My students need books that have characters who reflect who they are culturally and racially, maps, and cushions.
$718 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.
Can you imagine growing up and rarely seeing yourself reflected in the books you read? Many of my students love to read! In order for them to see what they read as a continual authentic experience, they need to be able to see their experiences mirrored in the stories they're reading!
My students live in an urban city that is full of culture, life, and stories.
For many of them, learning at school is a vital way to understand the world and the people around them. Though their community is diverse, often times they grow up in environments where there are underlying racial tensions and conflicts. I want them to be able to see books at ways that honestly reflect who they are. All my students are students of color, but when I look at the books that I am able to easily get, almost all of them have characters that are not black and brown. I wish I could tell you about their excitement when we read books that have characters that look like them. Last year, after reading a book to the class, one of my students commented, "Hey! She looks like me!" I want this to be a reality for them, and not a rare occurrence.
My Project
A lot of the literature out there, especially for early elementary students, are often ones that are solely about culture. There are many books that celebrate race and culture, but I want my students to be able to also read books where the characters look like them but also lead normal, identifiable lives. Please help make this possible! Let's work towards a world where culture is not tokenized and where the next generation grows up to be socially conscious, aware, and compassionate in this diverse world.
I am so grateful that you took time to read this.
I want to be able to make my students' learning an authentic and sincere experience -- and this starts with being able to read about characters who are admirable, who go through hardship and survive, who are kind, and who we can say, "Hey, that could be me..."
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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. L. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
