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Through your help, BooksFirst! has been able to empower teachers and help children learn, imagine and grow… one book at a time.
Matt Thomas
Fifth Grade Teacher
Ruleville, Mississippi
Shortly after moving to the Mississippi Delta to teach fifth grade in a severely under performing school, I realized there was a major problem in my classroom: My students hated to read. Getting them to sit down and pick up a book was like pulling teeth. For weeks I tried to figure out what was wrong with them. Slowly, I realized it wasn’t them at all.
My ‘classroom library’ of about 150 books, which I felt lucky to have, was filled with books whose publication date came before my birthday. Even many of the newer books – published just a few years before my students’ birthdays – were falling apart. Some were missing covers; others were missing pages; others were simply torn, bent, and scribbled in. To me, these were books our class was lucky to have; to my students, they were old, irrelevant, “junky” books they were being forced to read by their crazy teacher.
What’s worse, their crazy – but well intentioned – teacher was forcing them to read books they couldn’t read. Nearly all the books in my classroom library, and every one of the textbooks we were graced with having, were written on a fifth grade level. Some of my students came into my class reading on a second grade level; most were reading on a third grade level. Almost none could read on a fifth grade level. No wonder my kids hated to read – they were being asked to pick up uninteresting books written well above their level.
Six months later, most of my kids loved reading. Thanks to an incredible donation from a school in Pennsylvania, I was able to stock my classroom library with newer books in great shape, written for all sorts of grade levels. With a little work, reading began to look exciting to my kids – they wanted to get their hands on the books I had! I was ecstatic. And, with a little teaching, they learned how to pick out books on their level. My second grade level readers were reading books they could handle; so were all the other students!
And along with my students’ newfound love of reading came real growth in their abilities. During the 16 weeks we had the donated books in our classroom, some students gained as much as two full-grade levels in ability! Two grade levels in half a year! Most improved by almost an entire grade level. Without the resources that were sent by a generous school in Pennsylvania, those improvements could not have happened. The love of reading my students developed by being put in contact with books that were attractive and accessible to them is something I am confident most will carry with them to Middle School next year.
Thank you letters
Dear BooksFirst!,
I would like to take this time to thank you for the great service you are providing for my children here in the Quitman County School District. I currently teach a second grade class. Books are doorways to amazing journeys of discovery. Children who miss out on the wonder of books lose a chance to develop a wondrous pastime, gain insight, or open avenues of dreams come true. Your foundation has allowed the 44 children I influence an opportunity to grasp this fleeting chance in early childhood. The books you have donated to my class have opened eyes and minds to possibilities. Thank you again for the generous gift that builds a brighter future for us all.
Thank you again,
Pat Neal Taylor Jr.
Second Grade Teacher
Quitman County, Mississippi
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Dear BooksFirst!,
Thank you for all the books you have sent us. We appreciate it. We are so excited to read all those books. I hope there are a lot of realistic fiction books. If you didn’t that is ok, because I love reading other books too. I like to be able to compare one story to another. Those books will help me become a better reader because you can question yourself my asking questions and that’s good reading strategy. Hope to receive more books!
Sincerely,
Ronda
Student
Jonestown Elementary
Jonestown Mississippi
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Dear BooksFirst!,
Thank you for bringing the books into our class. They are very interesting especially the Babysitters and the Goosebumps books. I love to read books especially chapter books. Sometimes little baby books. So I thank you for having those books in our class.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline
Jonestown Elementary
Jonestown Mississippi
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