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.
My Students
I teach in a charter school in the South Bronx. Many of our students enter the school reading significantly below grade-level, and I work with these students in small groups to help them improve their reading skills.
Many of the students I teach feel like failures when it comes to reading.
They have had such a hard time learning to read that many have almost stopped trying. For these students, becoming a proficient reader seems like a goal that is far beyond their reach. At our school, we go above and beyond to ensure that no student gives up and that all students learn to the best of their potential. We work hard to give our students the best preparation we can for high school, college and the world beyond. For the students I teach, however, even more help is needed.
My Project
Outside of teaching academic subjects, the teachers in our school also offer enrichment classes. I would like to start a knitting class for my students that I believe will not only teach the students a skill they can enjoy for a lifetime, but will also help them practice important skills for academic success. First, my students need to learn to concentrate and focus for extended periods of time; many of them have a difficult time sustaining their attention when they read. Second, they need to improve their fine motor skills; they struggle greatly with handwriting, which negatively impacts their ability to respond in writing to what they read. Finally, they need, as all children do, opportunities for creativity and self-expression. As an avid knitter myself, I know that knitting offers all these possibilities and more. I am asking for knitting looms and hooks (I already have yarn) to start these knitting classes.
My students have few chances in their lives to feel creative and successful.
Many of them are from backgrounds of deprivation and poverty. I have seen from the few students whom I have been able to offer an opportunity to learn knitting that they are incredibly engaged and motivated by mastering a new skill that allows them to create and succeed. I hope you will consider offering this chance to more children by funding this proposal. Thank you very much.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Lankenau-Weeks and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
