This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Before you walk into my school, you may see on paper, we are a Title One school with a majority of students receiving free or reduced price lunch with limited resources for our students; however, what you will see in person is a dynamic group of young, driven leaders who through The Leader in Me Process, are making their mark in our world. We are a Lighthouse Leader in Me/Magnet Fine Arts school, which has helped transform all of our students into global thinkers who believe they have a chance in life.
While many of my students come from poverty-stricken homes, the problem is not the lack of desire; it's the lack of resources and Hurricane Harvey depleted the small amount we had.
It is hard for them to compete against other children at other schools due to the minimal resources at home and at our school. Being a fine arts magnet school, our children are full of amazing talent that deserves to be shown to the rest of the community. Many of my students have learning disabilities such as dyslexia, processing skills and basic reasoning, or they have just been identified.
My Project
My students sit and stare at my bare library when I ask them to check out books to read. It is a MAJOR struggle to try and convince my kids to read books that are torn and not of any interest. When they see a "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book in another student's hand, they beg for one. Unfortunately, I cannot offer them books they are interested in. My kids also crave graphic novels, but sadly again, I am not able to provide these resources. We simply do not have the funding at this time.
I'm requesting a variety of books and books sets, including 39 Clues, Magic Tree House, All Star Sports Story, Sisters, Ghosts, Drama, Smile, Isle of the Lost, and various high interest non-fiction.
My kids have the passion and potential to be lifelong readers and learners, but unfortunately, I cannot foster their love for reading without these high interest books. I also have many students who are below grade level and if I do have a book they're interested in, I'm not able to meet that need. This project will do so much more for my student than provide books. It is a reminder there are people outside of our community who believe in them, which is worth more than anything. My students are so excited at the thought of this project getting funded. I cannot wait to tell them we get to write letters of gratitude to all of our amazing donors!
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. Miller's Family and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
