My 9th and 10th grade English students are unique individuals that come from diverse backgrounds. As a low-income, high poverty urban school, my students arrive at our school from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. We have students who have come from approximately 30 different countries and speak at least 23 separate languages. They bring with them their own personalities, histories, and interests that help make our classroom community an energetic place. While my students face multitudes of hardships, their resiliency is inspiring and motivates me to work hard for them. Whether it is through more materials, unique learning experiences, or simple supports, my goal is to do whatever I can to support them.
What makes these students so amazing is their positive attitudes, motivation to improve, and the ability to use their differences as ways to teach each other.
Every year we work together towards group and individual goals to develop ourselves as better readers, writers, students, and humans. On paper, my job as their teacher is to provide them with the literacy skills they need to be successful in our world, but I find that through our journey together, it grows into so much more.
My Project
We are off to a strong start with our independent reading projects this year! Every day students are eager to come into class and start looking at their books. So many have already completed the books that they started and are slowly but surely making their way through the classroom library.
However, some students are still struggling to find books that fit their needs.
When surveying students and their interests, it is clear that we need more graphic novels and mystery books! These books were researched and requested by students in my class. My hope is that by providing them with these texts, they will not only feel more welcomed and valued in the class, but they will also build investment in reading and learn that they themselves can be readers!
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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. Curran and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
