A New and Necessary Novel: Colson Whitehead in the Classroom
Help me give my students the opportunity to read a new, gripping, supremely important novel, The Nickel Boys, by Pulitzer-prize winning author Colson Whitehead.
$2,042 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
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The students I teach love to learn but don't always have access to the newest, best books. They appreciate a great story but aren't necessarily exposed to the variety of authors which write them! I am constantly on the hunt for texts which will resonate with the 9th grade students at the public high school where I teach.
My students are urban, smart, and hip but are too often exposed to books which are none of these things.
I think it's crucial that students realize that reading does not have to be some kind of other-worldly experience that doesn't relate to their daily lives. They have the right to see themselves in the books they read and to read a story which resonates with their own. The Nickel Boys is culturally relevant and essential reading. These books will provide several class sets, so they can be read and loved by our freshmen students over many years.
My Project
To inspire a true love of reading and learning, high school students must be given the chance to read new and engaging texts by contemporary authors. Colson Whitehead is a modern author who matters. He has said that he wrote The Nickel Boys not because he wanted to, but because he had to. The novel is based on the real life systemic abuse at a reform school in Florida during the Jim Crow era.
The Nickel Boys promises to be a novel which inspires engaged discussion, thoughtful reflection, and even some soul-searching in the high school classroom.
To move forward as a diverse country requires us to examine some of the tragedies of our disparate paths. This book provides the opportunity for readers to do just that.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Ms. Furlong and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
