Let’s Fund These Classroom Literacy Projects Together

January 20, 2017 |

Today is Inauguration Day in America.

It’s a day that the majority of the American population is unhappy about — the person being sworn in as the country’s leader didn’t earn the popular vote. His stances on everything from women’s health to LGBTQIA+ rights, to stripping healthcare, to building a literal wall between two countries and more are not what the majority wanted.

But technicalities. We get it. That’s how he won and that’s how he’ll continue to do things like avoid paying taxes or releasing that information to the American public.

What can we do as citizens, though? This is the question we’ve been mulling over since the Electoral College declared the winner.

Angie Manfredi, back in November, had a great idea. She found a few classrooms on Donors Choose that needed more money to be funded. These were for literacy-related projects serving children in schools that were of highest poverty.

In other words: the kinds of kids and classrooms most likely to be hurt by the incoming administration. The kinds of kids and classrooms that deserve to have access to basic tools to make them stronger, smart, and feel like they’re a part of this country.

That they, too, belong.

Leila and I joined in with Angie, as did a number of other wonderful bloggers, librarians, and authors, sharing classrooms we’d found with our respective social networks. None of us kept strong track, but the combined power we had and the generosity of people in the book/reading/library/teaching/publishing world meant we were able to fund a whole lot of classrooms.

And those teachers, as well as those students, were grateful.

We could think of no better way to respond to the Inauguration and changeover in America’s political world than to put together a big list of classrooms we’d like to get funded today. But more specifically, we sought out a range of classrooms in different parts of the country that were seeking project funding relating to English as a Second Language (ESL) and second language learning more broadly.

Can we do this? Let’s do this. Even a $1 donation to one classroom moves the marker a little bit closer. It’s a reminder to the future generations, as well as to the educators in those classrooms and passionate about their students, that they matter. That they deserve to learn and that they are welcome in this country, despite what the government might say or do. Leila and I have pulled together 12 classroom projects. If you click through, you can read a full description of what the money will go toward. We’ve offered up the short explanation, along with a link. The first of these projects expires tomorrow, January 21, so let’s get them funded first, then carry on down the line.

It might not be much, but it certainly does something. And in a situation where so many of us feel powerless, this is an easy opportunity to take action.

Feel free to share this list widely. Even if you can’t make a contribution, any sharing will help tremendously. Let’s get these classrooms funded.

(Fair warning: some of these stories will break your heart.)

Starting A Collection of Books In Spanish! in Morris, MN (this campaign ends tomorrow—let’s fund it first!):

We are a smaller rural community that has a rapidly growing population of Hispanics. Our students are incredibly smart and the main goal is for them to realize the many opportunities that they have and how they can grow as individuals to make a difference in the world we live in. If no one encourages them or provides materials they need to do this; how will that ever happen? They come from all different backgrounds and cultures – we need a library collection to match!

Fueling Bilingual Brains! in Chapel Hill, NC:

My students are eager bilingual learners. They come from Mexico, El Salvador, the U.S., and a myriad other places around the world. The majority of them have free or reduced-price lunch plans. These students have warm hearts and friendly smiles.

They are thirsty for knowledge and grow visibly every day.

In addition to learning a second language (English or Spanish), the students engage in project-based learning. They work hard every day in class to achieve high levels of learning, and then spend an extra hour in school to help them shore up whatever they need help with.

Bilingual Books for School and Home in New Bedford, MA:

My students live in a high poverty, urban area. They go to a community school where every child receives free breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many of our students live in public housing, with relatives, or are homeless. Many of my students are second language learners. Many of the children do not have their needs met at home. This is often due to lack of finances, long work days, and everyday stress.

My students are excited to come to school and crave the routine of our school day.

One of the main focuses of our school is to integrate the arts into learning.

Kids Read First! Continued, in Lewiston, ME:

Imagine moving to a new country. You walk into a classroom full of new faces, immersed in a language you have never spoken.You have a happy, smiling teacher talking to you in a language you don’t understand. These are the students I teach and work with every day.

I work in a school where English Language Learners are more than half of the student population.

My students come into school every day as not only a place to learn, but a place to eat, be surrounded with friends, and more importantly, feel safe.

My school is also a Title I school in central Maine, where 100 percent of our students receive free breakfast, lunch, and snack. We help students learn English while holding on to their own language as well. My students have come from different countries in Africa, from many different and difficult situations. They are in need of the tools to make them successful in the classroom, and this all begins with a determined teacher and a vast amount of literacy rich resources.

My Future Leaders Need My Attention! in Yuma, AZ:

My 6th grade ELL class are very special to me. As a first year teacher, I have developed an attachment that makes me hungry to connect with them to get them to reach for the stars and beyond. They are not only struggling to learn the English language, but fight battles outside school in order to get ahead. Most of the students, have their parents in Mexico, and at times see them only once a week. Imagine being 11 and 12 year old separated from your parents in whom you depend on!

Everyday I tell my students they are “Tomorrow Leaders.” These 6th graders need my full support and attention to encourage them not to give up.

They also need reassurance from the school faculty, community and their family members. We are their armor, and with these tools, they will continue to fight upcoming battles to win this war.

Language is a barrier in my class, as I also have 2 Arabic students from Yemen, who have no idea how to put on this armor that the school has provided. Resources are needed but I feel the attention of a teacher is a powerful tool that can benefit each student.

Graphic Novels to Reach Success in English!, in Jamaica, NY:

My students are English Language Learners who speak Spanish, Bengali, Arabic and Urdu. They are eager to develop as readers and love to read books with visuals and graphics. We are located in Jamaica Queens and this is the second year we exist as a school.

The picture of our school shows a window of opportunity, we believe all of students will have the best opportunities if they believe in themselves.

Our students engage in Science, Technology, Art, Engineering and Math on a weekly basis.

Teach in Color, in Houston, TX:

I am a second grade ESL teacher in a Dual Language program. This school year, my content area is English and Math. Most of my students have been learning English and Spanish since kindergarten! Many of my students’ native language is Spanish.

My students work diligently everyday to learn both English and Spanish.

As an ESL teacher, I should provide several visual cues for English words and vocabulary. Pictures should be in color, but I do not have a color printer or ink to provide a visual-rich environment.

To Read is to Live More Than One Life, in Oxon Hill, MD:

I teach a beautiful, lively bunch of English language learners that are at every level of English language acquisition. Many of them have faced so much transition in their young lives and yet they come to ESOL class every day with a smile for me.

Our purpose is clear; to give them every opportunity to gain the skills to be successful in the 21st century world.

Our school is a Title I school and we just got a program for autism. The children bring a wide rage of needs both academically and personally.

Non-Fiction Knock-Out!, in Salt Lake City, UT:

My students arrive at our “highly impacted” Title 1 school like kids all over the country: eager to learn and joyful at recess.

The difference is that many of their families struggle with food insecurity, unemployment, and providing the basic necessities of clothing and shelter.

For most, school is the very best part of their day. All the students in my resource classroom have IEPs (Individual Education Programs) based on their abilities and need specialized and differentiated instruction to achieve grade level competence.

Help Support our International and ESL Students, in Falls Church, VA:

Being a small district — we do not have many built-in supports for students who are considered ESL/ESOL. We need to be able to support learners of all backgrounds and need materials to help with that. These supplies will allow for one-on-one instruction as well as small group and collaborative instruction to support the whole learner. Because we live, work, and learn in the Digital Age, we need materials that will help students from all backgrounds succeed in a digital world.

Before There Was Google Translate…We Used Dictionaries!, in Bayside, NY:

What better way to welcome someone to America than by extending a helping hand!

Can you imagine trying to read a 7th grade text when you are reading on a first grade level?

That is what my students are trying to do every day.

All of my students are newcomers (in the U.S.A less than a year), or beginners (speaking English at a beginning level). Our school resides in the beautiful town of Bayside, where we have a large Chinese population and a growing Hispanic population. In my ESL class we consider ourselves a “family”. My students feel they can come to me with any problem they may encounter. I consider my ESL classroom a safe place for learning and growing.

First Generation English Readers, in Santa Maria, CA:

My students are humbled by and appreciative of the little things. Many of them do not own books at home. They are fascinated with new books and love to be in our class library. School wide, 95% of the students qualify for free/reduced lunch. I have 48 students I see daily and 46 of them are are English Learners.

My students absolutely love learning to read and take AR tests.

We have created a college bound atmosphere and my students are building a foundation that will help prepare them for their future. I am humbled to be a part of their educational journey.

The Less Financially Privileged Teens in Contemporary YA Fiction: A Reading List

December 3, 2014 |

It’s weird how often teens go on vacation, have summer rental homes, can afford cars (and car insurance!) or cell phones and other luxuries in YA fiction. It seems hardly representative of real life teens, many who work part-time jobs to pay for their own items or who work part-time to support their families. Faythe’s post did an excellent job bringing up why the issues of social class matter when we read and think about contemporary realistic fiction. A few of the titles on this list are ones she’s suggested.

Today, let’s look at the contemporary YA books that feature main characters who don’t have luxuries. These are the teens who aren’t upper middle class — or even middle-middle class — and I’ve also included novels where teens are working part-time jobs and those part-time jobs are a significant part of who they are. All of these books have been published in the last 10 years and all descriptions come from WorldCat (unless otherwise noted).

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles: Graduating from their school’s special education program, Quincy and Biddy are placed together in their first independent apartment and discover unexpected things they have in common in the face of past challenges and a harrowing trauma.

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo: A fifteen-year-old Australian girl gets her first job and first crush on her unattainable university-aged co-worker, as both search for meaning in their lives.

Panic by Lauren Oliver: Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher — $67,000. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought… Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them — and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston: In a day-after-tomorrow Montana, fifteen-year-old Valley (now Valkyrie) and her big brother leave their underground den to fight a government that will kill them like coyotes. (Note: All of Woolston’s books feature rural impovershed characters).

Starting from Here by Lisa Jenn Bigelow: Sixteen-year-old Colby is barely hanging on with her mother dead, her long-haul trucker father often away, her almost-girlfriend dumping her for a boy, and her failing grades, when a stray dog appears and helps her find hope.

Shine by Lauren Myracle: When her best friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover the culprits in her small North Carolina town.

15 Days Without A Head by Dave Cousins: When his alcoholic mother disappears, fifteen-year-old Laurence is determined to find her, take care of his little brother, and keep their predicament a secret, all while trying to win a luxury vacation for his mom in a radio call-in contest.

The Sky Always Hears Me: And The Hills Don’t Mind by Kristin Cronn-Mills: Sixteen-year-old Morgan struggles with her growing attraction to a co-worker, her unsatisfactory relationship with her boyfriend, and with her own sexual orientation after a girlfriend is rumored to be gay.

Yaqui Delgado Wants To Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina: One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away?

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero: Sixteen-year-old Gabi Hernandez chronicles her senior year in high school as she copes with her friend Cindy’s pregnancy, friend Sebastian’s coming out, her father’s meth habit, her own cravings for food and cute boys, and especially, the poetry that helps forge her identity.

Saint Iggy by K. L. Going: Iggy Corso, who lives in city public housing, is caught physically and spiritually between good and bad when he is kicked out of high school, goes searching for his missing mother, and causes his friend to get involved with the same dangerous drug dealer who deals to his parents.

The Not-So-Great Depression by Amy Goldman Koss: Jacki, a ninth-grader, does not understand when her teacher talks about unemployment and recession, until her mother loses her job and Jacki cannot buy the things she wants.

Brianna on the Brink by Nicole McInnes: A one-night stand has life-altering consequences for popular, sixteen-year-old Brianna, who must then accept help from the one person closest to her mistake.

Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair: Seventeen-year-old Faith shepherds her neglectful, drug-addicted mother through her pregnancy and then kidnaps the baby, taking on the responsibility of being her baby sister’s parent while hiding from the authorities.

Sorta Like A Rock Star by Matthew Quick: Although seventeen-year-old Amber Appleton is homeless, living in a school bus with her unfit mother, she is a relentless optimist who visits the elderly at a nursing home, teaches English to Korean Catholic women with the use of rhythm and blues music, and befriends a solitary Vietnam veteran and his dog, but eventually she experiences one burden more than she can bear and slips into a deep depression.

The Lure by Lynne Ewing: Living in a violent, impoverished town outside Washington, D.C., 15-year-old Blaise joins an infamous gang against the advice and warnings of her best friends only to be required by her new leader to put herself in life-threatening situations.

Tyrell by Coe Booth: Fifteen-year-old Tyrell, who is living in a Bronx homeless shelter with his spaced-out mother and his younger brother, tries to avoid temptation so he does not end up in jail like his father.

When I Was The Greatest by Jason Reynolds: Ali lives in Bed-Stuy, a Brooklyn neighborhood known for guns and drugs, but he and his sister, Jazz, and their neighbors, Needles and Noodles, stay out of trouble until they go to the wrong party, where one gets badly hurt and another leaves with a target on his back.

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg: Sick of living in the shadow of her seven-year-old pageant queen sister who is praised for her looks, Lexi resolves to get a makeover when she determines her personality just isn’t enough to garner the attentions of boys.

Take Me On by Katie McGarry: Abandoning kickboxing after a tragedy in the ring, champion fighter Haley is forced to train an attractive mixed martial arts student who secretly fights on Haley’s behalf to redeem his troubled past.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers knows better thant to trust a rich boy. But then she meets the richest guy of all, who proves money might not matter after all.

Cherry Money Baby by John M. Cusick: Cherry Kerrigan loves her simple life, her family’s tiny trailer, even working at Burrito Barn. Forget college–she’s marrying her sweetheart from next door. But here comes Ardelia Deen, a glamorous starlet who sweeps Cherry into a world of fast cars and penthouse parties. Now Cherry’s small-town life just seems so small. When Ardelia drops a bomb of an offer, Cherry knows her life will change forever, no matter what she decides.

Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez: A teenage girl flees her opulent life in Miami when she witnesses her boyfriend commit a murder that was ordered by her father.

Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin: Spending the summer working as an errand girl for the Rule family in the Hamptons, seventeen-year-old Rory befriends the family’s teenaged daughter and develops feelings for their older son, but she finds that societal rules can be hard to break.

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard: Reading the journal of the high-society girl he was secretly involved with for a year helps high school senior Colt cope with her death and come closer to understanding why she needed him while continuing to be the girlfriend of a wealthy classmate.

Damaged by Amy Reed: Numb after the death of her best friend, Camille, Kinsey starts to shut down but Hunter, Camille’s mysterious boyfriend, has other ideas and whisks Kinsey off on a multi-state road trip to forget the ghosts of their pasts and their own fears.

** Okay, this one is maybe not contemporary realistic YA, but that depends on your reading of the ghost here. More, the depiction of Kinsey’s home financial situation and her job are noteworthy.

Socioeconomic Class in Contemporary YA Lit: Where Are The Poor Teens? Guest Post by Librarian Faythe Arrendondo

December 3, 2014 |

There’s been more and more talk lately about the lack of diversity when it comes to socioeconomic class in contemporary YA fiction. Today, librarian Faythe Arrendondo talks about why this conversation is important and why we need to see more poor kids in realistic YA.

When she’s not wasting time on Twitter, Faythe Arredondo is a teen services librarian is a rural (poor) area of California. She’s a fan of dogs, hockey, popular culture, and getting ragey about things people take for granted.

For most of my life, I have been surrounded by people that can be classified as “rural poor.” It’s the nature of our agricultural area, especially now that we are in the midst of the worst drought anyone can remember. I’ve worked in or around the same area since I became a librarian. Nothing I see is new; it’s just how life is.

I’m not sure how the topic was brought up, but I think I mentioned how poor people in young adult literature aren’t a “thing” like vampires and werewolves were/are. This sparked an immediate reaction from three of the teens sitting in my office. They went off on how you never “see anyone” like them. How there is “no middle” and characters are either homeless, from a drug riddled home, or rich. There are no characters that are just living life and trying to find their way in an “instant gratification takes too long” society. You don’t read about characters who have a place to live and food to eat, but “don’t have the extras.” As I listened to them talk, my soul hurt. Here are three teens that know they are doing okay in life, but society would look at them with pity. That day I found out for certain the parents of these particular kids didn’t work and their money comes from the government.

Some people would feel sorry for them because they don’t have the latest iPhone, or an iPad, or a computer. These are things that a lot of people take for granted but for a lot of families, these things are an extravagance. Why is this? My gut reaction is because of popular culture. There are no leads in contemporary TV shows, movies, or books where an adolescent character doesn’t have a cell phone or an Internet connection at home. In the fall of 2013 I started a study hall at the library when I found out that a couple of the teens couldn’t finish their homework because they shared their small apartment with eight other people. They also couldn’t get some of their homework done because teachers were putting the homework assignments and extra credit online. These teens would walk 20 minutes from school to the library and study for at least two hours. They would have to leave by 6pm because their walk home took almost an hour. They couldn’t afford bus passes.

This isn’t abnormal. These kids aren’t special cases. This is their norm. According the National Center for Children in Poverty, 41% of adolescents (their definition is ages 12-17) live in low-income families. This is fact. I didn’t know these numbers when I decided I needed to call attention to the lack of the socio-economic diversity (low-income) in books. I only knew what I saw on a daily basis and what I lived with growing up. We didn’t have the “extras” growing up, yet all I seemed to see when I read YA books were teens who had everything and didn’t have to worry about trying to finish their homework to avoid flunking.

So why isn’t this large group of teens represented in culture? When was the last time you read a book about low income kids that didn’t involve drugs, aliens, the supernatural, government control, or a natural disaster? Can you recall a book when teens are from a low-income family that takes place in modern society? Where things like a cell phone or computer aren’t commonplace? Or the family is on welfare? Reading should open up your worldview, but not discussing low-incomes teens or families is failing all readers.

I was given access to the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database and I did some searching trying to find books that had low-income families. The first search I did was for “poor” with 2013 and 13-18 as filters. That returned just 68 results. Of those, 22 used “poor” as a descriptor including “poor judgment” and “poor little rich girl.” Only eight of these results actually had low-income teens or similar situations in the books. A couple of months later I decided to use the same filters but try “poverty” instead and only found nine of 46 books had low-income teens.

To say I was disappointed in the results would be an understatement. I thought there would be more, but I did find some titles that address socioeconomics. I read a lot and I don’t remember more than a handful that talked about poor teens and their lives. These are the books that we need to talk about and read. The more we read, the more demand there will be.

The first one that immediately comes to mind is Sherman Alexi’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. This books tackles so many issues that a lot of YA books shy away from. It is probably one of the first books I can remember reading that actually addressed being poor. To try and get ahead, Junior had to make an effort and attend school off the reservation. This reminded me of the teens I work with at the library. They make the extra effort a lot of people take for granted.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West tackles the rich versus poor in a small coastal town. Money is an obvious issue and drives most of the plot, but it takes the easy way out in the end by having the protagonist find her wealthy grandparents. This theme also plays a part in Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Boys (of which I’ve only read book 1). It’s a point of contention between the characters almost every time they interact. The book isn’t exactly contemporary, but I felt it should be mentioned along with The Distance Between Us.

In The Lure by Lynne Ewing, Blaise lives outside of Washington DC where life is not easy. By being a “lure” for the local gang, Blaise can find money, safety, and love. She lives in a broken down neighborhood where violence is commonplace. She sees being in a gang as her only way to survive and have money. Lack of money is the driving factor in this book and it’s a favorite among some of the teens in my library.

On the flip side, Lauren Oliver’s Panic takes place in rural New York. These kids are some that I recognize: teens who want to get out of their life, want to break the cycle and who have to work if they want the extra things. The teens in this story all have cells phones, but they all also seem to have jobs. They literally risk their lives to win money so they can start their lives some place else. The plot may seem a little far-fetched, but the motivating factors are genuine.

One author who always incorporates low-income teens is Katie McGarry. In her latest, Take Me On, the protagonist and her family were evicted from their home and are temporarily homeless. The rich guy in the story is cut off from his parents and also ends up homeless for a little while. Prior to this novel, each title had a protagonist who was in the foster care system. By book three in the series, two of the characters lived in their own apartment, but always had to worry about making rent. I recommend these books to my teen patrons because they contain something for everyone.

The latest book to capture my attention is Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero. It is a book people need to talk about more and handles almost every issue a teen can face. It’s the first time I read a book and could see actual people in the characters, with situations that happened to people I know. When Gabi loses a cell to water damage, she didn’t get a new one right away. In fact, she had no real plans to replace it because she had no money. I can recall several instances in other books when a teen lost their phone and it was replaced instantly.

These are just a handful of books I’ve read and thought they did a good job of addressing low-income families. I want everyone to read these books and talk more about them, but it’s not enough. These are a fraction of books published. Why can books about vampires, angels, aliens, werewolves, and so on be published ad nauseum, but we can’t publish fiction that actually reflects its readers? Why can’t there be more books about teens that live in a low-income family? It’s up to us as readers to question publishers and writers as to why we aren’t seeing these teens in literature. If we don’t ask, they won’t realize there is a need.