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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. McDowell from Roebuck, SC is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. McDowell is requesting

Compassion Learned Through Memoirs

My students need a class set of The Boy on the Wooden Box, an accessible, interesting memoir which shows the triumphant spirit of a Holocaust survivor.

  • $539 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mrs. McDowell for her next project!

My Students

In a world of "selfies," we strive to see beyond the surface. My students are learning to think of others and to learn from other people's experiences. I want to help them understand the breadth of the world and how they can make a difference in it.

They enter my room laughing, sometimes shouting, full of energy and emotions.

Some students are checking their cell phones; some are burdened with heavy backpacks and maybe a project they made for science class. In my room, we study life, but I don't teach biology. I teach literature and language. My students are quite diverse in ethnicity, learning styles, and interests. What they have in common is a desire to make the world a better place. As we discuss literature, we try to find the connection that makes us all human. As their teacher, I try to empower them to follow Gandhi's advice and be the change they want to see. Our school is a freshman campus, so all of our students are in a critical phase of choosing their peer groups, learning to drive, and balancing their desires for independence with their needs to be nurtured.

My Project

Students accept that they must read and write a lot in my class. However, they are demanding consumers, and they want to read things that matter. I would like to lead them in a book study of Leon Leyson's memoir entitled The Boy on the Wooden Box. This touching account of the horrific experience of a Holocaust survivor manages to maintain honesty while showing a triumphant spirit that can help teenage readers embrace the lessons history can teach us. After studying the memoir, my students will write their own histories. I will use Leyson's story as the mentor text to help them create their own memoirs. Students want to read and write with real-world purpose. A class set of The Boy on the Wooden Box would allow them that experience.

Today's teenagers often confine their interests and knowledge to things that directly affect them.

Tolerance and compassion need to be taught in a context that my students can understand and appreciate. I believe this project will help them care about other people and understand how their actions toward others make a difference.

Mrs. McDowell Dorman High - Freshman Campus Grades 9-12

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mrs. McDowell

Roebuck, SC View local requests

More than three‑quarters of 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

75 students impacted 1donor

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
The Boy on the Wooden Box • AKJ Books $13.13 30 $393.90

Materials cost

$393.90

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $27.77

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.91

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$457.58

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$80.75

Total project goal

$538.33

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $538.33

1 Donor

-$538.33

Donations toward project cost

-$457.58

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$80.75

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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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 Mrs. McDowell and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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