Our school is a therapeutic day school program, the task of which is to provide emotional support and academic opportunities to children who have been unable to succeed in community school settings due to emotional, learning, and behavioral difficulties. The majority of our students live at a residential children's home and are wards of the state.
Our school runs as a trauma-informed program, aiming to help our students grow from their pasts and learn how to cope in effective ways.
Despite the challenges that our students face, they are incredible children. Their resiliency, love for learning, and curiosity are truly inspiring. I strive to make my classroom a welcoming and safe community and to help my students explore learning and grow into independent and productive citizens.
My Project
I'll be honest, my students do not gravitate towards books! Reading is challenging for most of my students, and they do not currently find reading a relaxing way to pass the time. Nevertheless, I strive to find ways to make books a coveted item in our classroom.
My students are people of color, and we need more books that show characters that they can relate to.
I truly believe that if our library had more books with black and brown faces, they would be more excited and willing to choose books for their individual "book boxes".
I have shopped for books that all have characters that look like my students, and also non-fiction books about inspirational black leaders. I hope that these books help my students connect to reading, see hope and promise in the pages, and feel more at home within these books.
More than a third 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 Mrs. Szczecinski and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
