Help me give my students books from all backgrounds--social justice, graphic novels, true events, happy endings, survival stories, fiction, and non-fiction! I want them to experience a little bit of everything in our classroom library!
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
My students are the heartbeat of the school. They have the ability as juniors in high school to support the younger 9th and 10th-graders while cheering on the Seniors into their next phase of life. My students are typical high school students, except that many of them have lost their love for reading and I want to give that back to them.
My students make me a better teacher as they drive me to find new literary works that peak their interests and allow them to make connections with the modern world.
While we live in a rural area of Southeastern Georgia, exposure to the world around them needs to come from more than just social media. As these juniors move out into our community with jobs, I want them to know how to interact with all types of neighbors that they might run into outside of school. Learning about themselves and others, through compelling stories, is one way for them to be more productive and kinder citizens.
My Project
We read every other day for 10-minutes using a program called 180 Days of Reading. Students pick their own book of choice and it allows them to have ownership and responsibility in their reading choices. Once I call "Books Out, Books Open" after the bell rings, students are actively engaged in their stories, even some of the most reluctant readers. There are days where I read with them, give "Book Talks" about new texts, and also days where I conference with each student. In these conferences, I am able to learn more about my students, how they are as a reader, and most importantly, it allows me to get to build a positive relationship with them.
By donating to my project, you are helping students built trust and empathy for their own education as they make real-world connections that they would not otherwise get in our small, rural town.
I can trust them to make the right choices about understanding the power of the story, but they can also become a more empathic and compassionate person by engaging themselves through literature. Plus, I cannot wait to add more students names to my "Reading Hall of Fame" wall where I praise them for all of their reading accomplishments for the entire school to witness.
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 Mrs. Calhoun and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
