Do you remember your 5th-grade year of elementary school? The projects, the reading, the hands-on learning? Do you remember what it felt like to be 10, 11, 12 years old? I am a fifth grade teacher at a small public elementary school, of about 200 students. The school at which I teach has a student population where over 70% of our students receive lunch for free. Every morning, I greet fourteen 5th graders as they walk through my door. Some come into my classroom from homes that are loving, safe, and secure. Others, a majority, enter my room insecure, afraid, and disengaged to learning.
My goal is to not only provide my students with the EQUIPMENT, but also the EXPERIENCES that make my classroom a safe haven, a world of creation, and an environment of possibilities, for the 8 hours we spend together.
I teach to show my students that they are loved, that they have value, and that they are ABLE to achieve greatness. Greatness, that to my students, may seem impossible, or unlikely given their home life, their circumstances, or their background. In my classroom they are ABLE!
You can be a part of creating this experience!
My Project
Do you remember the first time you read a book, and you couldn't put it down? Do you remember the feeling of being in suspense, with every turn of the page? Do you remember the characters, setting, emotion, and lessons learned from that novel? Do you remember the experiences you took part in, just by cracking open a book, without even having to leave the room? Those experiences, memories, and emotions are what I hope to instill and expose my students to, by providing them with a large selection of novels, books, and short stories!
By having access to a wide range of novels, my students will be able to experience a variety of story genres, formats, cultures, people groups, adventures, countries, and more!
For the past three years, as a 5th-grade teacher, I have presented my students with an end of the year reading challenge, that ALWAYS piques student's interest, and investment! It has fondly become known among my students (both past and present) as well as school faculty, as the "Miss Bush 5in5 Challenge!" Essentially, students are given 5 months to read 5 novels, from a list I have pre-made, ranging in genre and ability level. However, with the limited selection of my in classroom library, accessing novels of such substance and intrigue, is challenging. To expose my students to the plethora of books I desire to, will take the assistance and support of generous donors, willing to invest into my students futures.
By giving to this project today, you are presenting my students with the opportunity to fall in love with a story -- and perhaps for the very first time!
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. Bush and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
