It is common to hear adults criticize the youth of today and to hone in on what is wrong with this generation, but I feel privileged every day to work with today's youth and this generation of teenagers who are thoughtful, caring, and preparing to serve as competent and informed leaders in our communities, nation, and world. There is so much "right" happening in this generation, and my students are prime examples of this.
My students are creators, makers, thinkers, and collaborators, they just don't always know it yet.
They come from diverse economic backgrounds, and many live in poverty. Most of them have never experienced an English/language arts classroom that requires them to ask the important questions, to control the direction of the course, to learn how to manage their time, and to use the design-thinking model and readers'/writers' workshops to uniquely respond to the world in which they live. However, this experience is exactly what they find in my classroom because it is important that they learn the skills, practice the skills, and feel confident in these skills to make a positive life for themselves and a difference in the world. After all, this generation is going places!
My Project
I asked my students to make lists of books that are not currently in our classroom library that they would like to read. We also explored a library app's analysis of our classroom library to discover where the holes are in the variety that we offer. This is the original list of books submitted.
The students in this classroom read independently throughout the school year to increase their stamina, rate, complexity, scope, and, most importantly, love for reading.
Adding books to our classroom library puts books at their fingertips and gives them access to new and relevant titles, fiction and non-fiction alike. Help us grow lifelong readers!
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. Solt and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
