I want to foster a love of literature, so my students see books as "windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors."

Rudine Sims writes, "Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through an imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books."

One day in class, my students had finished their work early, and I gave them the option to read a book from my bookshelf. They looked at me like I was crazy. I then walked to the bookshelf, picked up a book, and gave it to a my student, Kailey, and I said, "I think you would really love this book." She flipped through it, and asked if she could borrow it. This changed the whole outlook of the class, and now every student wants me to choose a book for them. I want to raise money to help buy my students books, so I can nurture a love for literacy. Very rarely do they receive new books or books that reflect their experience, and I want to instill in them this love of reading to learn instead of learning to read. I deeply believe that by donating, you will show them that reading is a connection that humans can make without ever even meeting; I also think it will also show them that they are deserving of books. Books are a way to escape to a new world and engage with a diverse group of people, and I hope you will join me in fostering a love for reading so that my students can find themselves in literature. 

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