Help me give my students who are 100% special-education-identified a boost in their reading scores and a passport to adventure through the power of books and literature.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Dutton's classroom raised $650
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.
My Project
All students in our school are special education identified students with social, emotional, behavioral challenges. Coming from the inner city, our students are faced with challenges inside and out of the classroom. Our incentives and rewards provide motivation to our students to continue making good decisions and staying on the right path. Reading is an integral part of not only our curriculum, but is used as coping strategies, and incentives as well.
Donated books chosen by students will reward students for their hard work, commitment to excellence, and adhering to our school-wide norms and BEST philosophy by providing them with much needed brain breaks, mindful exercise activities, and an adventurous escape from the stress of their lives.
Students are eligible for independent reading breaks based on the points they earn each day for being responsible, encouraging kindness, safety first, and try, try, trying again. Our school is 100% special education in Springfield, MA, and as a Title I school receives limited funding due to the small class sizes. We don't have a gym, a library, a cafeteria, or an auditorium, so class resources are essential.
The donated items will be used as motivators, incentives, rewards, and prizes for students to strive to earn through the many programs we offer. Students earn DOJO points for following the principles of BEST, they earn raffle tickets for their daily points earned (for classwork completion, participation, being responsible and respectful, and encouraging kindness), and students can also participate in reading time when they have earned weekly levels for doing their BEST. Please help bring more literature to the classroom so that students might have a distraction from the stresses of their daily lives and boost their reading and writing scores on local and district assessments.
Nearly all 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
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 Mr. Dutton and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"MA","teacherPossessivePronoun":"his","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":3,"name":"Middle School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/opening-a-childs-mind-through-books/8807852/","mayHaveReplacements":true,"numStudents":28,"isEquityFocusV1":true,"teacherScreenName":"Mr. Dutton","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"508820419","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"photosPublished":false,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"shouldTrackEquityFocusV2":true,"schoolCity":"Springfield","teachersOnPage":[8640488],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":true,"proposalId":8807852,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":3,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"schoolId":32397,"schoolName":"Springfield Public Day Middle School","authorIds":{"8640488":{"owner":"Mr. Dutton","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[8807852],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8640488_orig.jpg?crop=240,240,x0,y36&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1725805463117","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":22010871,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":{"completingDonationAmount":393,"proposalURL":"project/music-builds-bridges-for-equity-inclus/9965404/","proposalTitle":"Music Builds Bridges for Equity & Inclusion for All","proposalId":9965404},"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":[],"teacherId":8640488,"schoolCounty":"Hampden","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"MA","name":"Massachusetts"}}
