Walk into any elementary school classroom and there will no doubt be colourful borders on bulletin boards, alphabets tacked to the walls, crafts in the corners and science experiments in progress.
What might not be readily apparent is that the majority of those colourful and engaging learning tools were likely purchased with the teacherB次元官网网址檚 own money.
In this weekB次元官网网址檚 instalment of the Black Press/Staples Great Teachers feature series, we speak on that subject with four educators from Sidney elementary.
B次元官网网址淚f a school suddenly went from having 12 divisions one year to having 13 divisions the next year, that teacher would walk into a bare classroom,B次元官网网址� says Grade 4/5 teacher Jennifer Alberring.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檇 have the furniture, and whatever you could scrounge from everyone else,B次元官网网址� adds Grade 2/3 teacher Lisa Kjernisted.
Her classroom is full of cool stuff: buckets of paintbrushes, positivity posters, and a whimsical, oversized leaf at a cozy reading station. ItB次元官网网址檚 the kind of classroom any kid would love to hang out in, and itB次元官网网址檚 where Kjernisted, Alberring and fellow Grade 2/3 teachers Lori Richards and Nancy Fredeen have gathered to talk about how much they actually spend on classroom supplies every year.
The four have more than 80 years combined teaching experience, and theyB次元官网网址檙e pretty much in agreement on the minimum amount of personal money they spend each year.
B次元官网网址淎t least $200 to $300 over what (the parent advisory council) gives us, easy,B次元官网网址� Fredeen says. And thatB次元官网网址檚 for a teacher whoB次元官网网址檚 settled in one school, teaching a regular grade. Having taught as an on-call teacher for a number of years, she says expenditures can skyrocket for substitutes, up to and often over $1,000 each year.
B次元官网网址淚 bought a lot as a substitute teacher, and a lot of books. I had a kindergarten box and I had a Grade 5 box,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淪ome schools have a lot, some schools donB次元官网网址檛 have very much at all.B次元官网网址�
Add in crafts for MotherB次元官网网址檚 Day and FatherB次元官网网址檚 Day, Christmas projects, small birthday tokens for their students, art supplies, and it all adds up. B次元官网网址淵ou have to get really creative,B次元官网网址� says Richards. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 easy to spend $100 a month.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 constantly thinking, how can I make this cheaper, but still nice so the kids can be proud of it,B次元官网网址� says Kjernisted.
She and the others are quick to stress how hard their PAC works to raise money for supplies.
In addition to raising money for field trips and school programs, the PAC provides teachers with $200 to $300 each year from fundraising efforts like bake sales, craft fairs, silent auctions and the like, but itB次元官网网址檚 rarely enough.
B次元官网网址淧eople say jokingly in October, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檝e already spent my budget for the year,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Alberring says.
Even something as simple as a basic science experiment: mixing flour and water to create a non-Newtonian liquid, can be an issue. The teacher needs to find flour and sometimes itB次元官网网址檚 easier to pick it up with the family groceries, says Alberring.
Her class bookshelf is full of adventure novels, science books and everything in between B次元官网网址� mostly bought with her own money. B次元官网网址淲e value education, which is why weB次元官网网址檙e putting our money into it, she says. B次元官网网址淎nd the parents value it, which is why they work so hard fundraising.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 begrudge it. We want to be in a classroom environment thatB次元官网网址檚 beautiful and that the kids get value out of. We always have and we always will.B次元官网网址�
Nominate your Great Teachers
You can nominate the awesome educators in your life by clicking on this link: and following the directions to register, then fill in your nomination form. The deadline is May 31.
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