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
When I tell people I am a middle school teacher, their knee jerk reaction is "Wow, that must be scary." "Wow I am in awe of your patience, kids are awful at that age." And I respond, "These middle schoolers are at a vortex of emotions and that makes for great class discussion." I love teaching and learning with my students. They are highly opinionated, curious, and always compassionate towards their classmates.
And along with their love of speaking their mind, they love questioning authority.
They challenge my thinking on academic and personal views as well. They show me grace when I show my technological age. On a daily basis, my students show me a new computer hack, shortcut, app, and anything else they think I should know about. Even more importantly, they teach about the pronouns they best identify with. My students are eager to be and share their most authentic selves and it is an honor to be along for the ride.
My Project
At the beginning of the year, I ask who likes to read books and what books do you like to read. About 90% of my students cannot name the last book they read and I plan on changing that. I want our classroom experience to be rich with storytelling and language and that can only happen if they have books they look forward to reading.
These books will be the stewards of great conversations and learning.
I plan on reading All American Boys as a class, to give my English Learner students an opportunity to make meaningful connections to the text, and thus have a thoughtful discussion on the life lessons this book has to offer. My students have a lot to say about their favorite shows, now they will have a lot to say about their favorite books. My hope is that my students fall in love with reading, and not just associate it with something they have to do or something only "nerds" do.
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 Mrs. Chamorro and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
