Teachers DO Change Lives (Office Depot)
For as long as I can remember, being a teacher was all I wanted to do with my life. I forced my younger brother to play school (he agrees now that it’s probably why he’s so smart), made fake worksheets to fill out for my fake students, and received old workbooks from my elementary school teachers who knew I had a passion for education — even at 9 and 10 years old.
When the time finally came for me to enter the classroom and have real students, I was beyond excited. And, I must say, I rocked that classroom. Eleven years later, I decided to leave the face-to-face classroom for the sake of my own children. I still teach online, and I still work with teenagers directly. There is something a little different about the online world compared to the in-person world.
This past fall, I stepped back in to a “real” classroom again, and I still had it. I still had the excitement, the drive, the passion, and the joy. My students had me smiling the entire time.
Too often, teachers feel like they don’t make any sort of difference. Believe me. When you are “pushing paper” constantly or attending meetings or trying to write lesson plans that cater to the latest educational fad, you can begin to feel like you aren’t doing anything right or worthwhile.
I know this to not be true, though. Since my first day of teaching, I’ve had students come back to tell me that I was influential in their lives. I’m friends with several on Facebook, and several will message me to ask for help on an English conundrum. I know that I made a difference.
It was (and is) hard, though, to accomplish really creative lessons in the classroom with limited supplies. I was comfortable enough and wily enough to make do with what I had. We used old magazines and recycled paper for crafty stuff. We had old chalk for poetry on the sidewalks of the school. But not every creative lesson could get by on these small items. Sometimes, I needed more supplies, and many of them weren’t supplied by the school due to budget cuts or concerns.
Office Depot has a great program called “Adopt-A-Classroom.” Teachers can register in the database for parents or supporters to adopt their classroom to get help with needed supplies. Check out the information below:
- How to Register Your Classroom as a Teacher
- Go to Teachers Change Lives website (http://clvr.li/1emq4KF)
- Click on the red box that says “Register Your Classroom,” which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website
- Follow the corresponding steps from there
- How to Donate to a Teacher
- Go to Teachers Change Lives website (http://clvr.li/1emq4KF)
- Click on the teal “Donate to a Teacher” box on the Teachers Change Lives website (http://clvr.li/1emq4KF), which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website
- Follow the corresponding steps from there
Do you know any teachers who deserve some appreciation? Are you one of those teachers?
And for those of you feeling like you aren’t appreciated enough, watch this beautiful video that brought me to tears. Even just making a kid feel loved or beautiful can make all the difference:
Who was your favorite teacher? Tell me about him or her in the comments!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
My 10th grade English teacher was awesome. She was easy to learn from, and even after I was no longer in her English class, she was a teacher that I would just stop by to chat with. I had her for a few other free periods (I think it was like “study hall” or something) and she was just a great teacher. One of the only ones that really stand out from my high school years.
Well, she was probably awesome because she taught high school English, right? 🙂
What a great post! Teaching is a profession that most directly impacts children. They make ALL the difference!
Thank you for posting!
Thank YOU for recognizing the importance of teachers!
What a great program. I agree that so many teachers are key to changing the lives of so many children. Unfortunately, my daughter has been let down a bit by the public school system due to her dyslexia, but we are looking forward to a private school next year. We know these teachers will change her life forever.
I hope that she has a better experience. Not everyone can be the best teacher, unfortunately.
Wear a Great program.
My 4th grade teacher Mrs Powell has always been there for me. She came to my wedding, my baby blessing & baptisms, even my Grandfather’s funeral. She helped open the door to my creativity. I can name all my teachers by name. I’ve only had one or two teachers that stood out as uninterested & hurtful. I’m assuming it had to do with their own personal dealings, so no hard feelings there.
I have teachers that I’m still in touch with, too. My 12th grade history teacher actually became a co-worker and then subbed for me when I went out on maternity leave.
My favorite teacher was my choir teacher in High School. She was a tiny woman but man oh man you did not want to cross her! She taught us music and taught us responsibility for our own actions. She also showed me that you stand up for yourself and what you believe in because no one should be able to take that from you.
What an awesome lesson. Sounds like she was the real deal. 🙂