First Day Back

Today was the first day for teachers to report to school for the 2010-11 academic year. I was excited to return to visit with those I had not seen for the entire summer and ready to get the year started on the right foot.

I really am fortunate to work in a place that values play and fun as much as we value hard work and dedication to our students. Without the play portion of our day, our jobs would be much more difficult than they already are.

This year will not be absent of difficulties and challenges - the biggest one being a lack of instructional funds. This means that it will be difficult to supply much of what I do in the classroom on a regular basis. I'm fortunate that I have a few willing donors who support my students with a financial donation on regular basis. Without them, I'm not sure how I would be able to do what I do.

So far, I've purchased the following:

1. 25 composition notebooks
2. 50 spiral notebooks
3. 200 pencils
4. 5 packs of colored pencils
5. 10 packs of crayons
6. 25 glue sticks
7. 100 pocket folders
8. 25 dry erase markers
9. a set of multi-colored Sharpie markers
10. 2 reams of copy paper
11. 1 ream of card stock

This is just the beginning of a long list of supplies through the year. I do a lot of non-traditional teaching, so there will be cooking supplies to purchase, costumes, and of course, books. We are very limited on our copies this year, so I'll be purchasing copies and copy paper as well. $13 will buy me 1,000. I don't do much copying, but there are essentials (newsletters, parent letters, assessments, rubrics, etc.) that MUST be printed.

I'll make it through the year, and I'll succeed, but for once, I'd like to not have to spend a fortune out of my pocket. But, I will do what needs to be done for the success of my students.