A teacher who spent over $4,000 of her own money to outfit her classroom explains why funding from schools for supplies just isn't enough

Wed, 01/10/2024 - 10:47

Photo of Nicole, who is a teacher — Nicole, a third-grade teacher, has spent thousands in the past few years on supplies, worksheets, and other items for her classroom.
Courtesy of Nicole

Teachers like Nicole buy items for their classrooms; she had spent at least $400 in 2023.
Nicole, a third-grade teacher, believes teachers need more money from schools for supplies and materials.
If teachers only spent what they were given, Nicole said it would make educators' lives even harder.

Nicole, a third-grade teacher in New York, has bought learning worksheets and activities, multiple bins for her classroom library, flashlights for reading time, and her computer chair for her classroom over the last few years. The money for those purchases largely came out of her own pocket.