Teachers Change Lives- Adopt-A-Classroom with Office Depot

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a teacher.  It was a dream that continued throughout my teenage years and eventually came true when I was 21. I graduated from college with a degree in Elementary Education and became a third grade teacher.  If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know how much I loved to teach.  I was the teacher who was in early, stayed until well after we were allowed to leave each day and could be found working at home through the evening and on weekends.  I loved my job. I worked hard to make a difference in the lives of my students. I worked hard to find different ways to teach them, to make it fun for them. I watched my students throughout my seven years teaching learn, grow and succeed. I never had a doubt that all the extra hours I put into my job paid off. Each and every year.  While I am taking some time away to raise my daughter, it is a job I miss tremendously.  One I look forward to going back to.

One of the hardest things about teaching is how much of my own money I put into my classroom each year.  I was actually going through my teaching things in my garage last week to see what I could use to teach AG and I have over 20 boxes of teaching materials.  Twenty boxes from seven years of teaching (after donating all of my library books). Most all of which I paid for out of my own pocket. I remember doing my taxes every year I was in the classroom and the receipts totaling almost $1,000 a year.

One thing that was a big help was the classroom support I had from parents.  I was fortunate enough to teach in an area where parents were very involved in the classroom.  If I was planning a fruit loop place value activity for my third graders, I was able to ask parents to bring in the supplies for this activity.  Unfortunately, there are so many teachers who do not have this support. Teachers who are doing innovative things in their classroom everyday, which they are paying for out of their own pocket. This is where you can help by donating through Adopt-A-Classroom.

Adopt-A-Classroom is a nonprofit organization that helps connect donors with teachers to enhance the learning environment for students. Office Depot and Adopt-A-Classroom have partnered to raise awareness about teachers, and all that they do in the lives of their students. Through this program you can make a donation to a teacher in the video below or a local teacher in your  community.

While I believe that teachers changes lives, I believe just as much that the students we teach change the lives of teachers.  When asked why teachers do the job they do, most don’t say it’s for the paycheck. It’s to make a difference.  To changes lives for the better. To make a lifelong impact. The students are what make the job completely worth it.

Please, take a minute to watch this video.  And think about how you can help teachers change lives. You can find more information below the video about how YOU can help.