make my classroom college-prep

I teach 9th and 12 grades at an under-resourced neighborhood high school in Philadelphia. My school, built in 1939, lacks books and technology, giving my students little chance to develop the academic and technological skills they need. In my second year, I teach 4 periods of 9th grade math a day, plus a senior English class another teacher and I designed to prepare our students for college. We are teaching Beowulf, which is the first text in the senior curriculum, but our students do not have their own books: they cannot read at home, write notes and definitions in the margins, or underline particularly important parts, all of which are critical for college preparedness and basic understanding of such a difficult text.

It doesn't have to be this way. With your help, my students can have the resources they need to be ready for college. Right now, our most urgent need is for 35 copies of Beowulf (a cost of about $200, including shipping). There are many other needs as well: whiteboards for students to share their answers to problems; an LCD projector and mounting hardware so students can see mathematical demonstrations and make their own PowerPoint presentations; scientific calculators for algebra classes; manipulatives to make math tangible and accessible.

You can find the donation page here:
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/my-pay-page/P1RQV48WCEYK1O

Please consider donating $5 to $20 towards improving my students' opportunities. I know my students deserve the same educational opportunities as other students across the country. Someday, with your help, they'll have them. As individual supplies are funded, I'll post descriptions of the projects online with photos. Feel free to pass this on to friends, family members, etc - it would really help!