You hear it all the time. Teachers spend so much of their own money on extra supplies for their classroom. It’s definitely a topic for another time and unfortunately it probably won’t get better any time soon. However, there are ways to reduce the amount teachers spend. I found that asking parents to donate supplies really made it easier on the pocketbook!
Get Those Supplies Donated!
Most schools hold a Meet the Teacher night. This is a special night in that students get to meet their teacher for the first time, see their classroom, and most importantly, find out all the friends that are in their class! As a teacher, prepping for this night was definitely not easy. My OCD kicked into high gear for this night and everything had to be perfect. Of course, I wanted to make the best first impression possible.
There are always supplies that run out before mid-year. I found that asking parents to donate those highly used supplies really helped me. This way I didn’t have to worry about running out and scattering to go buy new supplies. And again, it helps with the pocketbook. Teacher’s salary doesn’t grow on trees!
There is not wrong way to use these. Just edit the pencils to the supplies you need the most. Most teachers display them at Meet the Teacher and again on the first day of school. I liked to tape them on my whiteboard next to important handouts. This way no one misses my Pencil Pals. I ask that the student bring the pencil pal back with their donation. Doing this gives me an opportunity to write a handwritten note to the parents for their donation.
To grab my FREE copy of Pencil Pals, click on the download button below!
