Margaret Burch reads from a collection of Welch's legacy at the September tea.
Great classrooms don’t happen by accident. Teachers across the country work hard to build vibrant, energizing learning environments for their students, which often means everything from microscopes to pipe cleaners, graphic novels to oboes, class pets to field trips and much more. As a result, teachers spend more than $1 billion from their own pockets each year on supplies.
However, parents, community members and foundations can lend a hand. Helping to offset teachers’ expenses can take many forms, from working directly with your child’s teacher to identify needs to participating in school-based fundraisers.
In the Greer area, the Greater Greer Education Foundation donates to schools and teachers through the foundation.
To date, the Foundation has raised nearly $240,000 to fund scholarships and grants to area schools and students.
This year Greer Women Giving for Education, an initiative of the Foundation, is celebrating its fifth year of collective giving by the Greater Greer community to benefit area schools.
In its first year, 17 women gathered at the home of Nancy Welch for a Christmas Tea and raised $17,000. This money provided 12 scholarships of $1,000 each and helped to fund 10 grant requests from Greer public education teachers.
This year, Greer Women Giving honored Welch's legacy and her contributions to education in the community with a reception at the historic James House Inn.
The Foundation is now in the midst of its grant campaign, and will donate thousands to area teachers who apply to receive funds to help with classroom projects.
The Great Greer Education Foundation invites you or your organization to give a tax deductible donation to the grant/scholarship fund.
Consider a gift in honor or or in memory of someone who has made a difference in your life — be in a teacher, family member of friend.
Donations may be made to:
Greater Greer Education Foundation
111 Trade Street
Greer, SC 29651
Books, Books and More Books
While books may seem “old school,” teachers know that a single book can change a student’s life. Year after year, teachers request books more than any other resource. Many elementary school teachers ask for leveled reading books to meet their students’ individual needs. Others want to diversify their libraries with books that reflect their students' identities. “The Hate U Give” and “Wonder” are among the most popular books requested this year, and e-readers have become a popular way to expand libraries beyond what the classroom bookshelf can hold.
Flexible Seating and Classroom Furniture
Many teachers credit flexible seating with transforming the classroom learning experience. Rather than rigid desks, students choose from comfy chairs, bouncy balls, bean bags or wobble stools, all designed to let students get those wiggles out so they can better focus on their work.
Technology
Because of rapidly evolving technology, 65 percent of children now entering primary school will hold jobs that don’t currently exist. Resources like laptops and tablets help students learn at their own pace and practice 21st century skills like coding. For example, coding robots and 3D printers are becoming some of the most popular items requested in high schools.
Back to the Basics
Many teachers simply need basic supplies: paper, pencils and tissues top the list. Last year, teachers requested enough pens and pencils to write the complete works of William Shakespeare more than 2,000 times.
Life Essentials
Another popular request is "hygiene closets," which allow teachers to provide students facing poverty with free toiletries to take home such as deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as laundry supplies and clean undergarments.
An Appreciation for the Arts
There are plenty of extracurricular activities at nearly every school that require care and compassion from the community. Drama teams, for example, require supplies to create music, perform plays and more. Donations often allow students to explore their artistic abilities while learning how to create sets, write their own scenes, use instruments and more while simultaneously building their management and teamwork skills.
Community Service
Not all learning must take place in a classroom. In fact, teachers across the country often take aim at new ways to engage students, such as integrating practical life into the daily curriculum through an outdoor learning environment like a community vegetable garden. By requesting composters, rain barrels, seeds, gardening tools and more, educators can take their classrooms outside to help make the planet healthier while students learn how to be healthier themselves. It also gives students an opportunity to give back to their community by donating food to local families in need.
Learn more about how you can make a difference for classrooms in need at www.donorschoose.org.
Source: Family Features, DonorsChoose.org and www.greereducationfoundation.org