Posting for a friend
A very dear friend I’ve known for many years is asking for help. She’s a teacher in Washington state. I’ll just let her speak for herself, she’s better at it than I am…
“I know everyone is stretched pretty thin right now, but I’m posting this out of huge hope, optimism, and, frankly, desperation. My colleague and I are teaming up to get books for our junior English classes — traditionally American lit. It’s no secret that our schools are struggling. We’re losing money every year; at the same time, our needs are becoming more complex. It makes finding decent books — books that are both accessible and engaging for a diverse population of students — a challenge, to say the least.
Many of our students were not raised to be readers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy reading; they just need a “hook.” Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, would be a powerful addition to our curriculum. The true story of a Syrian-born American’s experiences following Hurricane Katrina, it raises the question of what it means to be American and the extent to which race and culture influence the way we navigate our common ground.
Some of our students come from relatively wealthy families, but most do not. We have pretty much ZERO money for new books and we cannot ask our students to buy books for our classes — but they deserve a rigorous yet accessible and engaging curriculum. The right book can inspire and challenge both our reluctant readers and those who are already motivated to succeed.
We need 65 copies of this book. If you could find it in your heart to support my colleague and me and our kids, I would be so deeply grateful — every little bit truly does help, and so many students, this year and in years to come, will benefit.
Here is the link to our Donors Choose page: http://www.donorschoose.org/malbert
And please, please SHARE/REPOST THIS!
(Sidenote: My name doesn’t appear on our Donors Choose page because I’m still teaching part-time, so my colleague graciously agreed to team up with me. But my students will definitely be using these books immediately, if and when we can get them.)”
Please, if you’re not all tapped out, please donate enough to buy at least one book. They only need 65 of them and I am hoping I donated enough to buy at least one. I know money is tight around the holidays, but books saved my life when I was a kid. We were able to help Chuck pretty quickly (I am still astonished and so grateful at how quickly and generously everyone responded). Surely we can take care of these kids who need a fraction of what Chuck needed.