Because I teach both on-level and AP courses, my students range in skill level and motivation. But there is something they all share: the need to develop a voice and a love of reading.
Many of my students come to my class as reluctant readers, but recently they've discovered poetry and asked me to bring more into our classroom library.
It is a beautiful community, but poverty is a serious issue as well as a large percentage of students who are not achieving academically. We have a staff of dedicated, caring teachers and administrators who are working hard to cultivate a love of learning and to help our students experience successes in the classroom that will lead to the confidence to go out into the world and do great things.
My Project
John Lennon said "My role in society, or any artist or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all." Poetry has the potential to serve both as a mirror to better understanding ourselves as well as a window into learning about other perspectives in our world.
Poetry is a potent way of learning about what it means to be human and recently, my students have discovered poetry collections, igniting for some of them a newfound love of reading.
After reading collections such as Clint Smith's Counting Descent, Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey, and Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down, students asked for more. It was the first time many of them had actually been engaged in a book and I realized it was crucial to make more of these books available to my students.
Much of my classroom library comes from years of sifting through thrift stores and used books stores, and while these are great sources for inexpensive books, it's rare that I'll find a book from a living poet there. That's where you come in! Please help put poetry in the hands of my students and encourage their love of reading.
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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. Krulder and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
