Dear Santa...

Dear Santa, Family, Friends, and other Blog Readers,

I am writing this letter to give you my classroom Christmas wish list. I am (in no means) begging for the items on this list, but instead I am politely wishing for these things that can be helpful and useful for my lessons and when doing activities with my students.

Now that I am a teacher, I understand what it’s like to not have any funding for your class. Almost everything you need to purchase must come from the money out of your pocket. It is very difficult to do this, especially because supplies are limited on island. I have learned how to be creative with the supplies that I do have, which has been very helpful so far!

I now present to you, my classroom Christmas wish list! If you have any of these things laying around in your house or office and they aren’t being put to use, my classroom would love to have them!

-          Paperback copies of the book, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

o   I have decided to read this book with my proficient classes and I am really excited about it! It is an excellent book and perfect for their reading levels. Reading a book from photo copies is boring, so I would love to have a class set (around 25 copies). The movie for the book comes out near the end of March and if it comes here (please, please, please!), I would like to take my classes to see it…they can then write both a book review and a movie review!

-          Office supplies that are just sort of hanging around in your junk drawers. Have some extra white out, scissors, note cards, pencils, post-it’s, pens, highlighters, or anything else you can find? Send them my way!

-          Markers and colored pencils

-          Hand Sanitizer (unfortunately the bathrooms at school don’t have toilet paper or soap…this means that my classroom is a little germier than I would like.)

-          Stickers

-          Scratch paper, construction paper, greeting cards you aren’t using

-          Magazines (for my students to read and to cut up for projects), junior high/high school level books and novels

-          Basically anything you think would be useful in a high school classroom!

If you are able to send something, I can’t thank you enough. I will be so appreciative of whatever you can send, even if it’s a sheet of stickers! If you are unable to send something, that is completely fine! This is not a list of things I need, instead, it is a list of things I could use but can do without if I have too. Please do not feel forced to send anything and do not go out of your way and spend a lot of money on these objects. My classroom is open and accepting of used items (my students will never know the difference!).

If you do decide to send something, please send it in a flat rate box (available at the USPS). By sending it flat rate, I will get it faster, and the weight of the package doesn’t matter: whatever you can fit in the box will all send for the same price. Also, please remember to write AIRMAIL on the outside of the box (or else it might get sent on the boat and that could take a month or two…eep!)

My address is:

Quinn Bolander

c/o WorldTeach

P.O. Box 5411

Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799

Thank you for reading and keeping up with my blog. It is comforting and motivating to know that so many people care about my time here and your support is much appreciated. I am so lucky to be able to spend a year of my life in such a wonderful and beautiful place. If only I could fly all of you here to see what life in AmSam is really like.

Fa’afetai tele lava (Thank you very much)!