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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Szczecinski from Evanston, IL is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Szczecinski is requesting

Making It Real: Culturally Relevant Books for Special Education Students

My students need a variety of books with African American characters.

  • $248 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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Help Mrs. Szczecinski

My Students

Our school is a therapeutic day school program, the task of which is to provide emotional support and academic opportunities to children who have been unable to succeed in community school settings due to emotional, learning, and behavioral difficulties. The majority of our students live at a residential children's home and are wards of the state.

Our school runs as a trauma-informed program, aiming to help our students grow from their pasts and learn how to cope in effective ways.

Despite the challenges that our students face, they are incredible children. Their resiliency, love for learning, and curiosity are truly inspiring. I strive to make my classroom a welcoming and safe community and to help my students explore learning and grow into independent and productive citizens.

My Project

I'll be honest, my students do not gravitate towards books! Reading is challenging for most of my students, and they do not currently find reading a relaxing way to pass the time. Nevertheless, I strive to find ways to make books a coveted item in our classroom.

My students are people of color, and we need more books that show characters that they can relate to.

I truly believe that if our library had more books with black and brown faces, they would be more excited and willing to choose books for their individual "book boxes".

I have shopped for books that all have characters that look like my students, and also non-fiction books about inspirational black leaders. I hope that these books help my students connect to reading, see hope and promise in the pages, and feel more at home within these books.

Mrs. Szczecinski Rice Education Center Grades PreK-2

More about Mrs. Szczecinski

Evanston, IL View local requests

More than a third 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

5 students impacted 4donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Szczecinski is requesting.

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands • Amazon Business $15.68 1 $15.68
Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You • Amazon Business $14.29 1 $14.29
You Can Do It! • Amazon Business $14.15 1 $14.15
Let the Children March • Amazon Business $14.11 1 $14.11
Jabari Jumps • Amazon Business $13.10 1 $13.10
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X • Amazon Business $12.85 1 $12.85
Mae Among the Stars • Amazon Business $12.75 1 $12.75
The Word Collector • Amazon Business $12.75 1 $12.75
Early Sunday Morning (Denene Millner Books) • Amazon Business $12.56 1 $12.56
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut (Denene Millner Books) • Amazon Business $12.29 1 $12.29
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist • Amazon Business $11.98 1 $11.98
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History • Amazon Business $11.68 1 $11.68
Love Is • Amazon Business $11.44 1 $11.44
Max and the Tag-Along Moon • Amazon Business $8.20 1 $8.20

Materials cost

$177.83

Vendor shipping charges

FREE

Sales tax

$0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$2.67

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$210.50

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$37.15

Total project goal

$247.65

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$247.65

2 Donors

-$135.93

Donations toward project cost

-$115.54

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$20.39

match offer

-$111.72

Match offer toward project cost

-$94.96

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$16.76

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

$0.00

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

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Project Activity

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