Thank you for stopping by our pot of gold!  Here I show you the pot, in hopes that you would pitch in the gold :) 

The shorter version:

My classroom is cramped.  My students would benefit greatly from having lap desks as opposed to sitting in traditional desks and chairs - they will find reading and writing using lap desks less restricting and will have more fun doing it.  As a teacher, I would be able to group students more easily and quickly for small-group conferencing without disrupting other students in the process of clunking and moving around heavy chairs and desks.

The more fun - storytime - version:

After succesfully finishing my first year of teaching seventh grade English at KIPP Sharpstown, I thought of how I can best improve my classroom.  I say successfully because my students from last year received the top scores in KIPP Houston for end-of-the-year writing exam (STAAR) and placed second for reading.  The feat beyond the statistics is that, as the theater teacher and art teacher told me, the students see themselves as writers - and while I am proud of my students for developing a confidence in and love of writing, I wish we could have read more freely in a more inviting environment.

I also thought about how my classroom looked and felt.  Having a corner classroom at my school does not equate having a corner office and actually means that one will have less space - and 30 desks and chairs surrounded by 9 bookshelves did not lend much room for movement, let alone anchor charts or any furniture. 

In designing my classroom for this school year, I was set on making it more breathable, engaging, and reading-and-writing-friendly.  I took out 4 bookcases and rearranged and codified my library of 1300 books.  Yet, I still can't move around easily even to see what my students are reading and writing.

I thought of how I like to read - lounging on a couch at a cafe, propped up in bed, or even in the shade outside.  I remembered growing up in Korea and sitting under a tree to read.  In the spring, cherry blossom petals would rain in blush and dandelion seeds would float by.  In the fall, ginko leaves would cover the fields in gold.  ... This idyllic, serene reading environment is harder to create in sticky heat of the summer (or spring, or fall) in Houston, but I want to make it happen in my classroom, and I need your help. 

A former student and intern already helped me build a tree with recycled boxes - so I now have an everlasting tree.  In the vision of my ideal classroom, I also see students sprawled across the room, lounging on a cushion or sitting upright against a wall with lap desks, nose deep in books or scribbling furiously in their notebooks, looking hazily out the window every so often to daydream, collect their thoughts, and paint their goals. 

Hmm.  
Lap desks.  Cushions. 
I don't have those yet.  
And this is where I invite you to make a difference!  

If you believe that a love of reading or confidence in wriiting makes a difference in one's life - and I mean that literally - you know how important it is to instill a love of the skill early on.  If you are an avid reader or a strong writer, you know what I mean.  And if you are not, I wonder whether you would wish that your teacher would have created an inviting environment for you.  Wonder no more, and pass on the love, by donating to give every seventh grader that comes through my class a more inviting place to fall deeper in love with reading and writing.  Give her a lap desk.  Give him a cushion.  You will have made a difference for life.  

Thank you for checking out the pot for my plea and cheer for instilling a lifelong love!  I love that the friends and family I am blessed to have know or experience the importance of reading and writing in your daily lives - it makes asking you for your help easier ;)  My most heartfelt and excited gratitude to you all :)  Thank you for your time and support!

Warmly,
Jeannie

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