Community Spotlight: Empowering Students Through Books and History 

In Valdosta, Georgia, where 100% of schools qualify for Title I funding, educators are finding creative ways to inspire students. Ra’Shuna, a dedicated 5^th grade teacher and First Book member, is bringing engaging books into her classroom, starting discussions, and fostering a love for reading.  

Challenges in the Community 

With a child poverty rate of 35%—nearly double the state average—Valdosta families often face challenges that impact their children’s education. One of the biggest barriers is access to books and reading materials, which are essential to developing literacy skills and learning.  

“I have fifth graders who are reading at a kindergarten level,” Ra’Shuna shared. Additionally, she saw firsthand how COVID-19 impacted learning.  ”Not just academically, but socially. These fifth graders are the last of the COVID kids. The fourth graders in the room next door– they’re different.” 

Before moving to Valdosta, Ra’Shuna taught in Waterloo, Iowa, where she worked in a much smaller school with students from around the world. Waterloo has become a welcoming community for newcomers to the U.S., its schools reflecting that change. Forty-five languages are spoken across the district. Ra’Shuna recalls having students from Bosnia, Burma, Vietnam, and many more, bringing a range of perspectives into the classroom.  

In Georgia, more than 1,000 students attend Ra’Shuna’s elementary school, including 200 in the 5^th grade, alone. With such a large group of learners, addressing varying reading levels and interests can be a challenge. Meeting students’ academic needs means finding the right books to get them excited about reading. 

Finding the Right Books 

“The key is finding something that they want,” Ra’Shuna said. For her students, that means graphic novels.  

Graphic novels have transformed her classroom’s culture around reading, particularly for students who struggle with traditional books. Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller was a hit among her students.  

“I gave Curlfriends to fifteen girls and they all read straight through to the end—or they’re reading it with their moms,” Ra’Shuna stated.  

Despite their popularity among students, Ra’Shuna still encounters resistance from some adults, who consider graphic novels as “not academic enough” or “too easy.” However, as highlighted by Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy, research continues to prove their value, showing that graphic novels have many benefits that traditional prose does not.  

Connecting History to the Present 

Beyond being a passionate reading advocate, Ra’Shuna is dedicated to history education, helping her students draw connections between the past and present. As a social studies and English language arts teacher, she is always searching for updated, relevant history resources.  

“This feels very familiar,” students said during a recent history lesson. Ra’Shuna believes that important conversations about 20th-century history are not happening at home. Many of her students’ parents were not even born during key historical moments, making the role of educators even more essential in bridging those knowledge gaps. 

Discovering First Book: A Trusted Resource for Educators 

Ra’Shuna’s journey with First Book began through word of mouth, the same way it does for many educators.  

At her first school, a librarian opened a closet filled with brand-new books from the First Book Marketplace, showing her a resource that would change the way she stocked her classroom library.  

Through First Book, she has been able to access high-quality, affordable books that match her students’ interests and needs, ensuring that every child has a chance to find a book they love. 

Join Our Network  

Educators can join First Book’s Network — the largest online community of individual educators, professionals and volunteers dedicated to supporting children in need across North America — to bring new books, educational resources, and supplies to their classroom or program.