It is time to get everyone ready for school. Many parents wait until the last week and make one big shopping run with all the kids. I, on the other hand, will spend the next several weeks going from store to store shopping for the best deals. Every year, as I go from shop to shop, I hear parents complaining about buying school supplies. It is difficult to keep myself from interrupting their complaints with a simple question, “Do you want your child to have a below average, average, or above average teacher?”
You see, according to the IRS, an average teacher spends $500 a year on school supplies (and those are just the receipts that were claimed). If you expect your child to have a teacher that is above average, or if your hope is that this will be a fantastic year for your child, then it is fair to say you expect the teacher spend over $500 out of their own pocket to make that happen.
Most people are surprised to learn how much money teachers spend on their classes. They assume that the school provides the materials that the teacher needs. Most schools do give teachers / departments an allowance for class supplies. In my experience, this money is used for large purchases such as microscopes, book sets, or other subject specific materials. It is the teachers’ responsibility to provide for the students who cannot afford to buy the required supplies or materials not used enough that everyone needs to bring them, such as food coloring, or paint. Teachers also must supply the posters for each unit, stickers, awards, pocket charts, dry erase markers, chalk, and materials to decorate the room.
As you shop for your kids, consider picking up a few extras for the teacher. Office Max has Crayola Crayons on sale for 20¢, with a limit of 3 this week. If your child only needs one pack then go ahead and pick up the other 2 and donate them to the class. Little things like this are a great way to encourage the person who has dedicated themselves to help your child be a success.
This is a guest post by Christi Watson. Christi has taught science to students on every grade level from kindergarten through eighth grade. This is her ninth year as a science teacher, her second year teaching eighth grade. She spends a large portion of her summers writing science curriculum for CFB ISD. She holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Texas, Dallas.
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Christie,
Thanks for the post. It will help the uninformed realize what teachers do. For each of the last four years our church has provided 100 backpacks with supplies to our neighborhood school to assist students (and thus teachers). We had learned that teachers were providing for these students and we realized we could help. These are the kinds of needs that people of faith ought to meet.