Teachers Anonymous: 'I brought in my own mop and bleach'
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
A teacher who photocopies the entire math curriculum, cleans her school and even buys the paper towels.
Right now, my grade partner and I are photocopying the entire math curriculum for our students. Seriously.
Our school has hardly any books, and kids can't pass standardized tests without a math curriculum. So we're using paper donations to photocopy a sample math program that our school could not afford to purchase.
Teachers in the Philadelphia School District do not have access to the supplies we need to run a classroom, and we're expected to make up the gap out of our own pockets. We go out and buy our own supplies for science, social studies, reading. We're constantly on teacherspayteachers.com to find other resources.
I brought in my own mop and bleach the other day, because there's only two people cleaning our entire school, and we have two buildings. I'm buying paper towels. During my lunchtime or free time, after and before school, I'm sweeping, mopping, dumping trash.
We're asking parents for whatever help we can get, but we also have a shelter in our school's community, so teachers end up getting things for those children, too. I've bought school uniforms. I buy kids toiletries. At Thanksgiving time, I'm probably going to buy enough food to cook for my class, because not everyone gets a hot meal, you know?
A lot of these children are like my extended family. But I still have to support my own family.
When I first started teaching, I was so excited that I would probably spend about $3,000 a year. Now, I probably only spend about $1,000 because I'm wiser — I've learned to go to thrift stores, use what I can get, get donations.
Yesterday, I went to the thrift store and I bought about 5,000 envelopes — we use them to store things that the children cut out. And I was so happy that they were $1 a box, and it was 10 percent off.
I guess I'm grateful that I'm a little bit wiser about how to spend my money. I just wish it weren't this way.
✚Teachers Anonymous shares brief stories from Philly teachers and others that illustrate their daily lives working in a severely underfunded system. Email stories to emilyg@citypaper.net or by mail to Emily Guendelsberger c/o City Paper, 30 S. 15th St., 14th floor, Philadelphia, PA., 19102.
