On September 29, bestselling author James Patterson distributed $500 grants to 5,000 teachers across the nation, with Scholastic Books Clubs matching every grant with 500 Bonus Points. The purpose of the donation—to help teachers get a head start on building classroom and at-home libraries for their students during the pandemic.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot of uncertainty about how schools and classes will be conducted this academic year. With that in mind, it is important now more than that educators are provided with the necessary resources they need to get and keep kids reading, whether they’re at home or in schools.
This year’s Patterson Partnership—a program created to build classroom and at-home libraries, as well as to assist teachers in obtaining books and other materials that they and their students desperately need—garnered more than 100,000 submissions from teachers nationwide, showing the dire need for books and other important classroom resources. According to the Scholastic Teacher & Principal School Report: 2nd Edition, 80% of teachers use their own money to purchase books for their classroom libraries, and 89% of teachers agree that schools play an important role in expanding student access to books at home. That’s why James Patterson and Scholastic Book Clubs have once again teamed up to give thousands of K–12 educators $500 grants and 500 bonus points to use towards books and much needed learning materials, all with the goal of supporting them during one of the most challenging school years to date.
“Whether students are learning virtually at home or in the classroom, the importance of keeping them reading cannot be underscored enough. Reading teaches kids empathy, gives them an escape when they most need it, helps them grapple with harsh realities, and perhaps most importantly, will remind them that they are not alone—even if they’re unable to see their teachers, classmates and friends in-person. Over the past six months, reading has certainly helped me cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and I can only hope it will do the same for kids and teachers everywhere,” said James Patterson.
“Every child deserves the chance to lose themselves in a good book, and now more than ever, students are in need of a rich selection of stories they can choose from and explore, that will make them laugh, offer them an escape, and help them make sense of the world and of themselves,” said Judy Newman, President and Reader in Chief of Scholastic Book Clubs.
Thank you James Patterson for the $500 grant! I can’t wait to shop for new books for my class! @HumbleISD_FCE #bethelight #scholasticbookclubs pic.twitter.com/RudnDhtk53
— Mhermosa_FCE (@mhermosa_FCE) September 29, 2020
Patterson hopes that teachers and students will share their experiences in their communities using #pattersonpledge.
Congratulations to all of the grant recipients this year!
To learn more about the program and see the full list of grant recipients, visit: http://www.scholastic.com/pattersonpartnership/
