Assassin Actual’s Contribution to FTB’s Donors Choose Drive
Free Thought Blogs collection of the reasonably godless is kicking off its pledge drive in support of DonorsChoose.org!
If you happen like my inane ramblings on this blog, then I implore you to contribute on my Donors Choose donation page. I have selected a number of projects to help out various teachers in Texas, especially after Rick Perry drastically slashed their budgets. Even after years in their profession, teachers make less money than I do and have a harder job. Like me, they have to pay out of pocket for many items for the kids under their care. So it’s time for us to step up and help out.
The first project I would like to see fully funded is Ms. Hollingsworth’s “Learning from Graphic Novels.” She wants to plant the love of reading in her students with a class set of Rapunzel’s Revenge, something that I think would be cool.
So click here to donate to Ms. Hollingsworth’s project and others from my donation page!
Comic books and literacy hold a special place in my heart. English was my second language (if you can’t tell). Spanish served me well enough in San Francisco, but when my family moved to a retirement community in Florida, I found myself unable to adequately communicate. I came home crying from school many times when I realized that all my classmates could spell and read in a language that I could barely speak at that point in my life.
At first I tried Hooked-on-Phonics but did not experience much success. One day, my babysitter took me to a comic shop to buy a present for her boyfriend and upon seeing the pictures in the comic; I pestered her relentlessly for her to buy me my first copy of Elf Quest. I became hooked. The stories and illustrations of Mr. and Mrs. Pini’s World of Two Moons gave me the desire to master reading in English (and along with my early fascination with Greek Mythology, spurred me towards Atheism at an early age). My collection of the graphic novels remains one of my most cherished possessions.
Need more than a sob story to get you motivated? How about some good old self-deprecation? I have ordered a plethora of silly stuff for the purposes of humiliation. So if you want to see pictures of me prancing around in a rainbow tutu and combat gear, you had best open up that wallet.
The advantage of living in Iraq, I get a head start on our challenge!
3 comments
catsto
October 2, 2011 at 13:16 (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Elf Quest!!!!! Was introduced to Elf Quest on a school field trip when a classmate brought them to read on the bus many moons ago.
Went to a book store yesterday to stock up, saw quite a few books on the tables in comic book format inside when I took a peek. The covers did not give any indication; hence the adage, don’t judge a book by its cover. Before, one would have to walk through the store to get to the graphic novels section, nowadays, you find some up front. I’ve been seeing adults read graphic novels on the subway during my commute. A sign becoming more acceptable and mainstream?
papango
October 2, 2011 at 23:04 (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I donated. I have a picture of my grandfather and some of his mates larking around in the desert in floral hats, gloves and stoles from when he fought in Libya in WW2. It’s a fine tradition and one I wholly support.
Assassin Actual
October 3, 2011 at 04:22 (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks for the support!