their place in it. They are full of questions about life and the world they live in. Your help will continue to fill their "home" at school with tools to help them meet academic and personal success.
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