Disabilities. Low reading ability. The group that the state say always "keeps the scores down" in the district. No money. Limited family structure. Gangs. Crime. Homelessness. Hunger. No one to help them with homework. These are my students and their challenges. They come in to my class smiling.
My students live in an upstate, urban city in New York.
They are tough, neglected, blamed, kind, funny, and teenagers. They carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. A weight I have never experienced. They feel there is no future. Yet, with all of this, they come to my class every day for an adventure. They struggle in reading and writing, yet make attempts to complete each assignment to the best of their abilities. Many of them, will become a statistic. Just another name, or number, on some list about who couldn't make it. My students are stronger than that.
My Project
I've chosen these novels as supplements to my 9th and 10th grade curriculum. We need books! I have been trying to coordinate activities between Global History and AIS English classes for a while now. These books will be our link. A colleague said, she would love to do this project and I was so excited. We share the same students and the same struggles. With every book, we can incorporate history, geography, writing, discussion, debate, and increase reading and comprehension skills. Thus, cover Global topics and English. As high school teachers, we don't have the time to stop and spend two weeks on a novel due to our curriculum maps. But, between our two departments, we want to make this work! It is all about the kids. Special Education students struggle in more ways then anyone can imagine. I'm sure this reading project will be a success. Eventually, I want to have enough novels for all my kids and grade levels. Baby-steps.
This book project is important to me because I want to be able to help my student see the world through stories.
I want them to be able to tell me the history of a child from China, from the Holocaust, and from Cambodia. Knowledge extends beyond a textbook. What better way to get us closer and experience an adventure together. They always feel they get left out because our district never has the money. Help me with my reading project.
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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. Cloherty and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.