Help Fill an Empty Classroom Library

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my proposal. As the title indicates, I am a new teacher and this will be my first year teaching sixth grade Reading and sixth, seventh and eighth grade Social Studies in the Chicago Public Schools. The title also indicates that my school, Pershing West, is a new school, which is located on the south side of Chicago, and is set to open this fall. So to recap: you have a new teacher plus a new school, which equals an extreme lack of resources and materials. More specifically, there is a lack of quality literature for my classroom library. This may sound strange, but unfortunately it's true. Although we are a new school, we are not receiving all of the resources we need in order to help our students become successful. There are tremendous budget constraints and other priorities for the school, thus building a quality classroom library for my students just isn't as important or feasible. And of course, as a new teacher, I certainly don't have many books of my own to contribute. Why is a classroom library important? First of all, may I ask when was the last time you remember cuddling up in bed, and reading your favorite textbook? Or better yet, when was the last textbook you remember recommending to a friend? The point is we don't naturally read textbooks for pleasure, and neither do children. Children don't feel angry, sad, excited, or emotional when they read textbooks. I want my children to develop a joy for reading, and consequently a joy for learning. In my reading class, I will not be able to accomplish this by denying my children high-quality, culturally relevant literature. I teach in a school where 90% of the children are African-American and over 50% are low-income. I must go beyond the textbook to reach these children; I must have authentic literature in which they can see themselves and relate. If I want them to experience the world, hear different voices, and ultimately read for pleasure, I must have books for them to read. If I can build a strong classroom library, where my students have many different books to choose from, I know that I will be creating a love for reading and thinking. Without a classroom library, the textbook is all I have to go from, and we know that that is just not effective. Furthermore, quality books for my classroom library will not only benefit my sixth graders this year, but all of my classes for years to come. You can make a difference in the lives of hundreds of children, now and in the future. I urge you to take my unique circumstances into consideration when making your decision. Thank you again for your time and consideration.