Hi my name is Deanna and I am a 5th Grade Teacher in Clifton, NJ. Every year my goal is to instill a love for reading in my students. I don't want them to read because they have to or to simply reach a goal. I want them to read because it brings them joy and gives them an escape from reality. In my classroom, my library system is ... well, really no system. Over the years, I've found that if students had the flexibility to choose a book without signing it out, they were more likely to just go grab a book! This gave them the ability to try out books...read more and return them without feeling judged. I try my best to ask my students what books they want to see in our library and I purchase them. This year, with the shock of COVID-19, my students left school with many of my newer books. We all thought it would be a few weeks and I wanted to them to have something to read! Unfourtuntately, as we all know, I'm never going to get those books back. As a fifth grade teacher, my students will not be in the same school where they can drop them off next year. I'm joining this campaign to "Fill up the Bookcase!" I pride myself on having numerous choices for my students. After this year, I know that my library diminished. Any help is amazing!!read less