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 teach a loving, energetic group of at-risk HS students at an urban Title I school in the heart of Manhattan. Many are English Language Learners, have special needs, or are safety transfer students who struggle because the education has failed to provide them with equal opportunities to succeed.
My students this year are either in a visual art class for the first time ever, or are students in a geometry and algebra course, all of which have been fully remote with me for over a year.
Through the challenges of remote learning, these students have stayed so positive, worked so hard, and are trying their best to appreciate school and take their education seriously.
This year is particularly challenging for many students as many of them fell ill during the spring and summer, had parents fall ill, and lost family members due to the virus. Not to mention, many had very difficult living situations that they have been coping with being quarantined in for the past few months. Despite these challenges though, my students have remained resilient and positive. They continue to exceed my expectations and make me proud.
My Project
In a system full of standardized testing, one of a teacher's most frequently asked questions from their students tends to be "When will I need this in life?" But this shouldn't be the case. Education and test prep are vastly different practices, and it is so, so crucial for students to understand the importance of education and critically thinking in their lives beyond a test.
This project will provide my classroom library with some new books that connect mathematics to art, statistical biases, different cultures, inequalities and social justice, finances, and many other topics that will allow my students to read and think critically about the world around them.
Our math and art classroom library is a space full of inclusive books that make connections between the two subjects and the cultures and topics in the world. This library helps make our learning experience more meaningful, and allows for students to borrow books about topics they find interesting. Books are so important and I want to make sure my students are surrounded by them and get to experience as many different authors and topics as possible. The books in this project will help expand these possibilities for myself and my students.
More than three‑quarters of 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
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. Blessing and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"NY","teacherPossessivePronoun":"her","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":4,"name":"High School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/reading-that-relates-to-our-real-world/5568655/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":100,"isEquityFocusV1":true,"teacherScreenName":"Ms. Blessing","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"1893698135","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"photosPublished":false,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"shouldTrackEquityFocusV2":true,"schoolCity":"New York","teachersOnPage":[3643602],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":true,"proposalId":5568655,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"schoolId":2187,"schoolName":"High School for Law Advocacy and Community Justice","authorIds":{"3643602":{"owner":"Ms. Blessing","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[5568655],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3643602_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1722353731894","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":20781873,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":[],"teacherId":3643602,"schoolCounty":"New York (Manhattan)","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"NY","name":"New York"}}
