Celebrate Black Teachers and Students
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
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Mrs. Bertotto from Philadelphia PA is requesting other through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
My students need a safe and organized classroom that has books available at every turn. These book carousels will be perfect for our classroom!
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
This is my 18th year teaching and my 14th year teaching in the wonderful city of Philadelphia! I recently moved to a different school and grade. We are currently using stacked up crates for our shelving. I am the middle years ELA teacher for grades 6, 7,and 8, so we have A LOT of books!
Our school is a small school in a gentrifying North Philadelphia neighborhood.
There is construction everywhere, but the school has families attending that have been there forever! My school is warm and welcoming with a focus on academics and success. My students come from hardworking households where there are many times only one parent making ends meet on a minimal income. My students dream big and have hopes and plans for the future. They are invested and focused...and sometimes way too silly! According to standards and standardized testing my students academically score below where they should be. They are smart and capable, but they don't have the same materials or opportunities that children that live in other areas have. Our administration does their best getting new and innovative things available to the children, but sometimes the simplest things, like having books available, aren't always a given. Although it seems so basic, storage is essential!
My classroom is old with some crumbling walls, so furniture is strategically placed to make the room comfortable and safe. The class sizes vary and there is often a large number of students in one room at a time. These tall book carousels will maximize the classroom space and keep a large number of books in one contained area. The books are beautifully displayed in the carousel, which allows for easy perusing and selection by students. The carousels will hold "authentic" reading material, which includes nonfiction books, novels, books of poetry and fables for both whole group and individual enjoyment. Many of my students don't have the availability of a variety of reading materials at home, and having the books available will greatly improve the opportunities to read for enjoyment. It is imperative that I prepare these students for high school and for future success in college.
We all know that there are some places that are just comfortable to be and make us feel ready to be productive and successful.
Every classroom should be comfortable, safe, and welcoming. These shelves will greatly improve the design of the classroom. Many of these students come from chaotic and disorganized lives let alone physical houses. Coming to an environment that is comfortable and organized is imperative in the success of students.
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