Past projects 10
Using Poetry and Art to Navigate Difficult Times
Funded Dec 3, 2024Your donation helped fund an entire sophomore class, so there is another teacher involved. Ms. Abby wrote a letter with pictures that will be included.
First of all, thank you for your generous donation to our program. The 130 books meant that every sophomore was able to crack a brand new book. Our book room is filled with many books that are 75 years old! While I think it's neat to get old books, it's not as cool when you are 15.
This book was a wild success. The students absolutely loved it. We realized a lot of them had no time to really process the isolation from Covid, and this became a vehicle for them to share their experiences (and that was serendipity, we weren't even going for that). They found deep meaning in the poetry and art, and are now starting to create their own books.
Money is tight. This makes creating new curriculum with new texts difficult. The big textbooks from the big publishers don't have the same impact. You helped make their experience exciting and unique.
Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 17 other donors.Black Superheroes: Infusing Pop Culture With Real Diversity
Funded Jan 26, 2018As you know by now, Black Panther has taken the world by storm. Because of your donation I was able to get Coates's version in their hands right as the hype for the movie started ramping up. By the time they were writing their essays, the movie was well on its way to passing Titanic on the all time domestic box office list. Students talked about how they both understood the movie better from reading the book, and how they understood the book better after seeing the movie.
Donor's Choose, and Donors like you make this timeliness a reality. It is nearly impossible to get funds for a book like this mid-year through traditional means. I can't stress enough how important it is to students to be studying something that they see as relevant to their world. They made the connections between what was happening in the book and what the state of affairs are politically and socially in America now.
Finally, it is invaluable to have them see and read heroes that look like them. Many wrote about how Wakanda showcased black excellence. It was really a fantastic experience!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 15 other donors.Relevant Literature for Reluctant Readers
Funded Oct 18, 2017Happy New Year! I teach 10th and 12th grade English at Jefferson High School-Middle College for Advanced Studies in Portland, OR. I've been teaching here for the past 18 years, and I am continually researching new texts that I know will contribute to our learning objectives in reading, writing, and speaking. I can assure you, the project you funded, a class set of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas will do just that.
My students are savvy citizens hungry to analyze, understand and discuss the complicated society in which they are growing up. As our neighborhood is gentrifying at an exponential rate, I hear my students' questions and concerns and know they are the right ones to be asking. Although the novel focuses on many detrimental social issues, this is one that certainly be examined. Interracial dialog around police brutality will also be researched and discussed. My hope is that conversations in the classroom will get students to be more civically engaged themselves. So many of them already are and books like this one help provide language, definition, and direction.
Your donation is a form of impactful civic action, as well. We talked about that in class when we received the books (the excitement was palpable!) I wanted the class to understand that even though we are a public school our funding is often not sufficient. Thankfully, there are people in our society who recognize the power and value of our education system and thus are willing to donate to make them stronger.
It is with great sincerity that I thank you for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and one other donor.Digital Literacy: Gaming for Good
Funded Oct 24, 2017I extend my gratitude for your generous contribution to my project, and my classroom. A colleague frequently reminds us that "many hands make light work." I'm always double struck by the profundity of this adage. First, there is the literal meaning, that if we all pitch in and carry our weight, things can be better for us all. The other truth that comes to mind assumes the definition of "light" as not about mass, but about illumination. As a teacher, I aspire to create light for my students- the light of knowledge, of inspiration, of hope, and of empathy. This is incredibly difficult work as there are no formulas to produce it, and it must be repeated everyday. When people like you step up and contribute, it makes it easier to cast that light, and also recharges my own capacity to generate it.
With this book we will explore what is it about games that compel is to play them. How do they teach us, entertain us, challenge us, and so forth. Then the students will apply what they learn to school, to our classroom, in an attempt to structure our time together using theories from game design. They will also read about how gaming could be a vehicle to fix the big problems in the world, like racism, hunger, homelessness, and the like.
Nearly all of my students are gamers of some fashion. This curriculum meets them where their interests are and utilizes it as a vehicle for study, research, creation, and social change. They are able to take ownership of the classroom, their place in it, and to see that they are not powerless in institutional settings. I think it is as exciting as it is groundbreaking.
So, once again, my very humble thanks for your contribution.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
Help Diverse Students Envision an Inclusive Future
Funded Nov 8, 2017I extend my gratitude for your generous contribution to my project, and my classroom. A colleague frequently reminds us that "many hands make light work." I'm always double struck by the profundity of this adage. First, there is the literal meaning, that if we all pitch in and carry our weight, things can be better for us all. The other truth that comes to mind assumes the definition of "light" as not about mass, but about illumination. As a teacher, I aspire to create light for my students- the light of knowledge, of inspiration, of hope, and of empathy. This is incredibly difficult work as there are no formulas to produce it, and it must be repeated everyday. When people like you step up and contribute, it makes it easier to cast that light, and also recharges my own capacity to generate it.
With this book we will explore visions of the future written by people of color and addressing issues of race and social justice. Then, they will write their own Visionary Fiction. The act of imagining that future, in which people of color, or other marginalized communities, are included, or central, is a visionary act that breaks down the superficial constructs of race, glass, gender, and sexuality. In other words, in order to live in that future, we must imagine it.
So, once again, my very humble thanks for your contribution.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
High Interest Books for High School Readers
Funded Nov 19, 2017I extend my gratitude for your generous contribution to my project, and my classroom. A colleague frequently reminds us that "many hands make light work." I'm always double struck by the profundity of this adage. First, there is the literal meaning, that if we all pitch in and carry our weight, things can be better for us all. The other truth that comes to mind assumes the definition of "light" as not about mass, but about illumination. As a teacher, I aspire to create light for my students- the light of knowledge, of inspiration, of hope, and of empathy. This is incredibly difficult work as there are no formulas to produce it, and it must be repeated everyday. When people like you step up and contribute, it makes it easier to cast that light, and also recharges my own capacity to generate it.
Ready Player One is one of the best YA books available. It takes students to a possible dystopian future (they love dystopian futures!) where video games are used to pacify the have-nots in an ever decaying society. It challenges them to think critically about media, pop-culture, and its impact on people, but is also a fun adventure story. A film adaptation is being released this year as well, so that is getting students excited to read the book. Being able to get a current book that is going to be part of a larger experience later in the year is only possible with help from donors like you. The traditional avenues to acquire new material is too slow for mid year needs.
Nearly all of my students are gamers of some fashion. This curriculum meets them where their interests are and utilizes it as a vehicle for study, research, creation, and social change. Digital literacy is, perhaps, the most important type of literacy for students to engage in, and this book brings up some really salient question. I think it is as exciting as it is groundbreaking.
So, once again, my very humble thanks for your contribution.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
Decolonizing Lovecraft
Funded Mar 11, 2016Dear donor,
Culturally relevant curriculum can be tricky at times. It's important to expand the central voice of the curriculum away from the traditional white male perspective, but in doing so, we must be mindful of the roles we present as an alternative. The "go-tos" like civil rights, slave narratives, and institutional oppression are a critical part, but should not be the sole example of marginalized voice. There are more than victims and freedom fighters in these cultural narratives. So, books like The Ballad of Black Tom are provide additional versions of resistance and empowerment to our young students of color. It addresses modern issues, but presents a lead character who is the master of the white world. He uses the machinations of oppression as a weapon to counter the oppressor.
That's the rational, but what I am here to do is thank you.
So, thank you!
Everybody says they want strong schools, students that think critically, and curriculum that reaches those who are tough to reach, but words are cheap and books aren't. You put your money where your mouth is, or maybe your heart. Either way, you provided an experience for a group of 9th graders that allowed them to think about the their world, about the past, and about resistance while reading a weird story that appealed to their imagination. After, they wrote their own story- imaginative tales of resistance, empowerment, and hope.
In one of the student thank you cards Meri wrote about how it was nice to read a book with a protagonist that looks like her. In the end, that's what this is all about. People of color can be doctors, lawyers, teachers, and even president, but it is also important that they are starship captains, wizards, time-travelers, and super-heroes.
Thanks for your donation to our class.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 4 other donors.I Like Reading, But I Hate This Book!
Funded Dec 16, 2010Thank you so much for your contribution to the learning of my students. This year, in addition to regular English class, we have instituted a "Literacy Workshop" class. In this class students simply read. They can read whatever they want. They have to set page number per week goals (at least 100) and log what books they are reading, and how many pages. This has been a raging success, but the catch is that they burned through the books we had from the beginning of the year. That is where you came in. Because of your donations we were able to welcome them into second semester with a whole new crop of high interest books for the to devour. I put them all out on the back table, and before I told the class, before the bell had even rung, they were back there with the new books. In 6 years of teaching I have never seen anything like it.
Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
Feed The Mind!
Funded Nov 14, 2010Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom. At an underprivileged school, it is often difficult to get new and exciting books sets for our students. Feed is a fantastic book and one I have been wanting to teach for a long time. Its so nice to be able to hand them a brand new book about contemporary issues.
The world is changing today faster then it ever has before. Our students have been exposed to more information in their short lives than people one-hundred years ago would have been exposed to in their entire lives. Its important that we, as adults, prepare them for the world they are living in, and help them to consider the essential questions of their time. This book will be central to exploring information technology and social media and the effect it has on us personally, society, and the world. Fittingly, this was made possible by a charitable social networking site!
Again, I can't thank you enough for your contribution to my students' education. I wish we lived in a world where people did not feel compelled to donate to schools, and could be charitable in other spheres, but in our reality it is people like you that helps close the gap for students like mine”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey
Don't Be a Stranger!
Funded Feb 4, 2008I appreciate your generous contribution to my the learning, and the lives of my students. Every book we read is falling apart, and you could not imagine the effect this has on the kids' perception of their education and the material. These new books will provide our book room with a much needed upgrade of a timeless classic, and help to raise the self-esteem and self-image of the students at our school.
Thank you!
-Dan C
Jefferson High School
Portland, Orego”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coffey