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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Valenzuela from San Diego, CA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Valenzuela is requesting

Mirror, Mirror on the Shelf: Books That Reflect Our Identities

Help me give my students a diverse library that honors and reflects their unique identities.

  • $501 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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

Help Mrs. Valenzuela

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate 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.

My Students

My students are a kind, thoughtful children who always put a smile on my face. They are a diverse group representing their colorful community which they love and are proud to be a part of. Our school is a Title One school meaning that most of our students come from low income families and receive free breakfast and lunch at school. When school shut down, it was, and continues to be, a difficult situation for many of our families.

Distance Learning robbed us of the place we felt safe, loved, and supported.

Nevertheless, my students did their best with a bad situation and were able to shine even through Distance Learning. Through the funding of this project, I hope to continue to create a learning environment, digital or face to face, that honors and respects all of my students so that each one of them feels seen, represented, and respected.

My Project

March 13, 2020 was the last day I saw my students. In an instant, miles of distance separated us from each other. Our classroom, our home away from home, had to shutter it's doors and no one knew for how long. We went our separate ways, but kept in touch through Distance Learning, though it wasn't the same. The community we had built was still there, yet just out of reach.

The new school year quickly approaches, and the one question in my mind is, "How can I build a caring, empathetic, and trusting community through Distance Learning?" I have been learning a lot about Culturally Relevant Teaching that emphasizes the fact that students learn more, and care more about learning when they feel "seen." When their life experiences, their home languages and traditions, their identities are validated and reflected back at them, they know that they matter.

They know they are seen. They know they are truly an integral part of a community that cares for them and about them.

This diverse library will help me show my students that even though we cannot be together in a classroom, they still matter. These books will act as mirror artifacts where my students can see themselves being innovators, taking action, and standing up for what is right. These books will help facilitate conversations and understanding that some cultures and beliefs may be different than your own, but they are just as valid. Through these books, we will be able to build a close and caring community, though we may be far apart.

Mrs. Valenzuela Jefferson Elementary School Grades 3-5

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mrs. Valenzuela

San Diego, CA View local requests

More than half 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

23 students impacted 9donors

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You donate directly to the teacher or project you care about and see where every dollar you give goes.

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Mixed Me! • AKJ Education $16.19 1 $16.19
Chocolate Me! • AKJ Education $16.19 1 $16.19
Fry Bread • AKJ Education $13.86 1 $13.86
A Taste of Colored Water • AKJ Education $13.86 1 $13.86
Grandfather Gandhi • AKJ Education $13.86 1 $13.86
Sit-In • AKJ Education $13.86 1 $13.86
The Day You Begin • AKJ Education $13.86 1 $13.86
Marisol McDonald no combina (Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match) • AKJ Education $13.83 1 $13.83
Separate Is Never Equal • AKJ Education $13.83 1 $13.83
Under My Hijab • AKJ Education $13.83 1 $13.83
Sulwe • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Harvesting Hope • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Maybe Something Beautiful • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Biblioburro • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Where Are You From? • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Hair Love • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
My Name Is Bilal • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Yo Soy Muslim • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Malala's Magic Pencil • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
She Persisted • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
I Walk with Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
The Librarian of Basra • AKJ Education $13.13 1 $13.13
Diego Rivera • AKJ Education $13.10 1 $13.10
Cora Cooks Pancit • AKJ Education $7.99 1 $7.99
I Love My Hair! • AKJ Education $6.56 1 $6.56
My Name Is Yoon • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83
Only Passing Through • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83
A Boy Called Slow • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83
The Name Jar • AKJ Education $5.83 1 $5.83

Materials cost

$351.70

Vendor shipping charges

 $6.00

Sales tax

 $32.18

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.28

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$425.16

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$75.03

Total project goal

$500.19

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $500.19

1 Donor

-$491.36

Donations toward project cost

-$425.16

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$66.20

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$8.83

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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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. Valenzuela and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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