Funded Mar 4, 2020As a teacher of diverse, inquisitive students navigating the acquisition of two languages, the books I was able to purchase with your generosity were (and continue to be!) a game changer.
Did you know that only 5% of children's literature in 2018 featured latino students? Or that an even smaller percentage was written by authors of color, who are owners of the stories of my students? Imagine how inaccessible these stories are, because of price or lack of circulation to public school emergent readers. Your generous contribution made each of my students have a mirror, and see their own stories in books. Furthermore, my students who commonly see their narratives represented in popular children's literature are now able to have a window into the lives of others; learning about differences; developing empathy and curiosity about people and cultures different than their own. When a student is learning their second language, reading is essential for acquisition of new words, sentence structure, and above all interest. Books like Dog Man in Spanish (Hombre Perro) were traded like invaluable treasures, and brought laughter and love. Thank you for providing mirrors, windows and the love of literature to my Bilingual Bookworms!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Magrath