How to Financially Help Teachers and Students This Academic Year
Since America is a country that definitely has clear priorities, public school teachers spend an average of $ 479 a year of their own money on school supplies for their students, according to a Department of Education report . About 7% of teachers spend over $ 1,000 a year.
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And those who teach in the poorer parts of the country have an even higher average. If you would like to help this school year, here are some tips:
Donate to individual teachers
DonorsChoose.org and AdoptAClassroom.org are used by government teachers across the country to help fund various projects. Thousands of classrooms are listed right now, many requiring less than $ 100 to be fully funded. You can search for schools in your area if you want to help local institutions.
Popular searches include class books, basic supplies like pens, and technology like tablets and smart boards.
Don’t forget to share the projects you are passionate about on Twitter, Facebook – anywhere. Word of mouth is a powerful tool.
Pay off debt for lunch
Talking about leveraging social media for good, writer Ashley Ford was able to raise over $ 100,000 in late 2016 to help pay off student lunch debt with a single tweet . You can do the same.
According to CNBC , children who cannot afford meals often receive modest meals in schools, such as cheese or peanut butter, jelly sandwiches, and milk cartons. Children often queue up for lunch to be greeted, making “the student’s financial situation apparent to classmates.” Contact your local school and ask if you can contribute.
You can also contact your local food bank to help students fighting poverty. Feeding America has a BackPack program that does just that. Real School Gardens is an organization that partners with school districts to create community gardens and educate students about the environment.
As Ford points out in this article, paying off debt for lunch is just one way to help. You can also see if the school needs help, for example with a form for students from low income families.
Contribute to your school district
Contact your local school district or parent organization to see if they have funds for various projects. You can also stop by at the next student council meeting to see what the local authorities are discussing.
You can also directly support the school library (or your local library). As Donor Choose points out , libraries can be a vital educational hub for low-income students who would not otherwise have access to the Internet, certain books and teaching materials.