The Cost of Caring: Teachers Funding Their Own Classrooms in an Underfunded System

By Reese Watson

If you look back on your days in elementary school, you probably remember your teachers extravagantly decorated bulletin boards, stacks of books, and endless supply of Crayons, markers, or colored pencils. However, something you may not have known is that over 90% of teachers spend their own money on supplies, with the average cost of somewhere between $500 and $750 being spent out of their pockets on their classrooms.

My mom began teaching in the 90's, and throughout the years, education has definitely evolved. And now, more than ever, I’m beginning to realize how much time and money─not only my mom, but all─teachers invest in the classroom in order to create a comforting, supportive, and interesting environment for all of their students.

The following pictures were taken in my mom’s second grade classroom and highlight what she’s bought and/or created out of her own pocket and time to support her students and their futures.

Posed in a group: individual whiteboards, clipboards, Expo markers, as well as old, torn-up t-shirts and handmade crochet circles used as erasers, all bought or made by the teacher. The clipboards and whiteboards are suffering from severe wear and tear from being thrown or drawn on just within the past couple years.

The following picture is of what some would see as a regular stack of books; however to me, they’re most definitely not. Around 65% of the books featured in my mom’s school library were once found on the shelves in my bedroom and were read to my sisters and me when we were little. This stack of books was taken from just one of her three shelves, and yet these were the same books that I learned to read from, showcasing how, in order to offer a bigger variety to students, teachers must use what they have.

This is the bulletin board in front of my mom’s classroom. Every piece of decor you see, for example, the sign that says “wow words'' or “read,” was bought by her. Not only were those things bought or made, but then you would also have to pay for lamination in order to create longevity.

Nothing is more important to an elementary teacher than posters and t-charts. However, depending on how many you use or want, the average two pack of the Post-It brand costs fifty dollars.

This is another bulletin board, which sits above the kids' cubbies. On them are handmade posters and even a piece of artwork in the left-hand corner that was painted by me when I was in the second grade. This is another example of the extra work and money being put into the classroom.

In this cabinet are blankets used during special days, usually Fridays, where the kids are able to grab a blanket and cuddle up while reading. Each of these blankets were taken from my house, and I used them at some point in my life.

In these cabinets lie all sorts of puzzles, games, and even two tubs of Legos. Teachers are provided with things like this, yet, they are frequently used for educational activities, fun Fridays, and even indoor recess. All of the Legos were mine when I was little, as well as a good amount of the games, and all the puzzles were purchased by my mom.

A closer look into one of the cabinets.

These cabinets sit above the classroom sink. In them are tubs full of supplies, along with crafting materials, and cleaning supplies. Underneath are pictures, garlands, and soap bottles. All of the decoration was purchased, as was the majority of the material in the cabinets. Without some of these materials, the classroom wouldn’t be as welcoming or accommodating to the students.

A look at the cabinet in the top right corner. In it are cleaning supplies brought from our house, as well as essential oils and pots.

This is the main bulletin board of her classroom, which has a mint background, a book border, and a focus nametag. Every piece of decor was bought by my mom, while the calendar has sticky note numbers because the real number tags fell off earlier this past year. The entire total for this bulletin board decor would come out to $41.51, according to an education supply store.

Within these cubbies are book bags, which carry the kids books, binders, or notebooks. Each bag was bought by mom and hand tye-dyed for decoration. On Amazon, these canvas bags are $24.39 for a pack of fifteen, not to mention the average bottle of dye being $5.49, as well as the hours of her personal time that went into the dyeing.