Help me give my students a copy of "The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life." This book combines inspirational athletes stories, the author's own sports journey and life tips!
My students live in an urban environment surrounded by wild animals and wild weather! Moose, geese, and even black bears have been known to roam our neighborhood and playground while we shop for groceries just a quarter mile away. The weather can change in the course of minutes, from rain to snow to hail, and then rise twenty degrees with a little dab of sunshine. Our school has over 500 students, including grades K-6. My students are eager to learn and are keen observers of their immediate world. Many emotions in our classroom revolve around ever-changing home lives, job loss/gain, hormones, middle school here-we-come, and our crazy seasonal changes.
When life is in a state of flux, my students escape into books, friends, technology and the warmth of indoors.
Within my classroom, creating a friendly, steady environment with clear expectations is always a priority. Working through life's troubles is a constant; having a safe space to allow students to try-out different problem-solving skills is important to me. My students have resiliency, good-hearts and a strong work-ethic.
My Project
This book is one of of the many diverse books I want my students to keep by their bedsides as they begin their journey into middle school and high school. The lessons, and stories of the athletes are real, inspiring, touching and show what hours of hard work can bring. The author Kwame Alexander also weaves his own story of sports throughout the book, and shows readers how when one door closes, sometimes you need to open another--that you maybe didn't think was cool enough. Taking notes in the book, having discussions with others and dog-earing specific quotes and stories will allow my students to truly take head of the author's advice and make the book their own. I will then use the book to help my students make goals and work through the difficulty of the changes ahead.
"Our character is built during the times we are victorious, and also during the times we are met with major challenges."
"This is when we find our what we are really made of...Want to be a baller, know the rules. Want to better in school, know the rules. Want to have better friendships, know the rules. Want to succeed in the game of life, know the rules." Author Kwame Alexander
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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. Kaltenborn and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
