A Love of Reading

Ok, so it's no secret to those that know me that I LOVE to read. I like a variety of genres. I like historical fiction, religious fiction, biographies, action comedies/dramas, and science fiction. If it has vampires, witches, and/or lycans in it....sign me up! There is usually one condition that I have for reading a book to keep my attention (though it isn't always necessary): there must be some sort of love story. This is the same reason that I love chick flicks. I have no idea why (it's probably because I am such a girl) but I like sappy romances. I like to see and read about how two people find each other and live happily ever after. I am not ashamed of this!

Books can take you places. Books can send you on an adventure where you can live vicariously through the words and actions of others. A good book is one that hooks you and makes you want to read it from cover to cover without stopping. Those are my favorite kinds of books. I've been known to read right through a 600 page book in one day. I have to remind myself that I need to take care of basic needs such as restroom breaks and eating. Oh, but to put the book down would be horrible! I must know what happens next. It's at that point that you are almost hoping for a semi-boring chapter that doesn't leave you hanging just so you can take that break that you need to take. I love when a book leaves me with the feeling: "I'll take a break after the next chapter." Yet, I continue to read on to find out what happens. It's like I become best friends and personally invested in these characters. It is my hope someday to write something that makes others feel this way.

As a teacher, one of my main goals is to have a positive impact on those that enter my classroom. I love to teach Language Arts (reading and writing). DUH! For the demographic at my school, this can seem like a daunting task. Yet, come January/February I see that a whole new world of possibilities are opening up for my students. First grade is when children really dive into reading. Not only are they learning to read the words, they are also learning the skills they need to understand the words on the page and even the meaning behind it. They start to identify with characters and describe how they are feeling and why they did the certain things they did throughout the story. This is where the endless possibilities and adventures of books begin! How exciting for me to be a part of this!

I heard about a website called www.donorschoose.org from several of my teaching friends. Teachers can go to this website and post projects that they plan to do for their students in their classroom. It allows donors to read about a project and donate to the cause. Well, a couple of days ago I requested my first project and found out today it was accepted! Can you guess what the project is about?

Here's the link to my project. I would appreciate any help that any of my readers could give. This is a great passion of mine, and I want to share this with my students!
I want to make sure my students have the materials they need to succeed. So I've created a classroom project request at DonorsChoose.org, an award-winning charity.

I'm asking for donations of any size to help my kids. For the next week, any donation you make to my project will be doubled! If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. Your donation will brighten my students' school year, and you'll get photos and thank yous from our class.

Here's my classroom request:
A Love of Reading: One Book at a Time

To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, enter the match code INSPIRE on the payment screen. This awesome match offer lasts through July 17, 2013.

My students and I greatly appreciate your support.
Ashley