I teach English at a small, but steadily growing alternative school in central Kentucky. Many of my students have struggled in school in the past. When they come to us, some of them begin to think of themselves as capable learners for the first time in their lives.
I have a variety of different types of students: the quiet studious ones who have made reading a life-long habit, the ones who read but only when required to do so, and the resistant ones who have never completed a book in their entire lives.
I am constantly striving to find reading materials that will engage and inspire all these learners.
My Project
I have selected a variety of classroom sets based on several criteria: student interest, academic rigor, thematic importance, cultural diversity, and mix of genres. I am trying to build a better library from which I can pull to allow for student class choice. For example, normally I let students help me decide which novel or play to read next. Students make suggestions and then the class votes. However, I have had students asking me for two years to read The Outsiders, but I did not have a classroom set for reading. This inspired me to create this project.
I am a better teacher when the students in my classroom are partners in their learning.
When students have a choice, it gives them a voice and a connection to what is going on in class. This increases class engagement and class learning because the students realize that they have a stake in what they are learning and why they are learning.
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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. Duncan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.