Celebrate Black Teachers and Students
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
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Ms. Ungemah from Brooklyn, NY is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
See what Ms. Ungemah is requestingMy students need books that are low level but high interest and deal with the many difficult issues that teens face in early adolescence.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
Girl fights are ugly and emotional, and they permeate our school's halls--particularly in the 9th grade class. We also have had many other issues this year (pregnancy, homelessness) with our 9th graders. In response, I want to create a unit that deals with these topics in books and through writing.
Our students are Black and Hispanic, but of many different ethnic backgrounds.
The majority of them live below the federal poverty level. They travel from neighborhoods all over the city to attend our school, located in a safe neighborhood. This year the majority of our 9th graders entered reading/writing at a 4th grade level. But, statistics aside, the 9th graders are also energetic, curious, and alive. They ask hard questions about real life issues (sex, love, marriage, friendships) constantly, and I feel that I need to create a unit in which we can discuss these issues as openly as possible. I feel my students are on the brink of making many serious life decisions (sexual activity, gang involvement) and I hope to address some of these issues within a concluding unit on real life teen situations portrayed in these books.
Rita Williams Garcia's works have always resonated in my students; I was excited to read her new book "Jumped" and it did not disappoint. It tells the story of three high school girls and three different perspectives on one of the girls getting jumped after school. It raises questions of violence, street code, and voice. I KNOW my students will love this text, and I feel it speaks loudly to the ridiculous amount of girl fights we have witnessed this academic year between the freshmen girls. "No Easy Answers" is a text that has many short stories that deal with peer pressure, teen pregnancy, parental problems, bullying, and other issues. They are set in urban, suburban, and rural contexts, which brings a universality to these dilemmas that teens face. The great thing about this book is that there is a story for everyone in it--male and female protagonists and antagonists, myriad settings, and issues that every teen has experienced. I feel it could reach all my students.
What is more important than coaching young adults to make solid life decisions?
I am not a guidance counselor, but each teacher undeniably plays that role. I have had many conversations about life with my students, and I feel that an academic unit that deals with the complicated decisions that young adults face will end their 9th grade year strongly and empower them to think before they act. I might be idealistic, but shouldn't teachers believe in the ability of education to facilitate change?
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