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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Spicklemire from Indianapolis IN is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Spicklemire is requesting

Stories of Hope and Inspiration

My students need books about heroes they can relate to, two sets of markers, erasers, a sight word mini-books, and 6 comfy pillows to make reading more appealing.

  • $874 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

My classroom has a mountain-climbing theme because learning also requires stamina and hard work. Every morning I ask my students, "What are we doing today?" And they reply, "Climbing high!" I ask "Why?" and they exclaim "To get to the top!" I hope they believe they truly will get there.

My hardworking kindergartners through fourth graders are so excited about learning, but our English as a second language classroom had no books or other supplies when the school year began.

Teachers must purchase everything themselves, but my students deserve more than what I can buy. I left behind a career in journalism to teach English as a second language in an urban school. I now teach (mostly) sweet Latino students, many of whom had never heard English before walking through the school doors this fall. Our school is an underprivileged school in Indianapolis, where all students receive free breakfast and lunch. A third of the 600 students speak another language (typically Spanish) at home. Many of their parents did not finish high school, but I have high hopes that my students can become the first members of their family to get a college education.

My Project

Reading in English presents a special challenge for my Spanish-speaking students. They will be more eager to try if they have a comfy spot to curl up in with a book and the chance to learn about people and places they can relate to, such as immigrant children, struggling readers, and people who overcame poverty and racism to become high achievers. People such as Wilma Rudolph, Roberte Clemente and Rosa Parks can provide exciting tales of success in spite of difficult circumstances. These stories will give my students hope for their own futures. Reading is the key to making strides in every content area, and it is so important that they get off to a strong start. Children who cannot read by the end of second grade have a much greater chance of dropping out of school. I want these kids to beat the odds.

My budding readers will be motivated by books that connect to their life experiences and give them role models they can identify with.

People like Ruby Bridges and Gandhi can inspire my students to pursue their own dreams and also to work for a more just world.

Mrs. Spicklemire
Grades PreK-2

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Pillow Perfect Indoor/Outdoor Forsyth Corded Oversized Rectangular Throw Pillow, Turquoise, Set of 2 • Amazon $52.99 1 $52.99
Pillow Perfect Indoor/Outdoor Forsyth Corded Oversized Rectangular Throw Pillow, Green, Set of 2 • Amazon $52.99 1 $52.99
Pillow Perfect Indoor/Outdoor Forsyth Corded Oversized Rectangular Throw Pillow, Taupe, Set of 2 • Amazon $52.99 1 $52.99
Pieces of Me: Who do I Want to Be • Amazon $22.45 1 $22.45
Crayola 64 Ct Washable Markers • Amazon $11.20 2 $22.40
Gandhi • Amazon $19.79 1 $19.79
Recipe for Reading (Revised and Expanded) • Amazon $19.76 1 $19.76
Leo the Lightning Bug • Amazon $15.27 1 $15.27
Just a Dream • Amazon $15.27 1 $15.27
A Black Man's Guide to Law Enforcement in America • Amazon $15.26 1 $15.26
Fly Away Home • Amazon $14.94 1 $14.94
Nadarin (Swimmy) (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Spanish Edition) • Amazon $14.72 1 $14.72
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Amazon $14.66 1 $14.66
The Bat Boy and His Violin (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books) • Amazon $14.49 1 $14.49
Out of the Dust (Apple Signature Edition) • Amazon $14.21 1 $14.21
The Hundred Dresses • Amazon $14.04 1 $14.04
What Does Peace Feel Like? • Amazon $13.35 1 $13.35
Baseball Saved Us • Amazon $13.32 1 $13.32
Adopted Like Me: My Book of Adopted Heroes • Amazon $13.21 1 $13.21
Through My Eyes • Amazon $12.95 1 $12.95
The Natural • Amazon $12.70 1 $12.70
Hector P. Garcia: In Relentless Pursuit of Justice (Hispanic Civil Rights) • Amazon $11.25 1 $11.25
The Butter Battle Book: (New York Times Notable Book of the Year) (Classic Seuss) • Amazon $11.15 1 $11.15
A Life Like Mine: How Children Live Around the World • Amazon $10.70 1 $10.70
100 Sight Word Mini-Books: Instant Fill-in Mini-Books That Teach 100 Essential Sight Words • Amazon $10.28 1 $10.28
Oh, The Places You'll Go! • Amazon $10.16 1 $10.16
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems • Amazon $9.78 1 $9.78
The Cat on the Mat Is Flat • Amazon $8.96 1 $8.96
Thank You, Mr. Falker • Amazon $8.75 1 $8.75
The Sneetches and Other Stories • Amazon $8.46 1 $8.46
A Coyote Columbus Story • Amazon $8.06 1 $8.06
The Peace Book • Amazon $8.00 1 $8.00
The House on Mango Street • Amazon $7.49 1 $7.49
Reading Makes You Feel Good • Amazon $7.20 1 $7.20
Young Pele: Soccer's First Star • Amazon $7.19 1 $7.19
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Amazon $7.19 1 $7.19
¡Si, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A. (English and Spanish Edition) • Amazon $7.16 1 $7.16
Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates • Amazon $7.08 1 $7.08
Paper Mate Pink Pearl Premium Erasers, 12 Large Erasers (70521) • Amazon $6.99 1 $6.99
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June • Amazon $6.80 1 $6.80
The Frog and Toad Collection Box Set (I Can Read Book 2) • Amazon $6.77 1 $6.77
The King of Mulberry Street • Amazon $6.38 1 $6.38
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman • Amazon $6.30 1 $6.30
Matthew's Dream • Amazon $6.29 1 $6.29
The Bracelet • Amazon $6.29 1 $6.29
Rosa Parks: My Story • Amazon $6.29 1 $6.29
The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow • Amazon $6.29 1 $6.29
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids • Amazon $5.62 1 $5.62
Tight Times (Picture Puffins) • Amazon $5.39 1 $5.39
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest • Amazon $4.51 1 $4.51
Who Was Rosa Parks? • Amazon $4.49 1 $4.49
Who Is Barack Obama? (Who Was...?) • Amazon $4.49 1 $4.49
Who Was Jackie Robinson? • Amazon $4.49 1 $4.49

Materials cost

$678.01

Vendor shipping charges

 $23.94

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$10.17

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$742.12

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$130.96

Total project goal

$873.08

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $873.08

7 Donors

-$799.55

Donations toward project cost

-$682.62

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$116.93

match offer

-$70.00

Match offer toward project cost

-$59.50

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$10.50

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$3.53

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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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 Mrs. Spicklemire and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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