Educators Dipping Into Their Own Pockets To Help Fill Funding Gaps
- Educators
Dipping Into Their Own Pockets To Help Fill Funding Gaps
- NeaToday - by Tim Walker on November 30, 2016
- Article Link
- Key Points: This article examines a very important
issue in education that seems to be relevant year after year: funding. The
author takes into consideration outside barriers as well as poverty
levels throughout schools. He also takes a look at how many students do
not have year-round access to books as well as how high quality teachers aren’t
being retained and how educators continue to spend their own money for school
supplies and classroom needs.
- Relevance: This article is very relevant to myself
and others in this program as the majority of us are beginning teachers
with a large debt to be paid back. Many school districts were recently awarded large bonds which will help immensely for future schools and classrooms. From my personal experience, I have
already dug into my pockets to pay for small classroom needs. I think it’s
vital that as newcomers we don’t shy away from these issues, that we voice
our opinions at union meetings and advocate for funding for our classrooms
and schools.
I appreciate your insights and personal story pertaining to this article and topic. We always hear a variation of this topic in almost every school or classroom. Teachers want to provide the best for the enrichment of the kids in the classroom and unfortunately they have to look at personal finances to make those accommodations. Great article and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI also see how this article is relevant to myself and the school that I am currently working at. The budget that we have to work with is very small in my district, and I also had to dig into my pockets to get supplies that were needed for my class. The first week of school, I bought folders, pencils, and other items for students in my class because they don’t have them. The irony here is that poorer schools district means poor students/families, and these student require help in getting the proper school supplies so they can succeed in school.
DeleteThank you for sharing this article. I agree that it's important to advocate for funding but I can't imagine many people would disagree with that. I have never spent money out of my own pocket for my classroom and I hope I never have to, but it looks to be that way for most educators in special education. That being said, I think that finding low cost ways to manage our classrooms should also be a priority.
ReplyDeleteI too am guilty of spending my own money on needs for the classroom and/or students. Even though I know I am not as well of as others, I understand that I have more financial resources available than perhaps students I encounter. While I love being able to provide for my students I understand that I am not able to do it for everyone nor should I have to. As you mentioned, it is important we as educators remain involved in the conversations around budget and hopefully influence outcomes that provide better support our students. I also want to mention, for my own referencing and future goal, that I need to do a better job at discovering the resources available to our students that have financial needs. I need to research opportunities within the community that are available for the many needs I recognize students need daily.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a concerning issue. I, too, have financially filled the gap. Also, the demographic we work have different classroom needs. Many students within special education will complete their work if they know there is food involved. Many students don't care about the trinkets/stickers we buy when their are goldfish or some other snack they prefer. Those consumable resources aren't always supported by the teachers classroom budget, so into my purse I go. I also saw a different angle to this a few years ago when our teacher left. The fall after she left, I walked into the classroom (a new teacher also hadn't been hired) and went the cabinets and files and many of the resources we used the year before were gone because the teacher had purchased them with her own money.
ReplyDelete