A Thank You from a Book Drive Teacher (and Pictures!)

From Ali H., a teacher who participated in this year’s Dear Wendy Holiday Book Drive:

Before I forget (with the hectic ness of this week), I wanted to send you some photos of my classroom with our new tools and set-up. While the kiddos won’t get their books until Friday, I wanted to introduce them to our new space so we could get comfortable and create some expectations together.

Our first day with it will be tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes. Some comments so far have been, “Wow, lucky 8th graders” and “It feels so welcoming in here” and when discussing various arrangements with a colleague, “It’s clear you want them to feel loved and safe in here.”

On behalf of myself and students, thank you so much, Wendy, for organizing this drive and for looking out for the kiddos who don’t have what they need, never mind excess. Your hard work and diligence helps to support not only my students but also other students in need across the county and to foster a love of reading.

To your dear readers, thank you so much. Never in my wildest dreams would I think all of my students would receive a new book AND to have the opportunity to redesign our room this holiday season. To receive all these tools and supports necessary to help every student feel welcomed and safe at school is an incredible gift that will not be taken for granted.

Best,
Ali Hurney

Pictures below!

Thank you so much for your note and for the pictures, Ali! I’m so happy your students have such a caring teacher, that you asked for the supplies you needed, and that this amazing community could meet those needs. I hope this experience helps to not only foster a love of reading for your students, but also to remind them that they’re important enough that strangers from around the country (and world!) wanted to do something special for them for the holidays. My heart feels full!

3 Comments