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Teachers Spend Big to Supply What Schools Don't
Samantha Smith, a teacher at Hardy Middle School in the District, decorates her classroom for the start of classes, reusing items from previous years.
(By Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post)
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The PTA at Frank's school is giving teachers between $50 and $75 to help defray costs, she said. And all teachers receive a federal tax deduction of up to $250 for their out-of-pocket expenses. Those who work at high-poverty schools also can shop for free at a school supply donation center in the District run by the SHOPA Kids in Need Foundation.
Smith of Hardy Middle also relies on the generosity of parents. Before Christmas, she sends her students home with a wish list. The idea is to prevent a dozen parents from sending her coffee mugs when what she really needs is a new pack of highlighters and a toner cartridge.
She has developed lots of similar cost-saving strategies over the years. Parents sometimes will photocopy handouts for her at their offices. She creates decorations for her bulletin boards out of construction paper and markers, rather than buying ready-made ones at the store. Her efforts should help keep expenses down to about $60 this school year, she said.
But that doesn't mean she has sacrificed quality -- just that she has had to get more creative. The class homework log may be rudimentary, but it has helped combat student apathy, she said. The kids must apply for the privilege of writing down the day's assignments, keeping them motivated and creating a record that students can later reference. When students go on trips, Smith asks them to bring her maps and other souvenirs to incorporate into her lessons.
Smith was in her classroom last week unpacking boxes and taking down last year's bulletin boards. The laminated decorations for "How to Build a Poem" will be stored until next year in one of the many brown envelopes she keeps in a file cabinet near her desk. In its place, she will put up visuals for Hispanic Heritage Month. There are just a few weeks left to get ready for the stampede of students who will occupy the 30 desks in her classroom.
Smith can only dream of the things she could do with her classroom if she had an unlimited budget. Hardy was built in 1926, and Smith's is one of only six rooms with air conditioning. The massive window unit is held together with duct tape and keeps the classroom at about 80 degrees during the summer, she said. Then there are the computers that don't work and the lack of storage space.
Still, Smith takes pride in her classroom, its hardwood floors and the bulletin board trims that are beginning to fade. It's a bond that many teachers feel with their rooms. After all, for nine months of the year, the classroom is virtually a second home.
"That's our little castle," said Maleeta Kitchen, who teaches first and second grades at Running Brook. "You want to make it the place to be."
