Celebrating Teachers and Office Depot’s REAL Change Project

 

 

 

I can’t believe it’s already May and the school year will be ending next month. I survived my daughter’s first year in school; Kindergarten. You might be laughing right now. .  yeah, yeah, it’s only Kindergarten you say but a whole helluva lot happens this first year. For starters, some of them will learn how to read, others, will begin to learn the process. They learn about math and science, start to gain their independence more, make new friends and feel like a big kid!

 

 

I’m celebrating my daughter’s kindergarten teacher, Miss Angela Patino. Miss Patino doesn’t know this but I knew she was the right teacher for my daughter that very first afternoon at “Meet the Teacher” night. This was right before school started and it was in August so it was warmer than usual here in Washington. I don’t think the school has air conditioning, which is very common here (even our new house doesn’t have A/C). You never really need it here except maybe for a few weeks in the summer. So, at the school that day, there was a loud fan blasting. As soon as we arrived, I noticed a child who was quite bothered by the fan and the loud noise it was creating. .  so much so that he would not even walk into the classroom. Miss Patino, who was meeting this child for the very first time (it was Meet the Teacher night remember), got down to his level and spoke very softly to him and listened. And then, proceeded to walk back into the classroom to turn the fan off. The boy came in shortly after that.

 

That is when I knew. I knew what kind of teacher Miss Patino was.

 

Caring. Observant. Trusting. Someone great for 5-6 year olds. Someone who the children would grow to love, admire and respect. Someone who takes control of the classroom simply by forming the letter “C” with her hand in front of the children. C = close mouth. My daughter taught me this at the dinner table one night. . . but it doesn’t work for me at home.  I think most of the girls in the classroom all want to be a teacher now when they grow up.

 

So, the year went on and at our first Parent/Teacher conference, Miss Patino told me how my daughter, Phoebe, would shy away when attention was on her and never really raised her hand during their morning circle time. This is pretty much how my daughter initially was in pre-school so none of this surprised me, nor really worried me. But what was amazing to see. .  as the school year progressed . .  was how much Phoebe blossomed and grew and became more comfortable and out-going even. To me, she gradually became a different girl. One who smiled, now would raise her hand and speak up in class and was excited about going to school. I think this is the result of a few things, but the main ones being: Miss Patino and Phoebe starting to become more confident in general. If you ever ask her what she likes about school or Miss Patino, she will talk your head off for about 10 minutes straight and then draw you a picture of Miss Patino. .  wearing big, blue basketball earrings. I have no idea where this came from.

 

I’ve written about education news and keeping yourself informed. .  I’m so grateful for the opportunity to write this blog post because it educated me on where school supplies and decorations/art/supplies for most classrooms come from. I’m sure all schools, school districts and PTSA’s all work a little differently and help out the teachers as much as they can, but for the most part, there are a ton of teachers out there spending their own money on classroom supplies.

 

 

 

 

Office Depot is partnering with AdoptAClassroom.org. AdoptAClassroom.org partners donors with teachers so teachers can have funds to purchase critical resources and materials for their classroom. By registering, your classroom will be posted on the AdoptAClassroom.org website available for donors to select. When adopted, the teacher will have full discretion to purchase items that meet his/her unique classroom needs.

 

So what are you waiting for? Register your classroom today with AdoptAClassroom.org to participate in the REAL Change Project and be eligible for funding from donors nationwide. 100% of AdoptAClassroom.org donations goes directly to the teachers, so they don’t have to spend their own money on supplies. All of the information you need is HERE.

 

Did you know?

1.   $1,000: Out-of-pocket amount spent by the average teacher each year on essential classroom supplies
2.   92%: Percentage of teachers who report spending their own money on classroom supplies
3.   $1.3 billion: Total out-of-pocket amount spent nationally by teachers on classroom supplies each year

 

So, please help spread the word. Teachers Change Lives.

 

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.