GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - It shouldn't come as a shock to hear, most people who choose to be a teacher are not doing it for the money. But what may come as a surprise, an estimated 91% of teachers spend their own money to buy school supplies for their classroom and students. And two-thirds of all classroom supplies are purchased by teachers. An average teacher spends $600 of their own money to buy classroom supplies. First-year teachers, who've never set up a class before, spend more!
There's an organization that is trying to help out teachers. AdoptAClassroom.org is a national non-profit based in Minneapolis. To date, AdoptAClassroom.org has donated more than $30 million to teachers, benefiting more than 2.2 million students throughout the U.S. AdoptAClassroom.org is funded through individual donors, corporate partnerships and foundation grants.
If you would like to help out, donations can be made to individual teachers, AdoptAClassroom.org annual fund or to a Spotlight Fund which focuses on specific areas of high need or passion, e.g. art, music, STEM, Literacy, Special Needs, First Year Teachers. To learn more about how to get involved by visiting AdoptAClassroom.org.