Another Way to Help Teachers – Ritter Ames Mysteries

Another Way to Help Teachers

We know teachers are the lifeblood of our education system. However, each year theyHelping Teachers must spend more out of their own pockets for classroom supplies they cannot get from schools’ depleting budgets. In the past, I’ve given teachers gift cards to office supply stores to help, but last week I found another way I’d never thought of before. Our small town has a wonderful and thoughtful used bookstore. I turned in a bunch of books and received an $80 credit for my efforts–but I’m not going to buy any books. Instead, I’ve turned over my credit to any of the county’s teachers who’ve signed up to receive children’s fiction books for their classrooms.

So, rather than refilling my bookshelves, my credit will help fill classroom libraries for students instead. I can’t think of a better way to promote reading for young people. Yes, I could have bought books and donated them–but who better than a teacher to know what is the best book for her class reading levels?

It’s a little thing and there are many more ways to help. But if you have a used bookstore in your area, think about seeing if the store has a similar program for local teachers. What could feel better than sharing a love of reading with a student, right?

Have you discovered a way to help local schools that you’d like to share? Please comment if you know of a program the rest of us can ask about or start in our areas 🙂

3 Replies to “Another Way to Help Teachers”

  1. In our town, both the Rotary Club & Women’s Auxiliary have a program called ‘stock the bus’ where the school board parks a school bus in a shopping center and those two clubs add many school supplies and guard the bus, accepting school supplies donated by the public. Our VFW also collects used uniform, laundering and repairing them for emergency clothing needs, and provides new uniforms that are distributed to students in need by teacher referrals. During my years teaching, I provided numerous pairs of socks for those students attending school sockless. Many had new shoes but no socks meaning new shoes got smelly very quickly. I usually gave away 3-4 doz or of socks/month. It gets costly.

Leave a Reply



^