So let's talk about that Target teacher discount.
This week, Target offered a teacher discount of 15% on classroom supplies-- notebooks, writing utensils, cleaning supplies, and so forth (but not books-- a post for another time). Predictably, there was much rejoicing among the teachers in my PLN, but there was also a not-insignificant amount of pushback. Many teachers in different social media groups advocated a spending freeze; teachers should not spend their own money on classroom supplies. Only by refusing to spend our own money to fund our classrooms, they insisted, could we ever expect to force the state's hand. Others went so far as to imply that it was insulting that Target would even offer the discount, that it was a dismal picture of what the expectations are for educators.
I have always been willing to spend my own money to make my classroom what I want it to be. I know that even if some miracle occurred, and funding levels were suddenly restored to pre-Recession levels, it would still not be enough to fund my classroom vision. Last year, I worked all summer, asking for donations from area companies, scouring yardsales, and refinishing furniture, to provide my students with a comfy, coffeehouse style learning environment. I am not sad that I spent the money to do that.
My classroom library is comprised of about 700 titles, mostly purchased with my own money. I hunt for books in discount stores, thrift stores, used bookstores, dollar book sales, and yard sales. I enjoy the challenge. I also spend inordinate amounts of money ordering from Amazon. I am not sorry. My students read books joyfully and independently, and many of them credit the classroom library for their reading. I take pride in making sure that my library is current, relevant, and full of books that kids want to read. It also gives me great joy that no one bought those books for me. If I leave my school, my library goes with me. It will never be relegated to boxes in the back of someone else's classroom, and when I eventually retire, I will get to choose where those books go.
I will never refuse to spend the money to go over and above for my students. I don't ever want to offer them the bare minimum of an educational experience. I expect greatness from them, so I expect greatness from myself, and I don't begrudge spending extra money and extra time to make their experience in my classroom great.
But I need a damn pencil sharpener. And bookshelves on which to put my classroom library. I need a whiteboard that I can actually write on; one that comes clean when I wipe it off. I need tile floors, or at least carpet that is not from 1984 (when my school was built). I need pens for my students to write with, and notebooks to hand out for kids who don't have one. I need Clorox wipes, and paper towels, and Kleenex. Bandaids for kids who cut their fingers. Rulers for when they need to draw a straight line. Chart paper to create anchor charts.
I need the bare minimum. I don't think it is fair to ask teachers to fund this. Nor do I think we should have to rely on parents to buy cleaning supplies, candy, notebooks, and Kleenex. I'm willing to go above and beyond to give my students more, not to give them the bare minimum. The state should do that. And then if Target wants to give me a discount on books for my classroom library, I'll spend a load of money buying books! Give me 15% off furniture! Give me a discount on rugs or soft lighting!
But here we are. Education funding forces me to choose. Will I spend my money on great books for my kids, or will I buy them Kleenex? What's more important: a new table for them to learn at, or a pencil sharpener that works? Can I afford to replace the chairs that got broken, or should I save up to buy a new bookcase? For every bare minimum piece that the state refuses to fund, I have to cut down on the "over and above." For every pencil sharpener the state refuses to purchase, three books sit on a shelf, unpurchased and unavailable to students, because their teachers had to make a choice.
Schools must have the bare minimum in order for teachers to go over and above. We have to achieve "functional" before we can achieve "excellent." So please, this November, do your research and vote for candidates who want to restore per-pupil spending. This isn't about my salary. This is about spending money to make sure kids have what they need to get an education. This is about the damn pencil sharpener.
I have always been willing to spend my own money to make my classroom what I want it to be. I know that even if some miracle occurred, and funding levels were suddenly restored to pre-Recession levels, it would still not be enough to fund my classroom vision. Last year, I worked all summer, asking for donations from area companies, scouring yardsales, and refinishing furniture, to provide my students with a comfy, coffeehouse style learning environment. I am not sad that I spent the money to do that.
My classroom library is comprised of about 700 titles, mostly purchased with my own money. I hunt for books in discount stores, thrift stores, used bookstores, dollar book sales, and yard sales. I enjoy the challenge. I also spend inordinate amounts of money ordering from Amazon. I am not sorry. My students read books joyfully and independently, and many of them credit the classroom library for their reading. I take pride in making sure that my library is current, relevant, and full of books that kids want to read. It also gives me great joy that no one bought those books for me. If I leave my school, my library goes with me. It will never be relegated to boxes in the back of someone else's classroom, and when I eventually retire, I will get to choose where those books go.
I will never refuse to spend the money to go over and above for my students. I don't ever want to offer them the bare minimum of an educational experience. I expect greatness from them, so I expect greatness from myself, and I don't begrudge spending extra money and extra time to make their experience in my classroom great.But I need a damn pencil sharpener. And bookshelves on which to put my classroom library. I need a whiteboard that I can actually write on; one that comes clean when I wipe it off. I need tile floors, or at least carpet that is not from 1984 (when my school was built). I need pens for my students to write with, and notebooks to hand out for kids who don't have one. I need Clorox wipes, and paper towels, and Kleenex. Bandaids for kids who cut their fingers. Rulers for when they need to draw a straight line. Chart paper to create anchor charts.
I need the bare minimum. I don't think it is fair to ask teachers to fund this. Nor do I think we should have to rely on parents to buy cleaning supplies, candy, notebooks, and Kleenex. I'm willing to go above and beyond to give my students more, not to give them the bare minimum. The state should do that. And then if Target wants to give me a discount on books for my classroom library, I'll spend a load of money buying books! Give me 15% off furniture! Give me a discount on rugs or soft lighting!
But here we are. Education funding forces me to choose. Will I spend my money on great books for my kids, or will I buy them Kleenex? What's more important: a new table for them to learn at, or a pencil sharpener that works? Can I afford to replace the chairs that got broken, or should I save up to buy a new bookcase? For every bare minimum piece that the state refuses to fund, I have to cut down on the "over and above." For every pencil sharpener the state refuses to purchase, three books sit on a shelf, unpurchased and unavailable to students, because their teachers had to make a choice.
Schools must have the bare minimum in order for teachers to go over and above. We have to achieve "functional" before we can achieve "excellent." So please, this November, do your research and vote for candidates who want to restore per-pupil spending. This isn't about my salary. This is about spending money to make sure kids have what they need to get an education. This is about the damn pencil sharpener.
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