My students are 9th graders in a small Maine town. Since the last of the mills went out years ago, the socioeconomic condition has worsened. I see more and more students each year who live in poverty. Mixed in are students from upper-middle and middle-class families, which creates a diverse blend of backgrounds and home lives.
Despite their differences, our students come together with great school pride and show a high level of extracurricular participation - everything from sports, drama, to student council.
My goal is to infuse their academic interest with the same level of motivation and interest as I see them show in extracurricular activities.
Many of my students have never left the state of Maine, let alone New England. Families tend to stick around, and we have students with generations of family all living in town. This often makes for wonderful support networks, but we are not immune to the struggles facing the rest of the nation. Some of our families struggle with unemployment, being able to afford food and housing, or addiction.
My students are strong, smart, funny, creative teens who deserve every chance to reach their potential.
My Project
Students learn best when they're reading books that interest them. Research shows that students who read for pleasure have better vocabularies, grammar, and do significantly better on tests. Books help to broaden students' knowledge base and worldview, which assists them in making connections and in a deeper understanding of material. As I tell my students, "If you don't like reading, you haven't found the right book!" My students spend time every class reading for pleasure, and I hope to stock our classroom library with a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction to capture every student's interest.
Once they've found that first book that they WANT to read, it becomes a stepping stone to a whole world of knowledge!
Within this project, we are requesting for a plethora of books for our library.
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. McCowan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
