My students are predominately Hispanic in an ESOL program; many of my students have library fines they are unable to pay due to low economic resources which means: NO BOOKS. They are bright and funny people whom I feel deserve the best opportunity to explore this world and I believe books are the way to do that.
Imagine a world where every book you read, describes a kid you can't relate to ethnically or culturally.
Most of our book selections in our small department are dated and don't give our students an accurate portrayal of themselves. Studies show that unless a student reads about someone like them in the young-adult literature they are reading, they are less and less likely to feel accepted by society or to even keep reading books.
Many of my students are not inherent readers, but I truly believe that is because they haven't found THE book yet. You know the book, the one that when you picked it up it changed your life and turned it upside-down; when the book was done with you, you knew there was no going back to the regular world without another book to carry you on your way.
My Project
All year long I have heard the voices of my students asking to read about their own culture; seeking to feel valued and celebrated in the literature they read. I was told to teach them a modern version of Romeo and Juliette, but what I found was dated and lacking. I began to research and I found the book "Shame the Stars" and I knew this would be a book my students would be unable to put down and would be excited to read. In my research I also found the book "Summer of the Mariposas" and knew this would also be a book that I could successfully integrate in with the curriculum and that the students would enjoy.
It's important to me to find culturally relevant literature for my students.
We all know that while it may be briefly entertaining to read about other cultures, my curriculum this year has focused exclusively on other cultures to the point where my students feel as though they have been overlooked. As an educator who teaches Hispanic students exclusively, I feel as though I am doing them a great disservice by not trying to find a book that they can relate to and identify with -- further, these will be books that students will be able to enjoy in future years as well because my role in the school will not change and neither will the demographic of students.
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. Pham and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.