Textbooks for my Oakland Kids
Donation protected
I was born in Oakland and grew up in the same low-income neighborhood many of my students live in. I feel an inexplicable sense of pride and loyalty to the city that raised me, so I came back to Oakland as a teacher last year. The struggle was REAL, and now that I have a better understanding of what my students and I need to run a high-functioning classroom, I'm determined to give my kids the BEST I possibly can. They are precious, unique, and very dear to my heart. They deserve good quality textbooks and a good quality education, regardless of their backgrounds or where they come from. Any help at all is very much appreciated! I'm hoping to get these textbooks for them before the school year starts in mid-
August!
Textbook Details:
I'm trying to buy 30 TCI "History Alive" textbooks to supplement my lessons. My best and most memorable lessons from last year utilized these specific books, but I only had one copy (given to me by another teacher), so I ended up making tons of photocopies of each chapter (which used up reems and reems of paper and took up hours of my time each week since our copiers broke down so often). The current ones provided by the district are fine (Holt) and I use them also, but I felt like my lessons were truly more engaging and effective when paired with the TCI History Alive textbooks (it may just be my teaching style since I really like doing project-based learning, and these books align with my more creative strategies. It also aligns with ELA common core standards that engage the students in argumentative essay writing). Since our school does not follow a specific curriculum for History, I'm basing my lessons on the state standards and veteran teachers who have been sharing their wisdom with me. I asked the principal about the textbooks, and he said it was fine if I personally fundraised for them since our school budget is really tight this year (we lost certain sources of funding because of factors that were outside of the school's control, and many cuts had to be made). Textbooks requested by a second-year teacher aren't too high on the priority list, which is definitely understandable; that's why I'm doing anything I can in my power to still make it happen for my students :) Seems a little silly considering how expensive textbooks are, but I believe it's worth a shot.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
August!
Textbook Details:
I'm trying to buy 30 TCI "History Alive" textbooks to supplement my lessons. My best and most memorable lessons from last year utilized these specific books, but I only had one copy (given to me by another teacher), so I ended up making tons of photocopies of each chapter (which used up reems and reems of paper and took up hours of my time each week since our copiers broke down so often). The current ones provided by the district are fine (Holt) and I use them also, but I felt like my lessons were truly more engaging and effective when paired with the TCI History Alive textbooks (it may just be my teaching style since I really like doing project-based learning, and these books align with my more creative strategies. It also aligns with ELA common core standards that engage the students in argumentative essay writing). Since our school does not follow a specific curriculum for History, I'm basing my lessons on the state standards and veteran teachers who have been sharing their wisdom with me. I asked the principal about the textbooks, and he said it was fine if I personally fundraised for them since our school budget is really tight this year (we lost certain sources of funding because of factors that were outside of the school's control, and many cuts had to be made). Textbooks requested by a second-year teacher aren't too high on the priority list, which is definitely understandable; that's why I'm doing anything I can in my power to still make it happen for my students :) Seems a little silly considering how expensive textbooks are, but I believe it's worth a shot.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Organizer
Jhunehl Fortaleza
Organizer
Oakland, CA
