It’s back-to-school shopping season, and not just for parents. A whopping 98 percent of teachers are responsible for purchasing their own classroom supplies without being reimbursed, the New York Times reported. And it’s no small sum: Teachers who had to buy their own supplies spent an average of $479 of their own money to stock their classrooms, according to the same article.
Crowdfunding sites like Donors Choose have provided teachers with an alternative for raising the money they need for supplies, and this year, Courtney Jones, an elementary school teacher in Texas, is making it even easier for people to support educators.
Last month, Smith launched a social media campaign via the hashtag #clearthelists, giving the public the opportunity to donate money and supplies to teachers across the country. “What it is is a bunch of teachers who originally got together to support other teachers by gifting each other things off of our Amazon wish lists,” she says in a video released on YouTube about the project.
How to donate
If teachers are unsure about how to create an Amazon wish list, Jones has an explainer video for that as well. Once teachers have created their list, they can share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the #clearthelists hashtag.
If you’re interested in helping, just search for #clearthelists on social media, find a teacher’s campaign, and donate away. You don’t necessarily have to clear a teacher’s entire list yourself: Purchasing even one item can make a big difference.
The Frugal Father 