Mrs. Mendiola's Comic Book Library
Donation protected
My middle school students are the absolute best in the world, and accordingly I want them to have every opportunity for learning and inspiration! Unfortunately, they live in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the state of Texas, and nearly all of them live in poverty (my students are 99% Latino, 95% economically disadvantaged). This means their families struggle to cover their basic needs, often leaving little to no money left over for fun or creativity. This means that the opportunities many other students take for granted are not within the reach of my students.
Over the past two years, I've brought in a few comic books from my personal collection and watched my students eagerly devour them during free time, sometimes even borrowing them and bringing them back later. Towards the end of this past school year, a student expressed a desire to read more comic books, but when I asked him why he hadn't yet done so, he looked me right in the eyes and flatly told me, "because they're so expensive and I don't have money." Without hesitation I promised him that by the fall, I would expand my classroom collection so he could read more. This is why, after two years of teaching at my school, I want to establish in my classroom a library of comic books.
Comic books are my favorite medium of storytelling, and many of my students simply lack the exposure to comic books (many of them remarking that the comics I lent them were the first they'd ever read). My students have enjoyed the Spider-Man, X-Men, and Deadpool comics I've brought to school (all are appropriate, I assure you). As I've personally explored the world of comics, however, I've often left behind the genre of "superheroes"--while these are often a gateway into comics, the world of comics is massively large and these represent a small fraction of what's possible when you put words and pictures together on a page. As a teen, I read memoir comics, crime comics, romance comics, funny comics, tragic comics, historical comics, and many more (many of these include so-called "graphic novels"). It would be a dream come true to expose my students to the range of possibilities within this world of creativity.
Your donation of any size will help me buy a wide variety of comics (superhero and non-superhero!) for my classroom, which I can lend out to my students (and any interested students at my school). I and my students will be eternally grateful for any and all support we receive! Reading comics profoundly changed my life, and I know it could change theirs too, if only they have a chance to read them.
Thank you for reading this giant wall of text, and for any generosity you're willing to share.
*NOTE: I originally wanted to do this via Donors Choose (which is specifically for teachers), but the options were limited--basically I would have to buy only comics offered by Amazon Prime. This way I can buy more comics used instead of brand new and thus stretch any money I raise much further!
Over the past two years, I've brought in a few comic books from my personal collection and watched my students eagerly devour them during free time, sometimes even borrowing them and bringing them back later. Towards the end of this past school year, a student expressed a desire to read more comic books, but when I asked him why he hadn't yet done so, he looked me right in the eyes and flatly told me, "because they're so expensive and I don't have money." Without hesitation I promised him that by the fall, I would expand my classroom collection so he could read more. This is why, after two years of teaching at my school, I want to establish in my classroom a library of comic books.
Comic books are my favorite medium of storytelling, and many of my students simply lack the exposure to comic books (many of them remarking that the comics I lent them were the first they'd ever read). My students have enjoyed the Spider-Man, X-Men, and Deadpool comics I've brought to school (all are appropriate, I assure you). As I've personally explored the world of comics, however, I've often left behind the genre of "superheroes"--while these are often a gateway into comics, the world of comics is massively large and these represent a small fraction of what's possible when you put words and pictures together on a page. As a teen, I read memoir comics, crime comics, romance comics, funny comics, tragic comics, historical comics, and many more (many of these include so-called "graphic novels"). It would be a dream come true to expose my students to the range of possibilities within this world of creativity.
Your donation of any size will help me buy a wide variety of comics (superhero and non-superhero!) for my classroom, which I can lend out to my students (and any interested students at my school). I and my students will be eternally grateful for any and all support we receive! Reading comics profoundly changed my life, and I know it could change theirs too, if only they have a chance to read them.
Thank you for reading this giant wall of text, and for any generosity you're willing to share.
*NOTE: I originally wanted to do this via Donors Choose (which is specifically for teachers), but the options were limited--basically I would have to buy only comics offered by Amazon Prime. This way I can buy more comics used instead of brand new and thus stretch any money I raise much further!
Organizer
Monica Mendiola
Organizer
San Antonio, TX
