First and most importantly I love the kindness my students show to each other and to me. There is a warmth here. We pride ourselves on creating a welcoming environment for all students, and yes, of course, there are times that we don’t live up to that ideal, but there’s never a question of where we want to be. I feel this every day, from the way they say thank you when they leave my class to the way they greet me in the halls.
Another aspect I love about them is their curiosity.
Now they are not always interested in what I have planned, but yes, they are curious. Last week, a student walked into class with a large Starbucks, and I remarked that 50 grams of sugar is not the way to start your day. One of his classmates replied that he was skinny and that it didn’t matter. Pretty soon my students were researching and discussing the dangers of refined sugar. This was not what I had planned, but they were motivated to learn and research. This spark is something I love about my students.
My Project
The materials I am requesting are high-interest books for my class library. Study after study illustrates that high school students are turned off from reading, that America as a whole is turned off from reading, even though the benefits of being a reader are well studied and numerous. Readers are better writers and they have more self-discipline. Being a reader strengthens students’ worldview, their convictions, and cultural knowledge. It will even reduce stress.
As a high school English teacher, I feel that I am on the front lines in battling the decline of reading.
Students in my class have plenty of opportunities to choose what they would like to read, and an essential part of my job is conferencing and discussing books with my students to get them an appropriate and engaging work into their hands.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Johnson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.