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Kate Diaz, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, recalled this week a time during her teaching career when she bought a Barbie doll to make her lessons more engaging. Ta.
She said one of her colleagues helped her create a calculus model using Play-Doh.
For both projects, the money to purchase these items came out of teachers’ pockets, Diaz said.
According to a study by the American Association of Educators, teachers spend an average of more than $650 a year on supplies, which may include toys for innovative ideas, but also items like notebooks and markers for use in the classroom. This includes purchasing daily necessities.
This week, state Education Department officials announced a new $4 million investment aimed at giving thousands of educators the opportunity to pitch projects and have the state pay for supplies.
“Connecticut is home to outstanding educators and they deserve to be celebrated,” state Education Commissioner Charlene Russell Tucker said at a news conference Thursday at Highcrest Elementary School in Wethersfield. Stated. “Teachers work hard every day for their students, fostering a classroom environment where students are encouraged to be curious and take risks, and where student learning, growth, and well-being are always at the forefront. , underlines how important educators are and how deeply we value the work they do for our state’s students.”
The Connecticut Educator Support Funds Initiative was launched this week in partnership with DonorsChoose, a website that allows teachers to crowdfund classroom supplies and resources.
The Department of Education said eligible projects must prioritize “learning acceleration, academic innovation, student enrichment” or “the social, emotional and mental health of students and school staff.”
Pre-K through 12th grade public school teachers can apply for up to $1,000 worth of funding for each proposed project. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and eligible projects will be funded within one week of posting their request.
“We know that additional funding will enable us to think and act differently and, in some cases, will only further strengthen the opportunities we have seen and predicted in the classroom.” Diaz said. “These opportunities allow us to say, ‘Listen, we want everyone to have access. We don’t want decisions to be made based on teacher availability. We want everyone, everywhere to have access. We want people to get involved and have the opportunity to do things differently.”
Most of the existing posts on the DonorsChoose website ask for the purchase of classroom supplies such as dry erase markers, notebooks, pencils, and water bottles.
Other requests include scooter boards for physical education classes in Danbury, T-shirts and snacks for a student yoga club in Bridgeport, and headphones for state exams in Hartford.
Jessica Harkey is a reporter for the Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/). Copyright 2024 © Connecticut Mirror.
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