My students need 15 copies of the books:'Outliers' to understand how to become successful individuals. This book offers amazing insight and I know it will inspire them.
The students I advise come from a low socio-economic neighborhood. Many of them struggle in the classroom for various reasons. Instead of just focusing on content, which can be overwhelming, I would like to lay a strong foundation with a basic concept, like how to be successful.
My students are wonderful kids with great smiles and attitudes (for the most part!) They want what most kids want - attention, recognition, support and to be a part of a community.
The problem is that many of them rarely get that outside of school. They have a ton of potential but much of their talent is getting squandered because they don't know how to use it. This book will provide them with an understanding of how to be a productive & successful person - not just a good student.
My Project
Outliers by Malcom Gladwell is filled with great stories about successful individuals, families and communities. While it is generally considered an adult book, the stories are intriguing and accessible for high school students. I will be providing scaffolding for each chapter, discussion questions and short response assignments to maximize the students experience with the book. My favorite chapter is entitled "The 10,000 Hour Rule". In it Mr. Gladwell brings up many stories of amazing people, including Yo-Yo Ma, Bill Gates and The Beatles, who achieve amazing results not by merely there own means ('bootstraps'), but by taking advantage of the many opportunities (like school), exposures (new experiences), and social relationships (people) that were presented to them. He also emphasizes plain-old hard work as well, which is where the 10,000 hours come in.
I am super excited about this opportunity.
It's kind of an experiment. If successful I will be able to implement and expand this throughout the school. I thought I would start small and assess how the students react rather than ordering 80 books. Thank you in advance for reading and giving these kids an opportunity to be exposed to valuable knowledge that without your help they may never get!!
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