Teachers who apply for the Rochelle Lee Teacher Award receive a $500 book grant in two allotments, which allows the recipients to purchase the books of their choice for their classroom libraries. The essay-based application will enable teachers to reflect on themselves as readers, how they use books in their classrooms, and how they plan to incorporate the books into their classroom library.
One RLTA recipient, Theresa Quitshaw, a special education teacher from McAuliffe (2025 cohort) said “The new books from this award, will allow me to purchase more high interest books that are at my students’ reading level. As a special education teacher working with students who have a wide range of reading abilities and levels, it can often be difficult to find books that are appropriate for their ability and age level. Our school does not have a library, so our classroom library must contain enough books to keep the students interested and have enough for our large classes. This award will also allow me to put new books into the two classrooms and grade levels that I work with. I know that this will benefit all the students in the class that I work with, not just the students who received special education services.”
The award is open to pre-k through 8th-grade teachers at any Chicago Public School or recognized charter. The application is not restricted to language arts or reading teachers. In the belief that all teachers are teachers of reading, any eligible teacher may apply and share why they want to receive the award. All subjects require reading and writing. Andrew Johnson, an upper-grade math teacher at Brentano, expressed in his application, “Even though I am a math teacher, reading and writing were always my favorite classes in school. Both came naturally to me and were a way to get lost in someone else’s reality or create my own through writing. This is my first year at my current school after spending a decade teaching on the West side of Chicago, so I am in the process of learning and creating new curriculum, making new relationships with students and staff, and looking for opportunities to grow my practice. One such growth area is planning for cross-curricular instruction within a math setting and incorporating more opportunities for reading and writing in a math setting. As a math teacher I’ve never had a classroom library, and this year I set a goal for myself to create one.”
Recipients select their own books to best suit their students’ needs. For teachers who are interested in adding more diverse titles to their libraries, a list of books that Booksource carries is provided to the teachers as a guide. Awardees are not limited to the books that are provided on the list.
Once teachers receive the award, they have access to additional benefits. One is a Lending Library. When teachers want to use specific books for small groups or book clubs, buying more books can be costly or difficult to access if other teachers in your school want to use the same books at the same time. However, Rochelle Lee Teacher Award recipients have access to books that they may borrow to use in their classroom for a few weeks without having to buy them. Most of the books that teachers purchase from their grants are generally single copies of books for their classroom libraries. Teachers may choose to select multiple copies of books that they can use for lessons. However, for a book that is only used once a year for a few weeks, RLTA recipients and alumni may borrow books from the Rochelle Lee Lending Library.
More than 300 titles are available for teachers to borrow for a three-week loan period. Teachers may renew books unless another teacher requests the title. Titles such as Port Chicago 50, Elsewhere, Because of Mr. Terrupt, and classics such as Tuck Everlasting and To Kill a Mockingbird are available. The quantities available range from 4 for a small group to more than 25, enough for an entire class. Awardees and alumni who are interested in borrowing books from the Lending Library may browse the collection on Library Thing. The catalog on Library Thing gives information about the quantities in the collection as well as the number currently available to borrow. Awardees and alumni interested in borrowing books from the Lending Library should email Daphne Robinson with their request and make arrangements to get the books.
Books are an important part of the classroom and for WITS. Teachers don’t always have enough time to read and discuss books. Rochelle Lee, the Chicago Public School librarian who the award was named after was passionate about teachers being readers as well. Teachers who receive the award also have the opportunity to enrich their reading lives.
Each year, the TACAR group selection is provided for the group. When there are multiple groups, all the groups read and discuss the same selection, and members decide as a group what they want to read and discuss for future sessions. This year, there is one Teachers and Children as Readers group. The first book for 2024-25 is The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka. Participants obtain their own books for the discussions. As a bonus, members who attend and actively take part in seven of the 8 book discussions will be eligible to receive cpdus. TACAR meets on Zoom from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the Second Tuesday of each month from October to May. Current awardees and alumni are welcome to join. Contact Daphne Robinson for more information or to register.
“TACAR has been such an important part of my life for over a decade. I have read such a rich variety of books, many of which I might not have picked up on my own. Discussing texts with a diverse group has made me a better reader and teacher. I look forward to every month!”
– Bart Goldberg, Armstrong International Studies, 2nd and 3rd grades.
Kathryn Swanson, a program alumna and TACAR member said, “I joined what was Boundless Readers and TACAR when I became a Rochelle Lee Awardee in 2011 while teaching 3rd grade at CICS-Irving Park. When I joined my first TACAR group led by Bob and Judy, I fell in love with the community and have remained a part of it ever since. TACAR is so special to me, I love how it brings together a diverse group of people, to read and discuss diverse books. Reading, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful tools a teacher can have in their arsenal. By reading diverse books and discussing them, we learn so much about the world, others, and ourselves. By discussing them with other people, we are forced to confront our own biases, to see the world through others’ eyes, and to think critically about what we are ingesting. I think it is important as teachers that we also model for our students the great joy that can be found in a book. When I taught 3rd and 4th grade, sometimes during their DEAR time, I would bring a book as well and read with them. Now, with the number of books being banned across the country and students’ freedom to read in jeopardy, I think this program is more important than ever. We need all children to have access to books and safe places to read and discuss what they find there. I am so grateful that WITS has continued this program over the years.”
Teachers who receive the Rochelle Lee Teacher Award are not solely increasing the titles that they have in their classroom libraries, they can increase the number of books that their students are exposed to and have an opportunity to enrich their own reading lives at the same time. The application window for the Rochelle Lee Teacher Award opens in December and runs through February.
For more information about the award, visit https://witschicago.org/teachers. Current awardees and alumni who are interested in borrowing books from the Lending Library or joining TACAR, email Daphne at DaphneR@witschicago.org.
