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
What comes to mind when I tell you that I am a first year public school teacher in the poorest congressional district in the United States of America? I can assure you that it is nothing other than beautiful, multi-cultural classrooms that are bustling with America's future leaders learning how to read and write. While they struggle every day to learn English as a New Language - they do not give up. These will be the students that will one day remind you why you must never give up on America's youth. I believe in them - can you?
My Project
“Education is a great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance wheel of the social machinery, ” Horace Mann (1848). As a K-2 ENL teacher in a low-income community of the South Bronx, I believe that education MUST serve as the great equalizer that Horace Mann once referred to it as. In fact, it is a student's first few years of school when they learn foundational literacy skills that are the most critical in this process of equalization. However, when less than half of the children at our school show up on the first day prepared with the language skills they need to begin reading in Kindergarten, this work is in no way simple or straight forward.
The best way to close the "language gap" that students start school with - which will then put them on the track to becoming independent readers - is through the explicit instruction of phonics.
Why is this so important? Because without these foundational skills, students who entered Kindergarten with the odds already stacked against them will have little hope of progressing to their full potential. For this reason, I am asking for community support in ensuring that an incredible, well-deserving group of English Language Learners in Kindergarten become readers. While our school already uses a phonics program, we do not have the engaging, visual educational materials that English Language Learner's need in order to support them in identifying the individual sounds of letters.
Nearly all 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 Ms. Schelble and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
