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 students come from high poverty yet rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn. Our community was hit heavily by COVID-19 and we are now dealing with the reality of a shrinking budget for the upcoming school year. Despite the challenges, my seventh and eighth graders are creative and independent thinkers. Throughout this school year we will be reading texts and discussing how people use different types of storytelling to convey an idea.
My students deserve a classroom library that represents the diversity not only of our community, but of the world at large.
Reading about the world makes them curious about the world, and my goal is to foster that curiosity.
My Project
This year, I conducted a major inventory of the books in my classroom library. As I was sorting through them, I realized that the vast majority of our classroom books are more than five years old and still feature characters who are primarily cisgender, heterosexual, and white. I have digitized my library so my students can browse and request books while still limiting the number of people touching them at once to maintain COVID precautions. I am excited to get books safely into their hands; all I need are the books to capture their interest!
The selection of books in this project represent a multitude of identities, many of which are shared by my students.
Whether my students choose to read a book that mirrors who they are or one that provides a window to another experience, my goal is that these books will allow students to develop a love of reading while creating empathy for different types of people.
More than three‑quarters of 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. Plachy-Feinstein and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
