According to the Ministry of Education, over 93 percent of educators say they pay for their own school supplies. The average amount spent? $ 479! Many teachers find that this amount is way too high and they have had enough. Here are the reasons teachers aren’t spending their own money on their classrooms this year.
1. “I am not paid for this.”
Many of the items we buy for work are expected to come out of our own pockets. We spend our own money on clothing, transportation, union fees, and so on. But equipping our classrooms is not the same as equipping ourselves. If our districts want our classrooms and students to have everything they need, the district should fund it, not the teachers.
2. “It doesn’t solve the problem.”
We know that underfunded schools are a big problem. But we also know that supplementing the lack of funding with your own money does not solve the problem. In fact, it just makes it worse! Many teachers feel that by purchasing our materials, we are hiding the problem. If our communities do not realize how much teachers have provided, they will never know the true scale of the school funding challenge.
3. “It’s not fair to the students.”
After reading a post on a back-to-school subreddit by a freshman teacher who paid $ 15,000 (yes, that’s 15 with three zeros after it!) Some were simply shocked at how much this young teacher had spent. Others, however, were concerned about the students in their school who would not be in their classroom. “No other teacher is going to spend that much money, so your classroom will look drastically different from the others,” commented one poster. “What kid feels valued in a sparsely decorated room with your room across the hall?” While it’s nice to have a “cool classroom,” we should consider the message they might send to students .
4. “We need to remember our neurodivergent students.”
The more we learn about the way children learn, the more we discover that overly busy and colorful classrooms often do not provide the best learning environment, especially for our neurodivergent learners. We don’t have to spend our money on bright, colorful posters or blurry furniture to create a safe, engaging space. Instead, we should focus on what we know will work and not cost us a dime. Things like collaborative work opportunities, good lighting and temperature, and places to display students’ work have proven beneficial and are free.
5. “The tax deduction is not enough.”
Although some teachers use the $ 250 tax deduction as a reason to spend their own money in their classrooms, many feel that it just isn’t enough. “I know I’ll be spending more if I even start!” Commented Jessica A .. “Better to keep my wallet closed. The tax deduction is not worth it! “
6. “With planning I can get by with what I already have.”
This may not apply to brand new teachers, but many veteran educators have learned that by purchasing some high quality, reusable items, they won’t have to buy things like notice board, frames, etc. year after year. “We all end up buying our own stuff as teachers, it’s inevitable,” commented a 10-year-old teaching veteran, “but if you’re smart and only buy what you need and make it last, you don’t have to buy anything new each year.”
7. “I can recycle old supplies.”
While the “Pinterest-perfect” classrooms are nice, many money-savvy teachers are instead looking for the materials that weren’t used the year before. “The caretakers in my building know that they bring me all the pencils, notebooks and other useful items that they can find in the lockers in the summer,” said Angie S .. “I can often take my whole class for at least the first half of the school year only deliver what the students left behind at the end of last year! “
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