Hi! My name is Carissa and I am the Extended Curriculum teacher at Canterbury Elementary. I'm launching this campaign to raise funds in order to purchase diverse texts that promote the themes of kindness, perseverance, and social justice so that students can independently select a novel to read and discuss in literature circles. By incorporating diverse books and student choice, this promotes lifelong reading as well as increases reading motivation and interest. When students are interested and motivated to read, they engage in thoughtful and deep literature discussions. Along with these benefits, students feel empowered when they can select their own books because it helps to develop their self- esteem as readers and decision makers (Miller & Sharp, 2013). Your support will help me raise funds to create a text collection with diverse books that promote student’s self-esteem, reading motivation as well as lifelong reading. Thank you for considering supporting my reading campaign! From, Carissa