This brought me to tears (good…and bad).

 
Decorative image with school supplies, like books, pencils and erasers.

Volume 16

A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed a colleague responding to the many #ClearTheList tweets and Facebook posts. She was spending a significant amount of her own money to support educators for their back-to-school needs. She inspired me. I thought to myself, “If my colleague, who I technically employ, can do this, why am I not doing this?” So I started clearing some lists and my experience brought me to tears (good…and bad).

I spend every single day listening to educators. I know fundamentally that educators spend far too much of their own income on out-of-pocket expenses. I know that the littlest amount of money or the smallest gesture can make a difference in an educator's life. I know these things. But knowing and experiencing are very different things.

I was about 30 minutes into selecting items to buy from each educator’s list when I encountered this wave of sadness. Buying gifts should be a joyful experience but there I was, sitting in my living room feeling hopeless and depressed. As I looked at list after list, educators generally weren’t asking for big and extravagant things. More often than not, they were asking for everyday items and supplies like pencils, glue sticks, kleenex, and snacks for their students who come to school hungry. I sent this tweet attempting to express my complicated emotions and it sparked one generous person to match what I was spending. I promptly spent all of that money clearing more educators’ lists.

I believe with all of my heart and soul that fundamentally basic needs of students and educators should be covered by our education system and we should never put this burden on the shoulders of our educators. In what world do we ask teachers, who are paid far below what they are worth and actually do, to cover these additional expenses out of the little disposable income they have?

As educators go back to school for the upcoming school year, I ask that you do what’s in your heart to support them, as a brand or just a good human. Acknowledge that they all enter school with anxious anticipation and need all of the help they can get. Pay it forward and clear some lists or send me a donation and I can clear them for you.

Take good care,

 

Free Gift Guide: Gifts For Educators

The beginning of a school year is the perfect time to tell the educators in your life that you support them and appreciate everything they do. This updated gift guide includes gift ideas for every budget, non-monetary gift ideas, things to consider when giving gifts, and more!

Educator in Residence

 
 

We were absolutely thrilled to be able to work alongside our first-ever Educator In Residence, Stevie Frank over the summer. Stevie has taught fifth-grade and just became a tech integration specialist. It was a joy to collaborate and learn alongside such an inspiring practicing educator. Follow us on LinkedIn to learn when applications open for next summer.

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We’re on social media every day and one of the best part of our jobs is getting to listen to educators. Please take the time to listen and engage with them.

This section was so popular last issue that we’re bringing it back! Here’s a list of job openings from our clients and friends.

And make sure to follow Jeff Patterson for his weekly EdTech/ education job openings list.

 

This week, we asked educators to tell us they're a teacher without telling us they're a teacher. These answers made us giggle:

  1. I have more stickers than any adult should." Ms. M

  2. "I buy 96 pencils at a time." - Ms. S

  3. "I’ve been called mom more times than I can count by other peoples children." - Ms. HC

  4. “I correct random kids’ behavior when I’m out at a restaurant or shopping at Target.” Ms. T

  5. "Crayola and Sharpie are my favorite brand names, not Gucci or Dior." - Mrs. G

  6. "I hug other people’s children almost as much as I hug my own." -Mrs. R

  7. "I brainwash children 28 at a time." - Mrs. S