The cost of this pillows. lamp,rug is $600, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
Convincing kids that reading and writing are important and can be fun is one of the most challenging parts of my job! Sure there are a few students who truly love to read or write who get upset when you make them stop, but for the most part my students believe reading and writing are the worst. This year I brought a comfortable couch and one chair into my room along with a small area rug. The 5 or 6 kids who can fit in the comfortable area each day read and write without stopping. It is the other 15 or 16 I have to worry about.
I teach fifth grade in a school that is almost 90% free and reduced lunch. The students are sure that reading is not important. I have become convinced that a comfortable spot to read is extremely important. What I am looking for is a rug to cover most of my room, some large pillows or beanbags, and some lamps to create smaller, cozier reading and writing areas.
Of the 20 students I teach, only 6 can currently read on a fifth grade level, The others range from a second or third grade level all the way down to a pre-primer. Many of these students have given up on ever being "good" readers. My goal this year is to convince every student that he/she can be a better reader. The only way to do this is to read for extended periods of time (at least 30-45 minutes a day). Who wants to sit in an uncomfortable chair with overhead fluorescent lighting for this long? Not me and certainly not my students. If I can create a more comfortable environment for reading, I believe my students will want to read more. If they read more, they will be inspired to write more.
A comfortable rug and a few pillows and lamps seems a small price to pay for a classroom full of lifelong readers and writers.
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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. Shear and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
