My students are tenacious young Lakota men and women living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. 100% of my students are eligible for free lunch, and 100% are enrolled members in a federally recognized tribe. Although the majority of students test below grade level, they still hold on to a love of reading and learning. I see incredible potential in my students, and I desire to give them the quality education they deserve.
On the reservation, my students live in an incredibly unique environment - one full of beauty and culture, but also very familiar with hurt, poverty, and trauma.
For many students, our school is their safe place: a place with consistent adult role models, a guaranteed meal, engaging extra-curricular activities, and classes that attempt to teach cultural values and history intermixed with math and reading. Due to the seclusion of our location, our school has become more than a school - it is a community, a family, and a home.
My Project
Last year, my students and I received a package of books for our classroom library thanks to Donors choose. They were read and loved immediately, and the success of that project proved how much my students benefit from access to a variety of fun, independent, and relevant texts. Since we are far removed from any type of library, my students simply do not have this opportunity outside of our classroom bookshelves.
My students need to get their hands on a variety of modern novels and texts which allow them opportunities to engage with the world outside their small community.
They need books at their level, books that are fun, books that are challenging, books that make them smile, and books that make them think. I want my classroom library to be diverse and full enough that all my students have access to those types of books. My students deserve more opportunities to grow in their literacy, and deserve access to the books I have selected for this project.
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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. Schumaker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
