Funded Apr 16, 2018I waited a year to note the impact of your donation. I apologize for the delay but I am a researcher at heart and I needed to note the full impact of how you and others thoughout the year affected my students through a simple donation. My 18/19 school year fourth graders, simply put, began reading MORE thanks to you- without exaggerating. They read the National Graphic books you donated over and over... and over again. They read "The Babysitters Club" series more than I did when I was a kid (reading the OG copies). They got to know Latino characters that I only dreamt of as a child. One student, who did NOT enjoy reading at the beginning of the year, ended up reading one of the novels you donated during my Social Studies class! I wanted to be upset, but honestly... I was amazed that he was so enraptured by a story that he just HAD to whip that book out during my lesson. This student was not a rule breaker. This student was not disrespectful. This student was simply obsessed with finishing his book before the end of the year so he could "KNOW how it ENDED"! THIS student became a reader. Thanks to the efforts of all the teachers around him (despite what all the "data" said about HIM) . And thanks to YOU. My students took great care of the books you donated and this year, as I embark on my own journey as an Instructional Technology Graduate student, I will remind this year's crew that your contribution will allow them to engage in texts that someone cared enough to deliver to my room thanks to.... technololgy! I will ensure that they reflect on what they read digitally and verbally. And I will ensure that they keep interacting with the books you donated with the same care that the first crew of kids did. Thank you. I will be eternally grateful to you for donating to my first year of teaching.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Romo