Free To Be Me: A Safe Space to Read about Chicanxs
Help me give my students a relaxing, safe space to learn about themselves and reflect. Most of my students don't have a space to themselves anywhere, much less the access to read about themselves.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Torres's classroom raised $923
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
My students are largely low income and immigrant. Our school is a Title I school, which speaks to the degree of my student's poverty, where over 85% of my students have free or reduced lunch.
As a teacher in a high poverty, largely Latino, public urban school, I have the added challenge of developing and fostering a high learning environment in my (Advance Placement and regular) classes with students who may have been conditioned to believe that they can't achievement because of our community's poverty.
My Project
The library of Chicanx books and texts, as well as the area to read these resources, will empower my Latino students to learn more about themselves and take pride in themselves. In an effort to provide diverse voices that reflect themselves, I have chosen some texts for them to read in a leisure, non traditional space. Some requested books include Bless Me, Ultima, Chicano! The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, and Borderlands / La Frontera: The New Mestiza. I will add more titles as they express their interests, but I wanted a start to the library. I will also use these texts in my Chicanx Studies and AP US History classes, in an effort to broaden their learning beyond traditional texts. Unfortunately most classroom history textbooks still do not include or expand on people of color, mostly especially the Chicanx movement.
My students are hungry to learn more about their culture.
While my classroom environment is comfortable, I want to provide a comfortable, leisure student to enhance their learning. My students come to my room during their breaks and after school to talk, learn independently or learn in a group. Most times they sit on top my traditional desks and work, or they put desks together and lay down to read. The new area will include a rug, and bean bags, both for them sit on and a Chicanx starting library for them to read. I will have my students decorate the walls, using the theme, around the area for them to fully take ownership of the space.
With these books and furniture, my students will benefit tremendously physically and emotionally...
Nearly all 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
Big Comfy Bean Bag Chair: Posh Large Beanbag Chairs with Removable Cover for Kids, Teens and Adults - Polyester Cloth Puff Sack Lounger Furniture for All Ages - 35 Inch - Solid Navy Blue
• Amazon Business
$89.99
1
$89.99
Big Joe Roma Bean Bag Chair, Sapphire
• Amazon Business
$64.73
1
$64.73
500 Years of Chicana Women's History/500 Años de la Mujer Chicana
• Amazon Business
$23.36
1
$23.36
Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945
• Amazon Business
$19.95
1
$19.95
Borderlands / La Frontera: The New Mestiza
• Amazon Business
$18.77
1
$18.77
Rain of Gold
• Amazon Business
$17.62
1
$17.62
Chicano! The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Hispanic Civil Rights)
• Amazon Business
$17.09
1
$17.09
I Am Chicana Power My 365 Day Journal: A Blank Daily Diary and Goal Setter
• Amazon Business
$13.99
1
$13.99
YYXLIFE Rug Tape Double Sided Carpet Heavy Duty Tape Carpet Adhesive Rug Gripper Removable Multi-Purpose Tape Cloth For Area Rugs,Outdoor Rugs, Carpets.Tape Carpet Adhesive,2 Inch X 30 Yards,White
• Amazon Business
$10.97
1
$10.97
Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories
• Amazon Business
$10.49
1
$10.49
The House on Mango Street
• Amazon Business
$9.08
1
$9.08
Bless Me, Ultima
• Amazon Business
$7.60
1
$7.60
Materials cost
$681.82
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$62.39
3rd party payment processing fee
$10.23
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$784.44
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$138.43
Total project goal
$922.87
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$922.87
10 Donors
-$647.72
Donations toward project cost
-$565.56
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$82.16
Matching donations from our partners
-$257.50
Match offers toward project cost
-$218.88
Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Torres and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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