This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Greetings! I teach 7th and 8th grade social studies in Southwest Detroit. 98% of my students are African American and Latino and 90% qualify for free/reduced school lunch. My students are incredibly resourceful, hard working and have an advanced understanding of what it means to be resilient. My students are poets (our school hosts open mics consistently), visual artists, athletes (our basketball team has reached the championship 4 years in a row), musicians (you should hear our drum line!), and most importantly great people!
My Project
As a social studies and advisory teacher (of primarily African American males), I understand the importance of explaining the world to my students in an engaging way. My class is most useful for my students when it explains the problems of the world that most effect their day to day living scenarios in order to empower my students to make a difference.
Each book for the "See a Book, Grab a Book, Read a Book!" project has intentionally been chosen.
Monster, Slam, and You Don't Even Know me are going to be an outlet for my students to question, develop, and evolve their identity as young African American boys. The Skin I'm In will serve a similar function, except it will confront their ideas and treatment of their classmates that are young women. These books will be used during advisory in which we will read and write together to develop our identities and push each other to grow.
Things Fall Apart will be the first book we read in history this year! This is a great book that allows us to interrogate pre-and post colonial Nigeria as told by the Igbo people (through Achebe)! After a year of having zero history books and making copies every Sunday night (the words paper jam even pain me to write!) I would LOVE for my students to be able to have real books in class this year!
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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 Mr. Laing and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.