We have some of the most AMAZING students in our school! While many face some unbelievable challenges each and every day, my kids come to school ready to learn! My students are excited about the novels we read and are excited to show off some of the unbelievable progress they have made this school year.
On any given day, you can walk into my classroom and see their hands-in-the-air, ready to share and ready to read.
They are quick to offer each other feedback and support their peers. It really is a wonderful sight to see the enthusiasm these kids have for learning!
My Project
One of the toughest challenges in helping my students select their books is helping them to find a text that they are interested in. Why is this such a challenge? Because it’s hard for my students to see themselves in the books that are available.
For far too long, middle-grade novels featured talking animals, tales of a faraway land, and protagonists that my students cannot identify with.
But over the past several years, more and more books have been written that feature main characters of different races, characters from different countries, urban settings like Brooklyn where my students have grown up, and overcoming conflicts that they overcome every day.
Why is it so important that kids “see” themselves in the novels that they read? Because it teaches kids to value themselves. It helps students to validate traits and experiences similar to theirs and to see individuals just like them overcome challenges that they themselves may be experiencing.
By adding more culturally relevant and culturally diverse books like Dear Martin and Rebound to our library, I hope to bring to my student's new role models that they can learn from.
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. Pallas and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.