My students range from pre-K through 12th grade, and live in a remote rural part of Alaska. As a small community, they have all grown up together. While this creates an amazing sense of camaraderie, there are also negatives that can come with being from a small community. Our town is un-incorporated, which means we have no taxes and no government. Funding for education is often very difficult. Our school is title one, with a very high percentage of Alaska Native students. There are also high rates of poverty and un-employment. Many students come from dysfunctional homes, or from families that can't afford food and clothes for their children, let alone books and learning resources.
Overcoming all of their hardships, the resiliency of these kids absolutely amazes me every single day!
Despite all these barriers, they still manage to come to school excited to learn and explore. It literally melts my heart when a child excitedly rushes up to me in the grocery store, or the school hallway, so happy to see the "Library Teacher" and share an anecdote with me. Finding new ways to connect with them and foster a love of learning and literacy is my daily goal.
My Project
Gone are the days of stuffy libraries packed full of dusty books organized on card catalogs. Librarians no longer just sit at their desks "shushing" children, they engage and interact with students in all sorts of novel ways! My students are often overwhelmed with the idea of trying to browse through hundreds of books on a packed shelf, and will often forgo even checking out a book. The mobile book cart and small book bin will allow me to showcase a rotation of hand-selected books that will be easier and less intimidating for the kids to browse. I will also be able to bring the cart directly into classrooms with a selection of books related to a specific topic or project, thus making literacy more accessible and relatable.
To foster a love of reading in kids, we really need to use a varied approach and explore literacy through multiple platforms and senses.
We need to create a warm, welcoming environment that kids are attracted to. The bean bag chairs will provide soft, comfortable, brightly colored seating that will encourage kids to "hang out and read", much more so than the tables and hard wooden chairs we have now. We also need to make the library experience more interesting and engaging for students. With kids being so incredibly technologically literate these days, fostering interest in basic literacy skills through imaginative storytelling that involves multiple platforms and senses is more important than ever! I have kids come to the library for storytime, but have no interest in looking at books. However, they are super excited to engage with manipulatives like felt boards, puppets, puzzles, and games. Having those resources in our library would help to keep kids interested and excited about coming, and foster a love of literacy for life.
Jonti-Craft 5369JC Mobile 8-Section Book Organizer
• Amazon Business
$329.04
1
$329.04
Carolina Tot-Explorertm Storage
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$143.96
1
$143.96
Big Joe Comfort Research Megahh (UltimaX) Bean Bags Refill, 100 L, White -
• Amazon Business
$19.88
6
$119.28
Bean Bag Factory Junior Vinyl Bean Bag Cover, Multicolor
• Amazon Business
$14.37
6
$86.22
Melissa & Doug Puppet Theater
• Amazon Business
$72.99
1
$72.99
Friendly Pets Puppet Set
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$62.96
1
$62.96
Woodland Creatures Puppet Set
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$61.16
1
$61.16
Farm Animal Puppets - Set of 6
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$47.66
1
$47.66
Safari Animal Puppets - Set of 6
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$47.66
1
$47.66
Letter Construction Activity Set
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$38.66
1
$38.66
Melissa & Doug Adventure Hand Puppets (Set of 2, 4 puppets in each) - Bold Buddies and Palace Pals
• Amazon Business
$29.99
1
$29.99
Favorite Stories Flannelboard Set
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$26.06
1
$26.06
Aurora 10" Velociraptor T-Rex Pteranodon Dinosaur Hand Puppet Bundle
• Amazon Business
$23.91
1
$23.91
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Felt Set (14 Pieces)
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$23.36
1
$23.36
Four Groovy Buttons Felt Set (14 Piece Set)
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$20.66
1
$20.66
I Love My White Shoes Felt Set (12 Piece Set)
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$20.66
1
$20.66
Melissa & Doug Storybook Friends Hand Puppets - The Original (Set of 4 - Princess, Fairy, Mermaid, and Ballerina - Great Gift for Girls and Boys - Kids Toy Best for 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds)
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Melissa & Doug 96037 Jolly Helpers Hand Puppet, Multicolor
• Amazon Business
$15.46
1
$15.46
Melissa & Doug 96039 Fairy Tale Time Hand Puppets, Multicolor
• Amazon Business
$15.16
1
$15.16
Trucks, Trains & Planes Pre-Cut Felt Set (24 Piece Set)
• Kaplan Early Learning Company
$9.86
1
$9.86
Materials cost
$1,211.70
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$18.18
3rd party payment processing fee
$18.18
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$1,278.06
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$225.54
Total project goal
$1,503.60
Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Wells and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
