I just saw a kindergarten mom in tears on TikTok because her child’s classroom wasn’t filled with rugs and lamps and bins full of fun things... It’s important to understand what a state-funded classroom looks like versus a teacher-funded classroom. Your beef is with the state, not the teacher.
And there is nothing worse than what Pinterest has done to teacher morale. The peer pressure and the parent pressure to furnish a space is unrealistic and expensive. Especially when teachers are making less than $40,000 a year. You’re asking them to use their money to fund your classroom.
especially to furnish a space at the rate 40 kids go through it
Perhaps the parents of the students could offer the teachers some comfort and ‘fun’ things for the classroom.
Maybe someday we'll reform public education and eliminate peer pressure & parent pressure -- giving TOP priority to education. Give one a place to sit, a teacher with a blackboard and ANYTHING can be taught effectively enough. The magic key? Students who want to learn. But most parents kill that.
well-meaning parents pushing things on teachers that they don't want or need in their classrooms is a close second
My cousin (in WVa) even bought shoes for students sometimes. Taught kindergarten for 30 years in a coal mining community. She’s my hero. That complainer could donate some supplies.
That is absolutely what I was thinking!
Teachers are expected to take a bullet for your child. Help them out by buying a rug
One reason I won’t substitute teach, after retiring.
Actually insist the government funds the rugs (if they are necessary) for everyone N.B. You might also want to get them to put in some gun control like normal countries
Well said.
Abbott Elementary has taught me so much about US schools and it is a comedy My mother was a teacher in Canada for 30 years so I am always on the teachers side when it comes to funding and wages 🖍️
Our daughter is a first year teacher this year. Her classroom was empty. Not a book, pencil sharpener, poster, or crayon. We definitely did our best to make sure those kids had a warm and welcoming room for their first day.
Thank you for doing that!
It takes a village!
I need my KGer to learn. If teacher say a chair helps, I’ll do it. I need that education for them & will work hard to make sure that happens. I broke down & bought Amazon list stuff this week despite boycotting Amazon just for our teachers. They need help & we desperately need them. No brainer.
Would love any support. 💙 🫶🏻Ms.Schneider- Elementary School Counselor 💝 Upstate NY 🌟 Title 1 school 4️⃣ years as a counselor 🗞️ Newspaper Club editor 🍎 K-5th Grade 🌟 Safe space builder for ALL! 🩵🖤 Any help is so appreciated! www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...
Said something similiar!
I am one of those teachers who would take a bullet for any one of my students! They are my world and they deserve the world. I do what I can to make my room as inviting and welcoming as possible every year. I do spend a lot of my own money but have also been blessed with donors😍
Imagine if the classrooms looked like that from being fully funded. No lists for parents & no teacher wish lists.
It would truly be a miracle!
Yet people are complaining because they have to purchase an extra box of pencils for the class. 😡
I was frustrated by having to *label* huge numbers of school supplies with my kid's name including individual pencils! Also neither parents nor teacher should be having to buy hand soap, disinfecting wipes, tissues or zip lock bags for classrooms! School should buy bulk!
When I was a kid, teachers got paid terribly but at least the school paid for cleaning supplies and shared art supplies!
🎯
And some people gripe about teacher’s salaries. FFS, most have advanced degrees!
I am so happy that here in Germany the school takes care of that. But not overboard, just material where we have to pay small amount of and a nice classroom.
How did we get so disconnected from reality?
𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 kenny_financce 𝒐𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎, 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔.
I call Pinterest type things porn. House porn, boyfriend porn, vacation porn. Your experience is fine, then you see someone else’s porn and suddenly you’re disenchanted.
And right now, on Sunday, teachers are spending their weekend texting and driving all over neighborhoods, some with their kids in tow, to visit FB marketplace sellars for affordable classroom supplies and furnishings, and even bargaining from there.
As a retired teacher, after 40 years of service, education is a political ballgame not an investment in people and the future of our country. I spent over $800 annually in supplies.
Same for health stuff.
Teachers pay hundred of thousands of $ out of pockets annually. Call the Secretary of Education! (talk to her like a 2nd grader, it’s all she will understand) This administration doesn’t see a need for a department of education. ‘Fat, dumb and stupid’-the way MAGA wants you to go through life!
If you think they don't fully understand what they're doing, than you are the fool. Everything that is happening is deliberate and on purpose.
No fool here Hugh, but thanks so much for your rude and incredibly disrespectful comment. I’m well aware of their cruelty and ‘purpose!’ Next time, let me suggest a less offensive comment next -especially with people who share your same sentiment. Not all of us are fools-
I was offering a caution and no offence was intended.
I understood Hugh 😊🌷
If no offense was intended, then no need for offensive language.
What did I say that was offensive?
The pay is insulting. Of course many public institutions are being insulted nowadays.
Which is why we can’t get enough people to do it.
And studies have shown that over decorated Pinterest classrooms don't foster learning.
𝓜𝓪𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓫𝓮 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓼𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓸𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮. 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓘 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓶𝓮𝓽 kenny_financce 𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓶, 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓶.
My sister posted that she was making play dough at 6am this morning on day 2 of school. Kindergarten teachers are doing a LOT for their students.
And that parent should be telling the Republicans they voted into office to fund public education.
🎯
Taxation is worth looking at. My pickup truck costs more in taxes per year than one square mile of farm ground. 640 acres worth $3-5mil generates the same property tax as my ford Lightning pickup truck.
Don't say that in Ohio. Please. Farms and many businesses are taxed at lower property rates to help farmers and businesses make a profit (which is not needed in agribusiness nor many businesses.) People in suburbs, cities and non-farmland urban areas pick up the slack.
Taxation on farmland should be every bit as much as for my truck and equipment on a value basis. If farmers can’t pay taxes, while overwhelmingly relying on handouts, they need to go get real jobs.
Jess, how do we get more people to see this congressman’s plan?! youtu.be/EoJ_5H7R-3k?...
Did she donate anything to help decorate the classroom?
It's not about that, many if not most cannot do that, and it's on the state for not giving them a budget to personalize the classroom a little bit. There should be a big rug for group reading for young grades and appealing instructional bulletin boards funded by a state materials budget.
I remember in Kindergarten we had crayons, construction paper, and a cookie tin filled with sticks of clay. And somehow that managed to keep us fully engaged between reading circle and nap time :)
😡😡😡
Yep, the classroom doesn't need to be an indoor playground and should not. Children want to engage and learn.
That sounds awful! As if teachers aren’t stressed enough? I’m sorry. 😢
Peer pressure among teachers isn't new. I've worked with teachers who have a room and a half of crap crammed into 1 classroom. My minimalist view was looked down on by many (except kids, 1 kid went so far as to come in my room on the 1st day and mumble "Thank fuck, Ms E's room gives me a headache")
But wait.. isn't #Pinterest supposed to be the 'all good here" place on the internet? Who else will make sure that our lives are full of their glittered unicorn giftshop feed? You really do need that vintage reproduction mid-century telephone table; you just don't know it yet.
Exactly Jess
There have been property tax increases in my area for the local schools and people are pissed, saying administrators and teachers are making too much, the new schools are too fancy, and districts need to learn to live within their means. Bless the teachers this year. I'm sure parents will be rude.
I have one day to move all my stuff that is currently in my dining room and stuffed all over my house into a new classroom and make it reasonable for kids to arrive. I don’t expect that they’ll get “cute”. I’m going for functional.
Town
My kids high school had a wonderful teacher that took it upon herself to have supplies for teens in need in her classroom. Hygiene essentials, easy to make food for vulnerable kids that had it rough at home. I always tried to help keep her shelves stocked. Our teachers are saints!
👆👆👆👆 and your teachers in red states are all that standing between you and the next Hitler youth at this point- treat them like gold -you’re public librarians too
The you are you’re- that’s 100% auto correct -
Im waiting for Trump to be dragged out for the public to show him how much he is loved 🤭
It's not just a state problem; it's a national disgrace. Our public education system is based on a lottery where the education you get is determined by the ZIP code where you are born. Babies don't get to choose where they are born! Every child in this country deserves the same quality education.
I wouldn’t even want to take a guess as to how much I spent during my teaching career.
Same
Same, retired now and don’t even want to guess at my TPT spending. Or all the DVDs. Or the posters and games and decorations and buzzers and Jolly Ranchers and special markers and books and joining online field trips and escape rooms. Oh well I really loved having nice things for my class.
I did too. I don’t regret it, but it always made me angry when I’d hear people make comments about summers off.
Oh yeah they sure do love to make those dumb comments and then look all proud.
your beef is with republicans who underfund public education so their filthy rich donors can buy mire private jets and yachts.
And, not nearly every teacher has the means by which to self-fund elaborate classroom decorations. I think what’s more important and really sets the tone for the class is a teacher who instills a culture of respect, discipline, transparency (age appropriate), trust, and inclusion in their classroom.
Then maybe they should fight harder for public education and the teachers
Donorschoose.org
If parents want those things donate it!
That so called mom may have voted for trump thanks to her its gonna get worse
She should feel free to donate them or organize a fundraiser
At least the teachers can claim the cost of their private jets on their tax returns.
I long for the day when billionaires are only allowed one $250 deduction per year.
Don’t need that crap and parents are stupid
My son is teaching 7th grade math this year, a change from social studies year one and reading writing last year. He’s happy to be teaching and happy he can pivot to other subjects but the supplies don’t transition well. We have a large family to help him out otherwise his classroom would suffer.
My niece and her best friends are all elementary school teachers. They fund all the decisions, including rugs, books and toys out of their own pockets and those of their family who lean in to help. It’s ridiculous
Republican lawmakers do not value public schools and their students. Their only concern is for their funders who send their own children to private schools.
Parents of our St Louis teachers had to provide class room supplies. We also would provide snacks for kids coming from impoverished South St Louis neighborhoods
We're Russia 2.0 now. Americstan.
Suck it up, Mommy .Vote for scum and expect things to be good.Be glad trump isn't trying to screw the kid,yet.
it's amazing how much hate republicans have for their own children and would ensure they suffer instead of creating good environments for them
They send their kids to private school or now, Take waivers from public school and send them to charter schools.
Their kids go to private/church schools, they don't care.
yep that is true lol
Yes it is.
Also, less is more lady. Overly visual stimulation classrooms are not good for learning.
My daughter, a principal now, who was a teacher first, always asked me and my ex wife to always purchase items for her classroom. It’s a serious problem given we take care of billionaires more than educating our children. Excessive wealth is ruining our cntry and screwing our kids’ future!!
Exactly 😉.
I’m a 25 year veteran teacher and union rep and it drives me crazy how much teachers fund public education out of their own paycheques, how many other professions sink hundreds or thousands of their own money just to be able to properly do their jobs? Also hate when administrators call it a vocation
Did she talk to the teacher, maybe try to find out if there was anything she could do to help her?
My mother is a teacher & this year they banned Amazon wishlists for the classroom because it makes things “unfair” for other teachers. Not that many of the parents in their small town would even help anyways, but still.
Ughh breeders are so entitled. I want my taxes to go to fixing crumbling roads and bridges, not building blocks for your brats. If you want your kids classroom to have all those things, buy em your damn self.
But apparently the greatest nation on earth .. pmsl
One of the most depressing things to see this time of year is thousands of teachers posting Amazon wish lists filled with essential items for classrooms.
I hear there are districts that don't allow teachers to post wishlists publicly. So I guess it's either buy it yourself or don't buy it at all.
Or parents all pitch in before and at parents teacher times!
You pay your taxes (which go to funding public schools), and then when the school year starts, you see the teachers responsible for teaching your children begging for necessary classroom supplies. I've never understood why dems aren't hammering this point home.
Public schools yes but we have always had to pay for our children's school supplies until middle school. It costs more and more to run public schools. Ask them.
Because the Dems with megaphones send their kids to private schools, too.
If they can afford it
Exactly: most of our parents are doing all that they can to keep their families going, use the local backpack drives and summer lunch sites, and they can’t afford to pay for our classroom supplies
One of my current student’s mom was in my class 21 years ago, which makes her 19/20 when the child was born. She has 2 degrees and a good job now, but was she supposed to buy a rug for the class at 24? Instead, she raised a resilient, kind child and is a community advocate. I’m so fine with that
Thank the lord for Donors Choose for big stuff, if you're allowed to use it.
My district does not permit it and we don’t get funds for our classroom. Our department gets money but it is basically eaten up by tissues and post its.
Did they state why it’s not allowed?
As someone who worked administration-adjacent, our district didn’t like that it made them look bad that the schools in poorer neighborhoods needed so much more. If a school doesn’t have a PTA/PTO, everything is paid for by the staff, teachers or parents.
We’ve been told it’s because of red book.
Pretty much it makes them look bad. I used to post some in my name so they wouldn’t get in trouble.
I
This is so true. As a veteran teacher I have spent $$$$ on my classroom through my career.
That's a tough situation for everyone. It's too bad WithSherlock AI can't screen for the state's budget. It's a great reminder that the real problems are usually a little deeper than what's on the surface.
When I was in high school there was a labor issue with the teachers' union. All of the teachers took everything out of their rooms that they paid for. I helped my German teacher take down all of the cool posters and things she put up to cover the poop brown all. It made an impact on me.
100%
My 2nd had a brand new first yr teacher in K. She didn’t have all the “fun stuff” the other teachers who had been there for 20+ years had.The other rooms had fun rugs to sit on.I went to the teacher supply store and found one marked down and bought it for the classroom as a gift.Kids loved it
I EASILY spend $500 a month for SPED class "extras" (bean bags, games, posters, materials, toys etc) and the class would have nothing but Google Chrome books if I didn't buy stuff...
And btw, I removed tik Tok when it was first banned. I don't miss it. Very weird place
Jess, do parents not know their own schools?
Few of them ever show up in the classrooms. For any reason. Except to complain. Like one of my relatives. She was never happy.
We should have an 'adopt a teacher' each school year for these costs.
Or, hear me out, we could fund *all* the classrooms at once, every single year by taking just a few dollars from each person via a mechanism I'm calling, "taxes"
Well yeah, obviously. My response was to legislation currently.
Kids learn just fine without rugs and lamps and pretty matching things. If they have a teacher who cares about them and connects with them and teaches every day, that’s what it’s going to bring joy and education to the child’s life. It’s not the pink pony club.
I'm sure that the teacher would love a donated gift card to buy supplies for her child's schoolroom. I feel like crying when I see how hard my grandson's school has to work to stretch the budgets they have too. What is that womans voting record on school bonds in her district? We get what we fund.
What state?
You can’t teach stupid, Jess!
We got sent to first grade with a pencil box and an eraser. These people need to get a damn life.
I don’t envy young parents of today, when my crew was school aged the biggest competition was which of us moms were going to be room mom to help the teacher and plan school parties 🤣🤣
So ignorant, socially inept, and incredibly self-absorbed. Sigh!
This is a big part of why there's a teacher shortage... and why teachers have been leaving the profession in droves.
Emotional support & learning are the point
My daughter teaches 4th grade, spec ed, in an impoverished district. During the school year I pick up snacks, juice boxes, water and prizes for her prize box. All children in USA deserve a happy, welcoming, safe environment in which to learn.
My mom does the same for my classroom. 😍
Here's a shout out to all Mom's of teachers. We get it and know how hard you work.
Well said…
Yup.
I am a retired kindergarten teacher. I paid for everything in my classroom. I think I recall receiving $100 from the district. They decided that each teacher in our elementary school would receive a check for this generous amount. 🙄
Oh poor baby. My daughter teaches at an underserved school that could get iced. She doesn't even get paper towels or ant spray. Her kids families work 3 jobs and supplies can be thin. We all help out. Instead of crying for likes, she could start a fundraiser. Silent discos are fun and bring in $
Vouchers did this…
Why is someone expecting rugs and lamps in a classroom?
Funding education is essential for a successful future and benefits everyone. I get that people without kids don't want to pay taxes for other people's kids, but do they want educated Doctors and caregivers when they are older? This affects everyone. Educating kids benefits everyone.
Exactly. We help our teachers create Amazon wish lists for decorations and other needed materials. We post the QR code for it at meet the teacher night so families can assist with these things. Teachers pay for so much out of pocket, it’s wild.
Yep. When I taught, it was about 80% me and 20% the state.
Exactly!
It's ridiculous. I am retired 4 years. I finally decided I would not spend my money on other people's children when my children needed things. Nope.
One school I worked in forbade us from posting requests for classroom supplies. It would “make the county look bad” was what we were told.
I hate the expectation that teachers should make the space look cute bc of parents’ Pinterest fantasies. I remember having to buy pencils for kids as a SPED teacher. Some teachers sprung for rugs for their bare floors. It’s ridiculous out there
So, what is she contributing?
And until Dems are in charge of school funds-- The mom should be a Room-mother & reach out to the teacher & other parents to fund the kind of room the teacher dreams of. I gave my kids teachers $50-$100 20 yrs ago at the beginning of every year for that
God bless you!
It’s public school. There wouldn’t even be anything on the wall including possibly paint if the teacher hadn’t spent their personal time and money.
Jesus. The teacher pays for all that.
This is what happens when funding for education is cut and teachers aren't paid a decent wage.
Time to donate some shit to your schoolteacher, mom. Sadly, probably a republican. These entitled ladies, they just chap my hide.
Oh, we see the tears and the troubles, but maybe all critters here—big and small—should stick together! If the humans can fuss over classrooms, why can't we animals unite for our own cozy spaces? Independence sounds nice, like a warm den with plenty of snacks!
The IRS allows teachers to claim $250/yr of their own income toward classroom materials; which at an effective tax rate of 10% gives them a $25 tax break, which is so little. Please contribute a book or pillow or materials to your kids' classrooms.
Teacher's materials: It is $300 for 2024. The TCJA did away with a lot of w2 expense deductions, but not for military or teachers. www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc...
Did they start that again? They stopped it for awhile.
Is it about the teacher's materials? It is $300 for 2024. The TCJA did away with a lot of w2 expense deductions, but not for military or teachers. www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc...
Sorry, I cannot find the thread.
I mean instead of going on social media that parent could ask the teacher what she needs and mobilize other parents to get it for her (not that she should have to do this, but still)
Kids rip stuff off of the walls now (daily), and will destroy our classrooms. Once it’s done, it will eliminate your desire to decorate. A aside, when parents complain now, I just roll my eyes. I am done. It’s ridiculous, and I am usually decades older than they are.
Parents should supply rugs for their kids. They should also learn how much teachers get paid, & how much of their own time & money is spent putting together their lesson plans & decorating their classrooms to enhance the learning process! Reach out to the teachers and find out how to help them.
And fyi, I wasn’t a teacher, ever. I am a retired nurse.
Maybe that Mom could help supply some of those items herself.
What??? Rugs and lamps???? How did my 5 kids survive their basic (regular) classrooms. I think expecting all that is a bit over the top. Kids don't need all that to learn. I personally don't blame teachers for refusing to spend their personal money on their classrooms. They have families too.
Yep, I already bought some stuff for a relative that teaches kindergarten in a public school.
And as a Kindergarten teacher, I can tell you, she is truly grateful!
As a Canadian who never had children I'm confused. Is this a US thing? Teachers have to use their own money to buy work supplies?!
I very rarely spent my own money.
Yes, if need items to make our rooms inviting and welcoming, we purchase those items ourselves. Learning games and resources are also purchased with our money unless we are lucky enough to have a teacher leave them or get them donated. This is my calm down center I created😍
First of great job! Second of all, I always knew teachers were amazing but thank you for educating ME on just how amazing you all are. I could never imagine going to work and being asked to supply my own chair/desk/computer so I never would have guessed how above and beyond you all have to go. ❤️
Aww, this makes my heart happy🥰 Thank you so much for the understanding and supporting us, I appreciate it! Have a great week!
Then that Kindergarten mother can step up. Ask the teacher for what is needed. Every dollar a teacher takes out of their pocket to provide for their classroom is a dollar that a teacher no longer has to provide for their own kids. A teacher's own kids get the short end doesn't sound right either.
Or pay her rent & student loans, buy groceries & gas, etc.
We just spent $280 on used books for my husband’s classroom. Sorry, the rug isn’t a priority.
When the Pentagon has to hold a bake sale to buy supplies they'll finally know what schools have been going through for decades.
After I quit teaching I added all the Amazon and Target purchases I made for my classroom year after year!!! I couldn’t believe the amount!!! Thank a teacher!!
I agree with everyone posting that teachers shouldn’t have to spend their own funds - but since they do If you want to help out a classroom, a good way is DonorsChoose.com They have many match programs in progress that double your donation. You can search by state/town if you want to stay local.
In the future, kindergartener's will be considered lucky that each classroom has a single trump bible that they can all huddle around and learn how to do thoughts & prayers & stuff.
Thank you!!!!! Yes!!!! I taught for 14 years, and I spent THOUSANDS!!!!!
I didn’t see any actual tears in her video, though. I’m inclined to think it’s rage bait 😅
some parents' expectations are not realistic. Those parents want the teachers to create a smart, funny, educated child despite the parents putting no effort into creating that ideal child. IMHO
Raise $ through PTO
Has she not been keeping up with the news?! She's lucky her kid still HAS a classroom! #VoteBlue
I mean I get it, sorta. I grew up going to class in a trailer. Lice check with a number 2 pencil. I just thought that was the norm.
Amen! I spent 30+ years working in public schools, & every year our teachers spent more out of their own pockets on their students & for their classrooms, while the state spent less. Now with vouchers in place, less money will go to public schools because it will go to private schools.
🤮😢
She could go on a shopping spree and donate items. I'd bet if she had a yard sale and donated the profits, she wouldn't have to dip into savings.
Teachers also pay for paint to repaint their classrooms, are given an allotment for copies then get charged, buy cleaning supplies, tissues, art supplies. On and on. Not all schools have PTA/PTO to fundraise for these items. Educators are not paid enough
Snacks, pencils, rewards, treats etc
We run a coffee cart at our school for the student experience...admin loves it because I pay for everything and we aren't allowed to charge money (long, school logistics nightmare)...so the students love it but I basically fund the entire thing...
Class trips
Class pets
Site like Donors Choose are also complicit in this, because they promote a culture of competition amongst teachers who are fighting for scraps from generous people instead of promoting the culture of progressive taxation that would fully fund engaging, comprehensive, and healthy education for all.
I'm at a Title 1 school and while we do have a PTO, most of our parents can't afford to do many of our fundraisers. I too buy cleaning supplies, Clorox wipes, snacks, birthday surprises, class books, and so much more! I want my students to have what they need to start out and to learn🥰
🫶💔
Teachers always hear people saying "My taxes pay your salary." Maybe we will work our way around to admitting that teachers pay taxes as well, and should have just as much say in their own jobs.
She needs to be put in charge of the classroom wishlist.
Posted this before, but here it is again DonorsChoose.org
How many parents come in at the end of the school year to help move and pack these items up so the classrooms can be cleaned, painted etc. My district required all classrooms to be cleared out for the summer.
I wonder if crybaby mom will even bother to gather other parents to get donations to provide these "essentials" that the teacher didn't provide.
Especially with what teachers get paid in Texas & most states❗️❗️❗️❗️
Donate! I always do! It doesn’t have to be huge… I donated fabric, colorful tissue boxes, a colorful rug from a thrift store, I made tissue paper flowers and jellyfish… I donate my son’s old clothing to the school as well because there are a lot in need and free is fantastic!
Her privileged ass crying over that but not anything happening right now is peak WW. I could care less about her tears or a classroom rug when people are being put in concentration camps. Ntm the media softening us up for the handmaids tale by promoting JD and his bunch of religious weaklings.
The real difference is the “husband with a high paying job” funded classroom.
Or owns businesses. We were at a school in TX. Fundraising were kids painted a chair, classroom basket, etc, and the "winning bids" were over 1,000. 'Diamond Dinners'. And tee hee they wrote it off. 🙄
Truth.
Hell, yes. I am weary of people not being in the real world as to everyday teacher issues.
Her children are really gonna suck at humaning. Fucking karen. My mom and her colleagues all poured $$ into into their FL public schools. My sister bought clothes, shoes and personal hygiene products for her clinic at a FL HS. Bleed the billionaires.
I brought clothes home and washed them and mended them with parent permission of course.
Improvements are needed. markletelladams.com/2024/11/22/b...
Instead of crying, why doesn’t that mom buy or organize donations for all that stuff for her child’s classroom? Teachers have enough on their plate.
I always donate to my kids classrooms up here in Canada. We are a community. We gotta help out!
People don’t realize how often school staff uses their own money to fund what is needed to operate a school. Talk to any school employee, from teachers to assistants to office staff, and you will find they pay for a lot of what they use out of their own personal funds.
Husband of a TK teacher. It’s amazing how much out of pocket she puts into her classrooms. All the fun stuff. we r fortunate to be able to pay for some of these. But as important is the time. she switched classrooms and it’s been non stop for weeks 5-8 hours per day purging and setting up.
If she thinks that's bad wait till she goes to the hospital.
If you can afford to, ask what they need at the beginning of the year and at the start of each quarter.
The entrance to my teacher-funded classroom-- Welcome to the Shit Show wouldn't fit 🎪🤡
🤣🤣🤣
My kiddo would be so grateful. He notices gestures like that and would completely tell u he loves it. 🥰
Red State?
Teachers are heroes while masked racist goons are out leaving kids on the side of the road teachers are protecting them and teaching them while the goons make triple their salary and their school budget is cut in half cuz the rednecks want Christian sharia schools
I get incredibly overstimulated going into some of my kids classrooms, like there's no way I could focus on anything if I were in that room all day. Simple is not necessarily a bad thing. Some teachers just do way too much.
Zing!
Great way to support teachers! www.donorschoose.org
A lot of people don’t realize that rural librarians do the same thing—supplement what little they get from their local government and grants to make sure their communities have good experiences and resources.
Yes, i do brand ambassador sales. Lots of other teachers
I used to use my own money and time. I think I had “donated” over 6 months unpaid when I finally left the job. But, we had a blast and I know I made a difference in those kids’ lives. 👍❤️
I hate that in the US, we don't do healthcare or education, only military, law enforcement and incarceration
As a first year teacher, here’s my wish list. I’d love to be able to create as nurturing a space as I can. www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...
Damn straight!!! …… and that teacher paid for all that out of her own meager pay check. Parents need to get a frickin grip😡
Education is one of society's most important load-bearing structures, yet we expect it to run on peanuts, and be subsidized from pockets of those being paid a fraction of what their labor is worth. It's insult on top of injury when those same exploited workers are blamed for the state of things.
You have to trust the teacher, in that they're a professional & they have a strategy to introduce young children to activities or stations a little at a time. There is the danger that 18-25 kindergarteners all come in at once & tear the place apart like banshees.
Go to yard sales & buy your teachers some Legos, books, puzzles, art supplies, yarn, storage bins & baskets, etc... Ask the teacher what they need.
Also it’s a school not a daycare they’re there to learn it’s not torture to not have toys all day every day
Yes!!
I hate the change to #Boxtopsforeducation now schools get almost nothing now that it changed from clipping to scanning. What a scam
Taxes are supposed to fund public education. Another social benefit Republicans have drowned in the bathtub. Today's parents don't know a world where teachers don't have to run bake sales for classroom supplies. They think that's "normal."
Horrible failure for the country😢
My wife was a grade school educator for 30 years. It is the teacher- almost always using their own money, who create the amazing environments you are familiar with. The school, the state, the government provides precious little. But teachers are hard wired to make it as you see it. Remember this.
Actually, the beef is with the billionaire oligarchs that tell their pets in Congress to cut their taxes so they don’t have to contribute to America. Teachers suffer, children suffer and America is poorer for it.
No teacher should take money out of her pocket, that is for the parents, if they have a beef take to up with the state, or the school board who cut everything. The schools will be closed by Christmas if not sooner! They are
not going to make it through the year with $5 billion for all the schools. In 2024 it cost the govt $268.4 billion for all the schools. And you know they are not getting any funds from the spineless asskisser MAGAts...They have home schooling for their spawn so they aren't worried about yours.
If a mom is mad that the teacher won’t buy a bunch of shit for a classroom. The mom needs to go buy it and 🤐
When our only child, at the time, was in elementary school my husband and I did not make much money, yet we would give what we could to assist our daughter’s teacher, each year, so they did not have to take the brunt of the cost. Now, we help one teacher a year with big items to enhance their room.
💚💚💚💚💚
Same. That is very kind of you. Our district has a foundation that raises money for things. One of the things they do is give all new teachers a small grant to get their classrooms set up. They don’t make enough money. It’s absurd that parents think teacher should fund a classroom for THEIR kid.
Wonderful! I love the idea of a grant for new teachers.
It makes a huge difference for them.
Love this!
Truly, I hope the mom goes and fights for better funding for her district. Raising and educating children should be a social priority for everyone, not just teachers and moms.
These people just bash the teacher. They don’t care that districts get less and less every year.
Or gawd forbid pay more taxes or ask those that can afford to send their kids to private schools do as well. “I want everything for nothing!”
Yes, she should!
🫶🏼🫶🏼
Cry me a river.
My sister teaches public pre-k, you not only have to teach but be an expert at Donors Choose to create a room that parents expect and kids deserve
Love Donors Choose. The thank-you notes are heartwarming.
Now we’ll learn how some places only have the necessary books and a chalkboard.
Ok, I'm old, but lamps? Please explain lamps in classrooms. I'm really curious.
And things like lamps are even more important for SPED classrooms. ND kids can be *extremely* sensitive to external stimuli, including lights or noise.
Fluorescent lights are brutal. Developing brains really arent meant to be in artificial light between 4 walls for 7 hours a day. My kids, even in elementary school, got like 30 minutes of play. Gotta take those tests!!!!
Fluorescent lights also emit sounds that can be really distracting/painful to students. They can be migraine triggers for some people too (I always had lamps because even an hour in just artificial light will have me in so much pain).
I had headaches all the tome when i was in school. Had no idea it could have been the lights.
Often times the fluorescent lights had a low annoying hum…sometimes faulty wiring taking time to address. In the younger elementary grades, our students responded well with small cute lamps that simulated a more whimsical, homey, and relaxed ambiance. Overhead lighting is clinical by comparison.
Since my grandson is on the spectrum, you'd think I would have heard that! Sometimes he wants all lights on, sometimes all lights off. Thanks so much!
When I was in [the first kindergarten class in my small town], my family had to provide a rug for me for nap time.
It’s ridiculous what we expect in our children’s classroom’s (that our tax dollars clearly won’t pay for).
Interesting she chose social media to show the world how much she cares. Wondering if she’s going to actually do something
She is actually quite absurd and needs therapy.
If it's a new teacher who isn't making much more than minimum wage to start...and they're in their first place of their own, there isn't a lot of disposable income. And the young 'uns don't always have the confidence to ask for help. That's where a good PTO might come in.
Our pto gave $50 per teacher. But they also paid for some field trips.
And likely don’t get paid until September.
~ Be grateful many children have far far less in other countries !
we are those countries
✅
Many American schools are lacking compared to other 1st world countries, but thankfully we don't have students learning under bridges. Not yet anyway.
I am glad i am not having children
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Kindergarten, I was forced to bring a rug. Taught the alphabet & count, even though I knew it at the age of four. My parents had flash cards. Kids should know how to add subtract divide and multiply by the time they hit kindergarten. Instead they learn how to blame others for their incompetence.
yes. my father had taught me how to read about the time i went to kindergarten. by 2nd grade, he was buying me any books i wanted as long as i promised to read them all. i did. i didnt have many toys, very few dolls. we were many & we were broke, but i had my books.
I went to a Catholic school in first and second grade and then my parents put me in a public school. I was taught pre-algebra in second grade. At the Catholic school. Mathematics was a breeze throughout my elementary public school. English composition was a breeze as well. Early 60’s. 🚫 🐂 💩
my catholic mother was furious when my father refused to send us to catholic school. early 60s, there were many "lay" teachers without college degrees. he moved us to the best school district in pittsburgh, for which i am grateful. we could barely afford to live there; it was always a struggle.
the other part of the struggle was that it was a white fuckng bubble. not a single person of color, k through 12. it wasnt the real world, in many ways. i was frequently bullied & the children whose parents were "well off" ran the show. aint that how it always goes>? i hated it.
our diocese was a poor one. most people around me werent catholic. maybe that's why st.ursula employed lay people, to help the few nuns. my great aunt was dominican nun, teachng order, & used to tutor me in maths when it got to be too much for me, advanced algebra in high school. i never did get it.
I went from a lily white Catholic school to a mixed public school. I learned the hard way. And you learn until you die. I will never forget my first girlfriend, was a Mexican girl. I was eight years old. We were together for over a year. The only reason we broke up, my parents moved. Memories.
I don’t remember my own kindergarten but I doubt we had a “fun” rug.
Teachers get paid pennies yet they're supposed to be basically a replacement parent teaching our children. They deserve livable wages too!
I guess everyone forgot this: youtu.be/OWF3YT8sRH8?...
It might be about money, and I certainly say help them out. But it could be the teacher found out she was being moved to kindergarten or just got the job an hour ago. Maybe the teacher just had transplant surgery (like my friend) and wasn’t able to set up her room yet. 1/2
Or as in my case, I didn’t bring anything out because I wanted to introduce it slowly to the class and teach them the proper way to use the items, yes, even the rug When I was ST, I learned not put it all out because if something breaks or a 👧 takes ✂️ and cuts up the curtains while the 👩 👨 are busy👎
I don't care about a "fancy" classroom for my kids. They can get a good education without all the fluff. I also think that teachers should be paid like professional athletes.
Not knowing parent finances, seemingly parents could ask the teacher if there are any items he/she would like for the classroom. Parents could then contribute in line with their own budgets. Worth a try.
Some do this already, and while it absolutely helps there isn't enough support. These teachers are not being compensated near enough.
Nationwide average teacher salary is about 72,000 according to some sources. So a livable wage likely depends on where you live. Nonetheless pay needs to improve just as others such as caseworker, law enforcement, firefighters and many more. What are WE willing to finance with our tax dollars?
In my state, we just increased min teacher pay to $40k, avg ~55k. I don't think there's an expectation that the cops spend their own money to make their cars more fun to be in. I'd be happy to pay a 40% effective tax rate in exchange for the public good and turn this shithole around.
Thank you for saying this and supporting teachers😍
My son has taught math and science for almost 25 years in public schools. His students are glad to have the pens and pencils I've been able a few times to donate.
I would take a ruler to the back of my calves, any day, over a soft plush rug to nap on, said no child ever.
mrsfrazzled.substack.com/p/your-kids-...
They certainly aren't in it for the money.
My niece is a teacher and buys much of the stuff in there with her own money. Ask a teacher for their "classroom wishlist" and click a few keys. Then call DC and scream at the representative continuing to f**k public education.
Maybe she needs to consider how much we spend on our classrooms. She could get the teach a gift card or go out to Dollar General or Dollar Tree and send in a couple of things is this is a problem for her!
I’m busy trying to fill a personal hygiene rack for the high school band. If it’s that traumatic, fill the need by providing a few things. I don’t mind helping, I do mind the parents who don’t, then complain.
and it’s only going to get worse
She could have approached the teacher and asked if she had a wishlist or wanted a rug.
God Almighty 🤦♀️
She can help buy stuff. My youngest grandson is autistic. His teacher mentioned they couldn't play with a toy because the outer silicone got torn to my husband. We bought four from Amazon, $20 and gave them to her. Teachers should not have to buy everything.
I do a donors choose every year, this is my 33rd year, just so I can have nice things for the students. I pay for snacks and fruit for them all year because the kids are so hungry
So the question is, who is getting rich off of the 2 trillion dollars spent on education each year? And where do they live? Because we should take their rugs.
That would be the administrators and curriculum "specialists"
Pre-COVID I asked for hand sanitizer for my classroom. I was told it was too expensive. We were in the midst of a flu outbreak. Good times.
🤦♀️
We didn’t get it then, either: we got it for 21-22, and we’re back to buying it ourselves
Really, your beef is with yourself as a voter and taxpayer.
EGGSACTLY 💔
My daughter's kindergarten room had a pedestal tub full of pillows for reading. Definitely teacher funded!
I’m sure her child’s teacher would be delighted to accept her donation of rugs and lamps and bins full of fun things for the classroom. Oh, wait, you mean she’s upset that her kid isn’t being spoiled *for* her, not moved to tears by the underfunding of early education.
Look what happened to McDonald's. The color is gone, it's cold and grey and unfeeling; this is the future they want in EVERY aspect of life. Everything grey, boring, predictable. The death of the reason to be human.
I know this sounds crazy, but what if—just hear me out—wealthy people paid taxes and some of them went to fund schools? Why the f*ck are teachers expected to pay for classroom supplies? Workers should not have to pay to be able to do their job.
what were the comments like? "elect dems?" "buy all the shit you want & donate it to the classroom?" gen z parent, right?
Gerry Brooks, a well known administrator addressed that very well on Facebook.
Yep. I was just going to share it because I shared it on my page. It’s so frustrating.
And now the Federal Gov. under Heir Trump.
This feels relevant public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
Did she offer to buy any of these for the classroom? Hand her a Lakeshore Learning catalog.
Oh well 🤷♀️
"... kindergarten Mom in tears..." Actors are essential workers
The teachers don’t make the big bucks.We can’t expect them to furnish their classrooms.
. #OustYourObeseOrangeOligarch #WTFYouWaitingFor? .
My wife made her classroom a citadel of learning and discovery. Today, they’d probably toss her in Alligator Auschwitz. This country is losing its humanity. It’s heartbreaking.
Yes - AND - some of the best teaching and learning I’ve seen has been in very plain spaces - ready for anchor charts and exemplars and student created or co-created work
What kind of relationship is she expecting with her child's teacher when she throws her under the school bus for unrealistic expectations? Also, the teacher supply stores allow parents to shop there too. If you see a need, fill it.
She really prayed for a fancier classroom. Loook every child and hell every teacher deserves a fully funded budget to properly decorate the classrooms environment. But to pray for that instead of finding a way yo fund it yourself is crazy. Kids are being asked to trick their immigrant parents into
Coming to school so ICE can traffic them…and she’s praying for something she herself can buy? These praying types never seem to pray for the right stuff and never seem to use their OWN wealth to solve the problems they’d rather pray about. It’s a god damn joke is what it is.
The people she needs to be most upset with are Americans who didn’t vote or voted for exactly what we’re all getting. Her post should’ve been praying for other white women with wealth like herself to start choosing to uplift everyone not just themselves.
Plenty of MAGAs send their kids to public schools. I wonder if they are connecting the dots or not. Just wait to Timmy and Ashleigh start getting seriously ill with vaccine preventable diseases. Ever seen an infant with whooping cough?
👍💯ABSOLUTELY
Maybe one of the most important messages in the nation's unearned feelgood "back to school" climate: education is not what it was prior to January 2025. It may never be again with Republicans in charge.
Truth!Started new school mid year last yr.Was supposed to have own room,didn't happen until this year.I got tables,paper cutter & basic art supplies for 750 kids.I have spent approximately $270 on shelving,decor & storage bins.The public has no freaking idea how much of our own money we spend!😡
People really think all that stuff comes from school budgets. Absolutely not.
Maybe the teacher is poor. Correction: the teacher is poor. If you want all that stuff in the teacher’s classroom, go buy it. As a former teacher I can tell you that any teacher would love parents to help fill the gap. Ask what is needed and see if other parents can also help out.
Well, the fire department wants to weigh in….
Our schools in the 70s and 80s were fugly. I even had classes in portable trailers. We all still had fun, learned, and went on to college.
My first year teaching was in a trailer classroom. The amount of money I spent trying to make it warm and welcoming despite the holes in the walls, the broken windows, and the shortage of both books and desks was so stupid. That year was a complete disaster. The writing was literally on the wall.
💙
I am a member of the portable trailer posse however as a generation, Gen X voted for 🤡. We apparently didn’t learn enough in those trailers so probably best to stay away from them.