So, like most teachers, I was in a bunch of stores buying stuff for my classroom today. I always know what stores will have certain items the cheapest which of course means a lot of running around but it saves me a ton of money. I overheard a conversation and was wondering how many teachers have heard the same thing.
I went to Walmart because they have boxes of Crayola crayons for 25 cents at some point in August and they also have 2 packs of glue sticks for 50 cents (which will go down eventually but I have a hard time waiting). I had my cart full of supplies for my students and I walked up to an open register. Of course, I was feeling bad because I am one of those "crazy teachers" that has 50 2 packs of glue sticks (I swear the kids eat them) and 25 pencil boxes etc and I know people get mad when they get behind me in line. I looked up and saw this mother with her young son buying his school supplies. The mom looked at me then looked at her son and I hear her whisper "that's just too bad". I of course assumed she was talking about her getting in line behind the crazy teacher with all of her supplies. lol I kept adding my stuff to the pile so she didn't know that I was still listening. I then heard the boy say "what's too bad, mom?" and her response shocked me. She said "I can tell that she is a teacher and I think that it is really sad that she has to spend her own money on her classroom supplies".
I was surprised because I didn't think anyone but teachers knew how much we buy for our classes. Most of the time people just say "What a great job, you get the summers off and get to play all day." This mother showed me that some parents know how much we put in to our jobs...energy....love....passion...money etc.
So my question is...have any of you gotten comments or questions while back to school shopping this year?
I haven't had the chance to do my shopping yet, but hearing your story makes me anxious to get started. I have about 1.5-2 weeks until I have kids in my room. Your story made me smile though. It is encouraging to hear support for our profession. One thing I will say is that my boyfriend and his family have told me in the past year that being a teacher is a lot more work than they thought. He can appreciate what I do more when he sees me correcting papers, responding to emails, or working on grad school work to make myself better all while I am at home--not at work. It's a challenging profession but rewarding I think we'd all agree. There are some new things I am looking forward to buying and getting ready for the upcoming year. Thanks for the reminder :)
ReplyDeleteI have gotten comments like have a great year and we had volunteers come in today to help at school and they really appreciate what we do. It is so nice for those who do notice how much of our own money we spend to make their child feel comfortable I our room and ready to learn. I do know there are many out there though that do not appreciate what we do.
ReplyDeleteI have never gotten any comments, but I have met a lot of other teachers while in check out lines at stores like Wal-Mart and the dollar store. I don't think people realize how much money teachers spend like you said. I agree that too many people say that our job is great because we get summers off. I think our job is amazing, but not because we get summers off, because of the students that are there. I often tell people that comment about getting summers off saying you would need it also if you spent 8 hours a day with 30 kid who weren't yours! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of you! Thanks for the feedback! Good luck this year!
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