Lupita Nyong'o's *Sulwe* Challenge

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Thank you so much for your support in helping me bring these diverse books to my students!

These books are used in my classroom in a variety of ways which really enrich my third graders' learning. First, I use these books as mentor texts to teach important reading skills such as predicting, inference, summarizing, and character development. Using diverse books to teach these skills allow students to see themselves in the stories while learning about new cultures and practicing these essential skills!

My students also love exploring these books during their independent reading time and during buddy reading as well. It is so fun and rewarding to see them get lost in stories that are both engaging and educational!

Thank you again for your generosity and support of public education. You are so appreciated!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Horn

Thank you so much for your contribution of these books. These books have made such a difference in my teaching and the experience my students have had.

The number of girls in my class that saw themselves represented. Some of them have said they've never seen someone look just like them in a book. Or have hair just like them. Or realize that they have dreams just like they do. Books have an amazing way of connecting and inspiring people. Students being able to see themselves represented in books is both beautiful and amazing. I am so thankful my students had these opportunities and that I was able to share these opportunities with them. I'm looking forward to doing that with future classes as well. Thank you so much for your contribution and the difference you have made for myself and my students!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Jones

In 2017, I was new to my campus as the school librarian and within a month, our school flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Since then, I have been working on updating and refreshing our library collection. One of my biggest goals was to increase the diversity of our collection. With your support, I have added dozens of new books with multicultural characters that are written by BIPOC authors. I am very pleased when a student asks for a book that "looks like" them and I can offer not one, not two, but several books. I could not have done this without your help! It is so appreciated. Take care and be safe!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Palacios NEA Member

The books that I was able to get through this project thanks to your kindness and generosity has added such a beautiful element to our classroom library. I have students that are "seeing" themselves for the first time in books, sharing experiences with the characters and other students are now able to have compassion for hardships of others that are different from them.

Right now with COVID, we are not able to get as close as we'd like to have discussions but we are making the best of it. The discussions around accepting differences and being kind and respectful to others has become so important to us. The use of the books from this project has aided me in sharing some very difficult situations with grace.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Perrell

When I created this project I wanted to ensure that my students had representation through the books they were reading daily in our classroom . I never imagined this project would become a movement in our nation's country and history . My students were so excited that " The Black Panther's " protector helped fund our classroom project , not knowing we would no longer be continuing school the original way once we left for Spring Break . I packed 3 of the original books from our " I Am Enough" Project the Friday upon leaving for Spring Break to plan engaging lessons upon our return . COVID-19 swept through our nation closing all public schools . Online teaching & learning would become our new normal .. I new that those 3 engaging lessons for Sulwe , Lucy's Umbrella , and Parker Looks Up had to be shared with my students . Virtual classroom s became popular and I wanted to ensure my students still had access to our " I Am Enough " books , I created digital links from YouTube and myself reading the books orally to ensure my students understood that our project would still be successfully . Our country then witnessed the Black Lives Matter movement become a moment in our country, my students family's many who had joined us during our virtual learning were thankful that each morning , I shared a book from our " We Are Enough " project . Thank you again for supporting our class.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Lard

Thank you so much for adding to my classroom library with some amazing books. We use these books during our Classroom Book A Day reading time. This is a time, usually first thing in the morning where we sit on the carpet together and read a picture book. This is a morning meeting time where we can focus on our social/emotional learning and prepare our minds for the school day.

The content of these books allows me to have a conversation with my students more easily. My students respond to this read-aloud time well and enjoy this time of discussion. I am also able to model good reading and touch on important skills like theme and figurative language.

I have one student that lives for this time each day. She is an avid reader and soaks up the new text like no other student. She can relate to some of the issues these books cover and books are an escape for her. I sincerely appreciate your support of my classroom and students. Each of you blesses my students more than you could ever imagine.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Parker

Thank you again for your generosity to this project! Thank you for participating in #GivingTuesday and choosing my Owls as the recipients of your support! With these basic necessities my Owls were able to foster their creativity in more meaningful ways. It is amazing what they can create with glue, scissors and construction paper! As the pandemic began to spread across the world, your wipes kept the classroom safe. The Owls took pride in their responsibility to clean the classroom at the end of the school day. They also LOVED the kinetic sand during learning and recess time. These basics went a long way!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Alves

When I put request for books out into the world, I never quite know the impact the stories will have or which books will speak to my students. One of picture books in this project, Even Superheroes Make Mistakes, was the right book at the right time for one of my students. He has had a hard time expressing his frustration when he is upset and recovering from setbacks. Usually when this happens I'll talk to him about how it is okay to make mistakes, but he remains in a funk for quite some time. With this book in hand, I decided to try a different approach - I sat down next to him and started to read aloud Even Superheroes Make Mistakes. About halfway through the story, I saw a shift in his body language as he listened. After reading, I left the story with him and gave him a little space. He reread the story to himself, then proceeded to reengage with the class as though he had never been upset. The right story at the right time can work wonders. Thank you for believing in the power of literature.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Trapp