As educators prepare to return to school and meet their new students, they’re raising money through ClassroomsCount™ campaigns to keep these kids supported and growing in all learning environments. In order to build a kinder classroom, and focus on topics such as diversity, they are raising funds to build better classrooms and, in turn, better worlds. Read on to explore their stories.
1. “Oh, The Places We Can Go So We Can Grow!”
Teaching 4th grade in a high-poverty school in Chicago, Laura is not only concerned with getting her kids the books they need for foundational literacy, but also with the uncertainty that COVID-19 might bring to book-sharing in the classroom this year. As an ELA teacher, she believes that there are places that students can only go with a good book in hand and wants to ensure each child receives a book bin with five books for each of her 30 students to call their own.
2. Spreading Kindness and Bringing Students Closer
Dustin is on a mission to help his students make a difference in the world around them. With his campaign, Dustin hopes to raise funds to provide students with books about diversity and as tools to learn about the world around them. He believes that, “In the times in which we live, it is ever so important that our students learn that kindness is key and that sometimes what makes us different, not only makes us unique, but can bring us closer together.”
3. Understanding Injustice to Create Change
Kathy feels that our young people “have the power to create change,” and believes it is through books that children can truly comprehend our nation’s history, including the injustices many have faced. Kathy is raising $500 to build a book club centering around tough conversations and how drive change.
Read about Kathy’s mission here
4. Funds That “Will Mean Everything”
Aundrea is a firm believer that reading opens doors for children and that it’s critical to instill a love for reading early on. She has already spent some of her own money to acquire several new books but is seeking help to raise $255 to give her first-grade class 48 new titles that she’s seen kids love over the years.
5. Kids Need to See Themselves
A 3rd-grade teacher from Union City, CA, Kimberly has a class filled with students of diverse backgrounds and cultures and embraces her students’ needs to connect their feelings to their identities. With that Kimberly wants to enrich her classroom library with characters who mirror the students in the class, so they know they are truly seen and celebrated.
Learn more about Kimberly’s goals
6. A Lifelong Quest
Tamara teaches reading intervention strategies and ELA to a 7th and 8th grade class made of “a rainbow” of cultural and racial diversity. Yet many of these students don’t have a single book to read at home and their only lifeline — library cards and access — has been cut off due to the pandemic. Tamara is seeking help to fulfill her lifelong quest to get books into her students’ hands and help them be successful in their lives.
7. Bringing Students in Need to New Learning Depths
Beth’s 4th- and 5th-grade ELA students are taught in a Title 1 school and some suffer from high poverty levels worsened by COVID-19. Beth’s tiny library holds books that are tattered and torn from years of loving use and she wants to get new books into students’ hands as well as purchase teaching materials to go with the books and bring students to the deepest depths of learning.
8. “A Window and a Mirror”
Mary’s classroom is home to 25 students of varying nationalities and socioeconomic status and make up a “family who challenge and support one another.” In the past, Mary has purchased monthly books for each of her kids and she wants to continue to provide books to help kids learn about themselves and connect to others through award-winning authors.
Learn more about Mary and her class
9. Preparing for Every Scenario
Lori — a teacher in rural Indiana — is concerned with the impact that COVID-19 may have on her kindergarteners’ ability to check out library books. To prepare, she wants to raise $12.50 per student to get one new book into the hands of her 20 students from August through May.
Read more on Lori’s story here
10. Building a Supportive Library
Jennifer is a K-12 librarian in rural southwest Missouri whose library supports a total student population of over 450 kids. Jennifer’s goal is to build a robust library of highly circulated series such as I Survived and Who Would Win? and feature best-known authors such as Kwame Alexander and Dav Pilkey.
Read more about Jennifer’s campaign
11. Homelessness Won’t Stop This Class
Stacia’s students are excited to learn in her kindergarten classroom based in Xenia, Ohio. Most of her students receive free breakfast and lunch and come from low-income families while others are experiencing homelessness, yet these children arrive to class with amazing attitudes and big dreams. With the return to school having so many unknowns, there’s a good chance these kids will no longer be able to share class resources such as books. Stacia wants to make sure that — no matter what the obstacle — these kids get the education and resources that they deserve, so each child has access to achieve their goals.
See Stacia’s touching campaign request here
12. A Classroom Yearning to Grow
Becky, a first-grade teacher in Mattoon, Illinois, is beyond excited to return to her classroom this fall and hopefully put the challenges of remote learning behind her. During distance classes, Becky heard from children that they only had baby books. Others had one book. Some had none. The titles from her class library were sourced from all over, including garage sales and hand-me-downs, but this year Becky is asking for funds to get kids new books, at the right levels.
See Becky’s plan to get her kids new books
13. Embracing Diverse Characters and Authors
Megan’s $300 campaign goal is set to build a library focused around human uniqueness with the aim of helping this new generation of learners embrace each other’s differences and “celebrate races, cultures, folktales, and family traditions.”
14. The ‘Drop Everything and Read’ Program
Charlotte has loved reading since she was a child and has a deep desire to pass this love on to her students. Her unique class program is named D.E.A.R., which stands for “Drop Everything and Read,” and allows students to find a comfy area in the classroom and dive into books. Many of Charlotte’s Title 1 school students don’t have at-home libraries and they yearn for new books where they can write their name inside!
View Charlotte’s plan to keep kids reading
15. Seeking a “Dream” Library
Brooke is just entering her second year of teaching and already noticed a pattern of her students soaking up the opportunity to read both independently and with a classmate. She knows students love fictional picture books but is seeking funds to incorporate essential nonfiction books that are intellectually interesting but also spark a lifelong love of reading.
16. Birthday Books for All!
Lisa, or Ms. Douglas as her students know her, teaches a 5th-grade class and believes anything is possible when kids are provided with the right resources and encouragement. She also finds it important to recognize kids on their special day and is seeking sponsors to support each child for just $5 in order to make them feel special on their big day.
Learn more about birthday books
To build your own campaign and start raising funds for your classroom, click here.
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