Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Your Child's Gorgeous Classroom!

There is nothing more impressive to parents than a bright, cheery, well-decorated classroom for their child. A room that is inviting for parents and students alike reveals a teacher who is ready for school and cares about her class. Parents like color, vibrance and vitality so that they feel like their children won't die of boredom in another classroom of the past!

What parents don't realize is that schools do not provide decorations for the teachers and what you see is more of a reflection of how this teacher spends his/her money! As a teacher of 5 1/2 years with two parents also in the field of education, I know first and secondhand just how expensive classrooms can be. My mom has been teaching over 20 years and still, just this month we spent over $100 on her room. Things that can cause a hefty pricetag for a teacher are switching grades, changing curriculum and moving to a new school. It's a huge burden, and one that many teachers are not allowed to reveal to the parents who benefit from this huge expenditure.

If you really want to treat your child's teacher, give them money. I assure you, it's already been spent on something that will benefit your child. A target gift certificate or even a meal out will make the expenditure well worth your teacher's risk. I understand that some think giving money cards or gift cards to teachers is tacky, but I am here to tell you that it allows teachers to go the extra mile when they run out of stickers or need some new writing prompts or just want to do something extra for the class, like an art project or a Mother's Day gift. You really have no idea what a teacher dreams of that would be an amazing experience for your child, if only he/she had a budget!

The Washington Post has a great article recognizing the sacrifice that many teachers make at the start of a new year, for students they don't know and parents they've likely never met. Why do they do this? Because they love what they do and it's worth the risk to communicate to you, the parent, that they really do care. I think they deserve that gift certificate to Target or that dinner at The Melting Pot for all their hard work and effort. And you never even knew...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

you know after reading this I thought that there should be some sort of classroom decor swap of sorts. Where teachers of different districts or schools swap their decorations to get others. That way they could have "new" decorations but not have to spend a lot!

deanna said...

Ah... well, a teacher's own bought items are sacred. Not to mention, after only 5 years of teaching, my bulletin board borders had more wholes in them than a strainer!! Teachers reuse so often that it would be difficult to swap evenly. Also, many times anything teachers hang in their room get destroyed by those pesky students (hehe). Trust me, even reusing costly items, there always seems to be something a teacher needs to buy - for new curriculum or just something they forego one year because they can't afford it!

Might I also suggest that if you like a certain teacher and you want to "donate" an item to a classroom, let that teacher know if you are giving it to the teacher or the school. Em has a brand new first year teacher and I sent in play doh (for the classroom) and games (for the teacher) and told her to put her name on the games and take them with her wherever the county might move her. Schools don't always supply things teachers need, so their own "stuff" is protected!

deanna said...

*I meant holes, not wholes (great, admit you're a teacher and then show everyone what a wonderful speller you are! duh!)