Who was that author that really did it for you? What was the line that caught your eye and stuck? What was the series that transported you into a world you never could have imagined? What book gave you hope?

We all deserve to have those books and writers in our lives that help us navigate, make meaning, and sometimes simply escape from the day-to-day challenges of living. My goal is for our 9th grade classroom to be a rich, deep source of texts that can positively impact how students think, act, and experience the world around them.

With these funds I will ensure that my 9th graders have access to books of their choosing in order to develop themselves as smart, critical, and empathetic readers/thinkers. According to numerous researchers, including Donalyn Miller, the one and only "Book Whisperer," the best way to develop a strong culture of reading in a classroom is to let kids have a choice in what they read. As a result, they need to have access to large quantities and varieties of texts. She suggests an average of 5-7 books per student, and since I will be teaching approx. 45 English I students, my aim is to have at least 300 books in our library by the end of August. 

I've spent the last 2 years collecting engaging, high-interest books for the 6th graders with whom I got to work. Now it's time to do the same for the high schoolers I'll be teaching this fall! Any contribution is greatly appreciated, and please reach out if you have any questions about my pedagogy/why it is SO IMPORTANT to get as many books as possible into kids' hands.

Back Up Plan