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 Students
I've been challenged to provide speech-language interventions for adolescents at a special education middle-school in an area south of New York city. My students' needs have been considered unique as many are either bilingual/ bicultural students with special needs, who are often from low socio-economic backgrounds. I have to admit it has been an arduous effort to keep students, with so many individual needs, motivated to acquire all the skills they describe wanting.
Often times, the wonderful intelligences of my students are shadowed by the maladaptive behaviors displayed due to post-traumatic stress, severe speech-language delays, ADHD, and severe reading/ learning-language disabilities.
These issues have not only impacted my students academically, but have also precluded them from common cultural experiences typical of a middle school student. Even so, my students have admitted to a desire to have mainstream academic and social experiences.
The unique perspectives of these students have tremendous value. I've learned from these resilient young people that therapeutic and academic success is reliant on the use of high interest materials. Additionally, many of these students' reports of succeeding when multimodal supports are provided, have been confirmed in my therapy sessions. I am passionate about inspiring continued growth.
My Project
I am looking to sustain a collection of interesting and exciting books that will motivate struggling readers to explore various forms of literature.
Over the last 2 years, I've had the pleasure of watching struggling readers initially state their indifference towards reading and then grow to enjoy listening to literature.
When my students discover that interesting reading materials exist and find themselves reading more often, they begin to identify as readers. This is important because these discoveries also boost their morale for improving their reading and writing. We have been so successful with discovering reading and writing preferences, we are running out of reading materials.
By offering these materials, my students will trust and build confidence about belonging in the academia. In terms of instructions, having access to interesting reading materials will foster language growth.
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
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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. Aspinall and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
