The following blog was written by two sophomores, Kevin and Jazlyn, at a high school in Florida for a school assignment. The students told AdoptAClassroom.org that they were interested in “the cause of helping people” and decided to write about teacher spending for AdoptAClassroom.org. We’re grateful for the students’ interest and are honored to publish their work.
Teacher Spending During a Pandemic
As each school year begins teachers prepare their classrooms to welcome their students. This process includes obtaining the extra materials students often see around the classroom such as erasers, dry erase markers, paper, and more. However, how many people have stopped to wonder who buys these extra materials?
Teachers themselves have to spend their own money in order to purchase these items students see in the classroom. These materials can be rather expensive, so how much do teachers spend? Additionally, how has this been affected by the ongoing pandemic? In order to further analyze this spending we interviewed Denise, a second grade teacher at Vierra Elementary School in Melbourne, Florida.
To put into perspective the prices of classroom materials like dry erase markers, clear sheet protectors and other items can sometimes be as cheap as $5 or as expensive as $20, depending on the amount purchased.
“My yearly spending averaged about $500 for extra materials,” said Denise. She later went on to state some of the items she purchased for her own classroom, “A lot of the money I spent was for plastic page protectors, dry erase markers, card stock, and laminating.”
However, the pandemic has affected teacher spending.
“My spending has doubled! Students cannot share anything… you have to buy individual sets of everything. You need to spend a lot of money on cleaning supplies, etc,” Denise said.
While spending might look different for teachers still teaching from home during the pandemic because their schools are closed, they still need extra materials. Teachers now might need to purchase an extra microphone if their current ones are not efficient enough to teach. They also might purchase extra materials that the school does not provide in order to best help their students succeed.
The extra amount of money and effort teachers put in to help their students often go unnoticed, not only by students but sometimes parents as well.
We asked Denise what it means to her and other teachers when students show them appreciation.
“It means a lot! The parents do seem to be more appreciative and are willing to help. The kids, especially at the elementary level, really do not have a grasp on what the teacher is experiencing. They are too young to understand.”
During tough moments like the one we are all living through it is important to stop and say thank you to your teachers who are always putting forth their maximum effort no matter the circumstances. When Teacher Appreciation Week comes around again make sure to take advantage of the opportunity to say, “Thank you for everything you do for us.”
AdoptAClassroom.org strives in helping provide teachers with classroom materials to help make classrooms the best possible environment for them and the students as well. At this moment AdoptAClassroom.org has adopted over 225,000 classrooms, supported 5.5 million students and raised $50 million dollars. Organizations like this are important for all teachers and students; even one small donation can make a huge difference.
Are you ready to say thank you to a teacher who has gone above and beyond to keep students safe and engaged this school year? You don’t have to wait for Teacher Appreciation week – donate to your favorite teacher by finding and donating to a teacher fundraising on AdoptAClassroom.org. Support a teacher asking for help providing their students with school supplies here.