Nowhere among those memories is any recollection of a teacher needing supplies in the classroom. The schools, maybe with help from the parent-teacher association, made sure teachers and students had what they needed.
Classrooms Lack Resources
A National Center for Education Statistics survey revealed that nearly 95 percent of teachers dip into their own pockets to buy supplies their students need to succeed. According to the pre-pandemic numbers:
- The average public school teacher spent $478 of their hard-earned pay on supplies.
- The average was higher – $529 – for teachers at city schools.
- Elementary school educators spent an average of $525.
The correlation to schools serving lower-income kids is shocking. In schools where at least 75 percent of K-12 students received free or reduced-price lunches, their teachers spent an average of $550 on school supplies, pulling from salaries I suspect are less than high-paid colleagues in better-funded districts.
Helping Teachers Teach
Rain’s Sabrina Dias is a former kindergarten teacher, and the stories she shares about school supplies, families in need, and spending her own money to equip her classroom and ensure kids had enough to eat are heartbreaking.
In honor and support of selfless, caring teachers like Sabrina, we are proud to go back to school this month and “show cause” for AdoptAClassroom. Using a unique matching system, K-12 teachers or schools in the U.S. use the platform to describe their supply needs, and donors can give to a specific teacher or school. Alternatively, donors can contribute to a Spotlight Fund focused on areas or initiatives such as fine and performing arts, inclusive classrooms, indigenous languages, social-emotional wellness, natural disaster relief, racial equity, and STEM education.
The American philosopher Robert Maynard Hutchins declared, “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.” Indian philanthropist Nita Ambani stated, “Education is all about igniting young minds and enabling them to attain their fullest potential.”
But perhaps the unknown bumper sticker designer said it best: “If you can read this, thank a teacher.”
