Teacher's FB post garners new books - for the entire class

It started off as an idea new District 95 teacher Brooke Crombar saw on Facebook: a teacher asking her Facebook friends to donate enough money so all of that teacher's students, especially those unable to afford to so do, could choose and order their own personal books.

Crombar shared a similar post, and shortly afterward, she not only got commitments from friends, but enough in donations and commitments that each child in her class could order at least one book from Scholastic each month for the rest of the new school year.

"This idea was not my own," Crombar said. "I copied and pasted it from another teacher friend and reposted. More teachers here at Thomas and in other districts did the same after seeing mine and others like it. So many children are benefiting from this idea. What a wonderful way to put books in the hands of our kids!

"While teachers believe that every child should have books, for some students, books are a luxury. The students get excited about the Scholastic book orders. They're colorful and appealing. Many students know they won't be able to order books, so the book order can be disappointing when they receive it. This was a fast and easy way to make sure that all students get a monthly book. I have students who ask to borrow classroom books daily since they do not have books at home."