Help me give my students access to one of the greatest books of the 21st century that provides an in-depth view of our justice system.
$1,096 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! 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.
John Dewey said that "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." I want to give my students the opportunity to do real work and experience life through the projects in my class. It is only with your help that my students will have that opportunity.
At our school, subjects are taught in a project-based environment and it is through doing authentic, professional work that they make real connections to the world around them and grow into lifelong learners.
Our school is a public charter located in San Diego's South Bay.
The majority of our students are Hispanic or Latino and 40% are socioeconomically disadvantaged. A large number of our students are first-generation college-bound and it is the school's philosophy to ensure that 100% of our students have the opportunity to continue into higher education. We do not track our students, which results in a classroom filled with a diverse range of learners, perspectives, and expertise. Our students are awesome! They are a tight-knit community of compassionate individuals, and they are so grateful for all the opportunities presented to them that they would not have without the school.
My Project
I have taught the phenomenal book Just Mercy for several years now. Students have told me that it was the first book they read cover to cover. In my experience, this is a life changing book for anyone who reads it. As a Title I school, however, I have never been able to provide a class set of books for my students. We don't have a school library and each teacher is responsible for providing books to their classes, asking for family donations, or asking colleagues if they have copies.
Your donation would allow me to get a book into the hands of all of my students which is vitally important as we start this year through distance learning.
While technology is a great resource in this pandemic, I want to give my students the experience of reading a physical, analog book that will allow them to build empathy, learn more deeply, and feel inspired by the work and life of Bryan Stevenson.
This book accompanies a larger project I do with the California Innocence Project (HTHCV XONR8) where students have the opportunity to delve deeply into the legal world and actively contribute to the exonerations of wrongfully convicted individuals. Just Mercy provides a humanizing perspective that allows students to connect deeply with the people affected by wrongful conviction, harsh sentencing, and mass incarceration.
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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. Mackenzie and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
