Many of my second graders in our small, rural town come to school with challenges in their lives, and low expectations about their future.
We are a small budget, small town school, that is trying to think big.
Our district is not a wealthy one. The PTAs of some schools in the county raise more money in a year than our annual building budget! They bring in Chinese acrobats for assemblies - we power wash our chairs to make them look newer. Though many of my kids don't have a lot, they have big hearts and love making a difference by making cards for Kindergarteners in Texas affected by the hurricanes, making Valentine's for Veterans, donating their stuffed animals to kids in Guatemala, and sending cards to kids at the Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital.
At our school, we work hard to break the cycle of poverty and level the playing field for these kids, since all kids deserve the same chance at success. To do this, we must get creative with our funding sources. Thanks for considering a donation to help us!
My Project
Think about books that touched you when you were a child. Were there characters that you connected to? Were there families and situations that you recognized? Did you get excited if there was a character that shared the same name as you or someone you knew?
It is powerful for young readers to see themselves reflected in the characters that they are reading about.
For children of color, this tends to be an exception, rather than the rule. Last year, the DonorsChoose community helped my update my library to contain a number of beautiful picture books representing the African American community. My class is currently enjoying them as part of our focus on African American History month. This year, I have several Latino and Latina students, all of whom are avid readers. I want to bring them stories where they feel represented. This collection of books contains both fiction and biographies. It is also important for all the children in my class to enjoy reading about a variety of diverse characters. I can't wait to see the kids light up when they see these new books!
More than half 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 Mrs. Ryckman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
