South San Francisco, CA August 17, 2017 by DonorsChoose.org 
My Students
My students are bright individuals, always ready to learn despite their learning challenges. I have the opportunity to teach a bright, funny, loving special day class of 4th and 5th graders. My students are first generation, special education students with a range of emotional and learning disabilities with some students on the autism spectrum.
All of my special education students are also English language learners and come from diverse backgrounds and qualify for free and reduced lunch, which means they face many financial hardships at home.
Many of the families can’t afford school supplies, and the school doesn’t offer much school funds. Regardless of their demographic and ability, my students love to learn and come eager every day. This year I strive to maintain a comfortable, rigorous, fun learning environment for my group of 4th and 5th graders.
My Project
A lifelong love of reading starts in a cozy, welcoming classroom reading corner. Reading in elementary school is a fundamental skill that defines the academic success of a child in middle school. Once students hit 4th grade they switch from learning to read to reading to learn.
My job as a SPED teacher is to provide a literacy-rich environment that allows students with disabilities to have access to supplementary instruction and experiences that they might have missed in their previous years.
Given the support of the rug, I will be able to create a reading corner in the classroom. Creating this reading nook will help me differentiate my lessons so that students can read independently on the rug while I work with targeted small groups. I hope to create this reading corner with the rug to inspire students to be lifelong readers and have positive experiences with reading.