Ms. Durst's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 6

• Book Requests from Students

  Funded Feb 4, 2020

  Words cannot describe how truly thankful I am for amazing people! My students and I are so excited about the expansion of our classroom library. They could barely wait for me to log the new books into my tracking system before they were asking to check them out.

  As a teacher, it is impossible for me, by myself, to supply my students with all the books they deserve, and want, to have access to. It is made possible by giving people like those who donate to the school system.

  My students and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. For an English class, having new books is super exciting! Thank you for helping me give my students the books they have been asking for.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Durst

• Time to Curl Up with a Good Book

  Funded Feb 14, 2019

  My students and I are so thankful for the books that have been provided to us. Because of this donation, I have been able to get great books in the hands of some reluctant readers. There is a specific demographic of students in my classroom that have difficulty getting into a good book. That is why I focused my book choice on titles that are nonfiction, sports, and realistic fiction. Through these books, I have been able to tempt the interest of many students.

  Aside from the heightened interest among students, I have interested the staff as well. I have had multiple staff members come to speak with me about how I was able to get these extra materials for my classroom. They could not believe that I was able to receive over 30 books, free of charge. Through Donor's Choose, I have had the great fortune of greatly expanding my classroom library. Other teachers have been inspired to do the same.

  The day that I received my new books, my students flocked to me. The notice how excited I was about the new titles for our classroom, and it was contagious. Students could not wait to get these books in their hands. It was a great reminder of why I do what I do. This moment of excitement over new books was fantastic and it could not have been done without fantastic donors. So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Durst

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies.

• Calling All Readers!

  Funded Apr 18, 2018

  Wow! Talk about a bunch of happy kids! When these new items arrived in my classroom, I jumped for joy. I spent my prep period adding them all the my classroom library. By the end of the day, almost half of the books were checked out by my students. They were so excited, and have been really enjoying their books. Being able to share the excitement of reading with my students has been a rewarding experience and I thank you for all you help.

  One specific child in my class loves graphic novels, I ordered graphic novels with him in mind. When he came to class, I showed him that I was saving these books for him to look through and check out. He felt very excited and special that he was given first choice. He told me the next day that he spent his entire evening at home reading his new book, and he could not be more excited! Again, my donors made this possible.

  The impact these books have had in my classroom in just a short amount of time is overwhelming. Typically, at this time of the school year, students are beginning to drift away from reading. With the excitement of new books in the classroom, that is not the case this year. From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of you for helping me reach my goal, excite the children, and further develop their love of reading.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Durst

• Books for All

  Funded Jul 21, 2017

  I can not begin to express my gratitude for your donations. My bookcases are looking more and more welcoming than ever! With your help, I am able to easily recommend books to my students. Whereas before, I would tell them a title and hope they can find it in the library. With these new books, I am now able to get them in the hands of my students much more quickly. The books are also located in a visible place to students. This makes a big difference as well. When students are able to see a variety of books in front of them during class, they are more likely to check those books out! With your help, I feel confident that I will be able to reach more readers this year.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Durst

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and one other donor.

• Creating a Physical Space for Learning!

  Funded Sep 27, 2016

  Middle schoolers find themselves in desks or sitting at tables for the majority of their day during the school year. They have the opportunity for movement during passing time, lunch/recess, and occasionally in the classroom. This takes its toll on students in multiple ways. For example, they may have a hard time focusing, become fidgety in their seats, or even become a distraction in the classroom.

  Students have the option to sit on the focus disks when they are reading, writing, or discussing in class. The kiddos are great at paying attention, but sitting on something like this gives them even more stamina!

  It is difficult to sit still in school for eight hours! These cushions are placed on their chairs on days when they need a little more physical stimulation, but activity is not available. I chose these cushions because they are discreet; no one is singled out or has to have a "special chair." Unlike stress balls, the cushions help students focus without other students seeing movement out of the corner of their eyes. This way, the students get the physical energy out but can still read, write, research, and participate in discussion. We all have days when we need a little more help to focus! This would not have been possible without the support of the teaching community and Donors Choose. Thank you so much.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Durst

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and one other donor.

• Books for Every Reader!

  Funded Sep 9, 2016

  Dear Donors,

  Wow! I have to say, my students and myself could not be more grateful for the books that you helped us purchase. I was able to get students books that they otherwise did not have at their disposal. Because of this, I was able to show my students that I'm willing to do anything to get a hold of a great book for them. I could not have done this without your support. Because of the books purchased, I was able to provide a few of my reluctant readers with books that they wanted to read! Talk about exciting! I believe we are on our way to showing my students that books and reading is worth it!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Durst

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 3 other donors.