2018 Impact
We bought books. Lots of books! At 3 different elementary and middle schools in Chicago, we funded complete library refreshes with relevant and inspiring titles, as well as a sets of books for the classes to read as a group. We hope these smiling faces of the actual Chicago kids with the books Sips funded in 2018, and heartfelt thank you’s from both the kids and teachers bring you joy. We are basically melting. Thank you for your life changing donations!
From the teacher…
Thank you so much for bringing the joy of reading to the seventh and eighth grade students of Gresham School of Excellence. Since incorporating the books into the class library, there has been a surge in the number of students excitedly sharing about what they are reading during independent reading time. As a rule, I ask that every student has one book to read if they happen to finish all of their other assigned work for the class. At the beginning of the year, the students most excited about finishing their work early were those that brought in their own books to read. Now, after revealing the updated library and highlighting the availability of recent books-turned-movies, award-winning graphic novels, and stories about inner-city youth, I often have to redirect my kids to put down their selected books and focus on the classwork first. This is the best problem I've ever had as a teacher.
…amazing impact!
One particularly powerful example of the purpose of these books came a couple weeks ago, when the verdict of Officer Van Dyke was announced. As residents of Chicago, the middle schoolers at Gresham had been intimately exposed to the murder of Laquan McDonald and the resulting protests that took place here for a few years. Although they didn't have all of the details of the events or the case, they understood the jarring reality that a police officer had shot a nonviolent black teenager. With the tension of the verdict's announcement looming over our class, I decided to read a few pages of The Hate U Give, a book that was donated to our library. The students immediately connected with the material, and entered into a deep discussion around race relations and police brutality. Not only did the feelings of the main character resonate with those of many of the students, but they gave the kids a platform for speaking up for themselves as well. As soon as the discussion had ended, there was a long waiting list for copies of the book, and a number of others in the class grabbed books I mentioned were similar. These books matter to these kids, and I am so grateful for your help in allowing them to realize that truth for themselves.
With gratitude,
Mr. Cassillo
From Mr. Dkyert:
Thank you for the set of Refugee Books! We are so grateful to be able to read this great novel as a group and learn about refugees today and in the past. One of my favorite things about this book is that it connects the past to current events. The students are always appalled by the horrors of WWII or past crises, but so often we ignore the atrocities of today. Also, reading this book allows us to walk in the shoes of refugees. We are surrounded by images and stories of refugees, but rarely do we get an up-close view. Rarely do we get to hear their personal thoughts and hopes. For some of my students, this is an intimate story - a story close to home. I have students every year coming straight from another country, not speaking a word of English when they arrive. This simple story allows us to empathize and walk with others who are struggling.
We are reading the book mostly in class, together. Once the students are engaged and excited about what happens next, I will be having them read a couple short chapters at home. When I was a student, I always wanted to read ahead, so for those fast readers, I'm going to have some additional texts for them if they finish early. I'll include some articles about the current Syrian refugee crisis as well as some historical articles about the holocaust. I'll also have them search for current refugee situations and have them draw comparisons between these and the book. It's easy to ignore that so much of the world is currently displaced. I'm hoping some of them will find out about the Rohingya or Palestinian refugees on their own so that when I bring them up in class, they will be able to add to our conversation. I'm also planning a project for them to put themselves into the shoes of a current refugee and truly imagine what they might feel and do in that situation.
With gratitude,
Mr. D.