While this is definitely a sports-driven community (think Friday Night Lights in rural Virginia), there's a huge community spirit that gathers around the high school at every opportunity. Go Blue!

My students come from a small town of about 6,000 people. We're surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains and the Maury River. Most of my students love to hunt, fish, and camp. Some live in poverty and have not traveled out of the state before.

I take pride in my classroom library and I want to keep it up-to-date and give my students access to as many books as possible. It's been proven that access to books is one of the best ways to ensure a love of reading.

The love of reading comes from choice and I want my students to have the best choices they can.

That means keeping my classroom library up-to-date with as many books as I can. Some of my students don't have a library card, or a way to get to the library. What's better than having the books where they are?

Unfortunately, a classroom library costs quite a bit, especially with hardback copies. My students will be able to check these books out, read for book reports and book talks, and will use their favorite books as a gateway to authors as we research and write to them throughout the year.

I will read right along with them and recommend books and cheer them on all year as they tackle books--some for the first time!