Being a teacher is hard work. It involves emotionally and mentally preparing yourself for the different learning styles of 30 or more children every day. And if anyone asks you, “Why?” You tell them you love it. You love your job, you love your students, and you love to teach them every day.
There are ways the world can help to support teachers who spend their free time and money to make sure our children have a fun and safe environment in which to learn. If you are a teacher or know of any educators who deserve support in and outside the classroom, keep reading to find other ways to support educators in 2018.
Discounts for Educators
Many businesses give teacher discounts and offer educator rewards programs. These programs can include discounts such as 10 to 15% off at craft stores, bookstores, retail stores and more. Click here for a total list of shops and businesses that offer discounts to teachers with valid Teacher Identification in 2018. In regards to reward programs, Homes for Heroes gives you, as an educator, money back on your home purchase when you work with a Homes for Heroes affiliate real estate agent. For every $100,000 you spend on a house, Homes for Heroes will write you a Hero Rewards® check for $700. It’s our chance to say thank you for your service. Sign up here for free to learn more about how you can take advantage of this awesome program! With the Good Neighbor Next Door Program, teachers have the opportunity to purchase HUD homes at a 50% discount, as long as you live in that house for three years.
How You Can Support Educators
Technology in the Classroom
With technology and information constantly changing, it’s difficult for schools to keep up. Textbooks are costly and a lot of book manufacturing companies, like Pearson, are moving to online resources. You can help educators by writing a grant for tablets or computers in the classroom. You can also donate refurbished technological items to your local school. As those devices start to wear out from being used on a daily basis by students, there become fewer tablets and computers available. If there are computer labs in the school, devices need to be updated or replaced. Do what you can, or donate what you can to bring technology to your teachers and their students.
Donate Books
A teacher will never say no to donated books. Teachers will often use their own money to buy books from used bookstores, garage sales, and secondhand thrift shops. Educators can’t seem to pass them up. If you have extra books that are school age appropriate, donate them to your local school. If you have other books that you can trade in at a used bookstore, give those books to the teacher to trade. If the bookstore has credit options, exchange the books for a gift card and give it to the teacher. If you have an incomplete set of Encyclopedias, donate them to your local school. You’d be amazed at how useful they can be for research, crafts, and even teaching kids how to spell.
Volunteer in the Classroom
Volunteering in your student’s classroom is one of the most amazing experiences you can have. Not only will you help the educator who teaches your child on a daily basis, but you’ll also get to see how hard they work. It gives you a new perspective on teachers. Being in the classroom with a teacher while they work with thirty or more students at a time can be eye-opening. Volunteering can involve making copies, stapling and hole-punching packets, organizing papers that are ready to grade, or even washing down tables and rearranging a bookshelf. Every little bit makes a huge difference in the day of a teacher.
Offer A Kind Word
When you meet an educator for the first time, focus on your positive experiences from the past. When teachers tell people what they do for a living, they often get stories about how the other person hated that subject or didn’t have good teachers. Teachers understand that you may not have enjoyed the subject they teach, but they also know that if you were in their class, you would have loved it.
If you find out you’re talking with an educator, find something positive to say. Think back to the times when you had a teacher you loved and pretend the educator standing in front of you is exactly like that. Ask them if they love teaching and they will tell you, “Absolutely.” Offer to donate your used books to their classroom and watch their face light up with appreciation.
Be an Example for Your Student
When you show respect for others, your student learns from you and will emulate that behavior inside the classroom. If you disagree with an educator, work with them to solve the issue instead of placing the blame on their shoulders. This small gesture will help show your student how to problem solve in a positive way, inside and outside of the classroom.
Give A Simple Thank You
When you see military personnel, you tell them, “Thank you for your service.” They risk their lives to save others. Teachers also save lives; the lives of thousands of students who need help reading, and writing, and believing in themselves.
When your child walks into their classroom, teachers become invested in your student’s future. Teachers are there in the background whispering to your child, “You can do it!” They are there, helping your child to realize their potential. They will be the first to stand up and applaud when your student walks across the platform at graduation. When you see them, tell them, “Thank you.”
If you know a teacher or are an educator, you know how important education is to our country and our neighborhoods. By giving your support to your local teachers and schools, you are showing your appreciation. Teachers work hard every day because they love their students and they know how vital a positive role model can be.
