Reminder - Education is Underfunded

School is getting ready to start, and we are about to be hit with a gaggle of stories about how teachers are spending their own money on school supplies for their students. I generally know these stories to be true, as I am a former school teacher. Every late July or August for 7 long years, I would go to Target or United Arts & Education to load up on school supplies for my students. My meager $16XX/month, give or take, after taxes, insurance, etc., was expected to cover the supplies without reimbursement. Generally, I'd spend between $100 and $200. This was a small amount compared to many of my co-workers.

Please understand that $16XX/month doesn't go far when rent was $550, car payment was $400, cell phone was nearly $100, power was $100, gas was $50, etc. Taking between a hundred and two hundred bucks out was a major expenditure for me; after all, I could have taken my wife out to a nice dinner for that.

Alas, I spent the money on supplies for my students, who (often in concert with their parents) often resented my efforts to increase their literacy. And there is nothing special about me, except that I was perhaps less generous than my co-workers.

Please remember this as school starts this year, and please remember to be kind and supportive toward the teachers you encounter.