Our PTA gives every teacher a gift card before school starts - can you ask if yours does that?

Seconding creating an Amazon wishlist and posting it on all your social media (with what you posted here) and making it sharable and asking ALL your friends and family to share it too. I've bought from the wishlists of friends of friends before.

Also, teachers post on Buy Nothing all the time and people LOVE to give away their things. I had a teacher take a beanbag for her classroom last summer.

Neighborhood list serve. Neighbors love to help and send donations for their neighborhood school. I’ll ask older teachers if they have anything to spare because you’re starting from scratch. Also start googling for grants. My sister gets a couple thousand in supplies each year. Just need to google/ research online. Granted last suggest more of a medium/long-term solution because it does take a few weeks to hear about awards.

Anonymous wrote:I worked in an elementary school as support staff for almost 20 years. One of the most popular and also effective teachers was a guy who had very little on his walls, bulletin boards, etc. I think he had a few sports posters and a toy basketball net hanging on the back of the closet door where on Fridays the kids shot baskets to win a homework pass. This was 4th grade.

The point is, he did great and nobody complained about his minimalist decor. If your students are early elementary I think you ought to let them create stuff to decorate your walls. Also, create your own calendar on a piece of poster board, maybe even build your own small bookcase or ask a friend to do it or help you with it, etc. Get a cheap rug at the goodwill store. And ask your fellow teachers for help and advice.

Most of all, stop crying. There will be plenty to cry about later once the school year starts, trust me.

I sort of agree. I’m surprised at what teachers spend money on. Kids don’t want or need all the decor items. You can get classroom books from the school library.

My classroom had special bean bag chairs, special shelves, extra cubbies, 3 different rugs, different balls for kids to sit on etc. It’s just not needed. Kids want you! Your enthusiasm and love of teaching.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just in tears, since I’m not currently getting paid, I do not have any extra funds. My coworkers are talking about buying legos for back to schooo night, wallets for their class cash, prizes for the treasure box. I can’t even afford a bookshelf to my books on! I don’t have decorations, posters, supply carts, organizers, clipboards….I don’t have anything and I don’t know what to do. I mean I always knew teachers had to spend some of their own money, but I never realized how much. It’s a low income school so we also have to make sure to have extra supplies on hand for the kids who do not bring anything. We also cannot ask parents to donate. I’m just so discouraged and have cried all day.

If you cried all day about such a petty matter, are you really emotionally stable enough to be teaching in a low income school? Seriously, you need to transfer to a school where the PTA has funds to help teachers decorate classes. Absent that, have the children decorate the class with you. Go into any real estate office, and they will have stacks of magazines that they will happily hand to you. Cut out pictures of flowers, birds, skies -- most of which are included in the photos You or the kids can pin them up or create paper chains out of colorful pictures from the magazines. Use some ingenuity. Instead of sobbing into those tissues, makes them into paper flowers.

Pictures from magazines? WTH. OP I know you need basic furniture and supplies, and I hope you can get them. Once you do, don't make the mistake of over-decorating your room. https://www.weareteachers.com/minimalist-classroom-design/

"A study at University of Salford, UK, explored how various environmental factors in the classroom impact students’ learning and achievement. As researchers examined 153 classrooms across the UK, they considered factors including lights, air, temperature, wall displays, and access to nature. Overall, the study found that the classroom environment played a major role in student learning: that students’ achievement increased when the visual stimuli was at a moderate level and suffered when the classroom environment was overwhelming.

Another study looked at achievement levels of kindergartners placed in either a well-decorated or a sparse classroom. Results showed that the students in the well-decorated classroom not only spent more time distracted from learning, but also performed lower on post assessments than their peers in the sparse room."

Too much decoration is so distracting and busy. You don't need any decorations. Alphabet, map, number chart. I missed what grade it is. You might need extra automatic pencil sharpeners, glue sticks, scissors, paper, coloring stuff. Dollar store has lots of stuff, and you can order bulk online but their crayons are awful.

I just want to reiterate that I’d love to donate things I have. So many people have shelves, wonderful books, etc that their kids have outgrown.

Others had great suggestions. You could probably make an Amazon wish list, and then post it to your Facebook and Nextdoor.

I worked in an elementary school as support staff for almost 20 years. One of the most popular and also effective teachers was a guy who had very little on his walls, bulletin boards, etc. I think he had a few sports posters and a toy basketball net hanging on the back of the closet door where on Fridays the kids shot baskets to win a homework pass. This was 4th grade.

The point is, he did great and nobody complained about his minimalist decor. If your students are early elementary I think you ought to let them create stuff to decorate your walls. Also, create your own calendar on a piece of poster board, maybe even build your own small bookcase or ask a friend to do it or help you with it, etc. Get a cheap rug at the goodwill store. And ask your fellow teachers for help and advice.

Most of all, stop crying. There will be plenty to cry about later once the school year starts, trust me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just in tears, since I’m not currently getting paid, I do not have any extra funds. My coworkers are talking about buying legos for back to schooo night, wallets for their class cash, prizes for the treasure box. I can’t even afford a bookshelf to my books on! I don’t have decorations, posters, supply carts, organizers, clipboards….I don’t have anything and I don’t know what to do. I mean I always knew teachers had to spend some of their own money, but I never realized how much. It’s a low income school so we also have to make sure to have extra supplies on hand for the kids who do not bring anything. We also cannot ask parents to donate. I’m just so discouraged and have cried all day.

If you cried all day about such a petty matter, are you really emotionally stable enough to be teaching in a low income school? Seriously, you need to transfer to a school where the PTA has funds to help teachers decorate classes. Absent that, have the children decorate the class with you. Go into any real estate office, and they will have stacks of magazines that they will happily hand to you. Cut out pictures of flowers, birds, skies -- most of which are included in the photos You or the kids can pin them up or create paper chains out of colorful pictures from the magazines. Use some ingenuity. Instead of sobbing into those tissues, makes them into paper flowers.

Pictures from magazines? WTH. OP I know you need basic furniture and supplies, and I hope you can get them. Once you do, don't make the mistake of over-decorating your room. https://www.weareteachers.com/minimalist-classroom-design/

"A study at University of Salford, UK, explored how various environmental factors in the classroom impact students’ learning and achievement. As researchers examined 153 classrooms across the UK, they considered factors including lights, air, temperature, wall displays, and access to nature. Overall, the study found that the classroom environment played a major role in student learning: that students’ achievement increased when the visual stimuli was at a moderate level and suffered when the classroom environment was overwhelming.

Another study looked at achievement levels of kindergartners placed in either a well-decorated or a sparse classroom. Results showed that the students in the well-decorated classroom not only spent more time distracted from learning, but also performed lower on post assessments than their peers in the sparse room."

Amazon wishlist
Buy nothing groups

Anonymous wrote:What school district are you in that does not have a bookcase/books in the classroom at the beginning of the year unless purchased by the teacher?

Many, many, many poor districts look like this until the teacher makes it somewhere to be. I've worked in schools without classroom libraries, schools without ANY curriculum, schools where teachers were limited to 100 copies per month, schools without enough desks and chairs and on and on and on. It's shocking, but so real.

Anonymous wrote:I’m just in tears, since I’m not currently getting paid, I do not have any extra funds. My coworkers are talking about buying legos for back to schooo night, wallets for their class cash, prizes for the treasure box. I can’t even afford a bookshelf to my books on! I don’t have decorations, posters, supply carts, organizers, clipboards….I don’t have anything and I don’t know what to do. I mean I always knew teachers had to spend some of their own money, but I never realized how much. It’s a low income school so we also have to make sure to have extra supplies on hand for the kids who do not bring anything. We also cannot ask parents to donate. I’m just so discouraged and have cried all day.

BTDT. Take all the suggestions in prior comments re: asking anyone and everyone for things you need. Go to your principal and ask if the school can give you anything. Sometimes schools have furniture (like shelves) that are unused in places you might not know about. Do facebook requests, Donorschoose, etc, etc. But it will take YEARS to build up what you truly need. Right now, don't worry at all about anything decorative. Really and truly, decorations don't matter. Good instruction is the most important thing. Hang in there. This is a really rough profession. But if you can survive it, and become skilled at it, you can do great things for kids.

OP, post on DonorsChoose. At the beginning of every school year, I look around on there for some local teachers and donate to them. I think others do, too.

OP, Fo not soend your own money. It is pathetic that your school put. You in this position. For decorations, you can print out posters. Good lucjk!

Anonymous wrote:I had the same problem my first year. My classroom was bare and I was shocked to find out I was expected to pay for decorations, supplies, and resources. I’m sorry it’s this way!

A couple of ideas:
- Ask other teachers if they have extra posters or supplies. An older teacher gifted me some of her posters and I now do the same for newer teachers.
- Consider low-cost but high-impact decorations. A new teacher at our school used tulle she got on clearance at a fabric store. She draped it on a wall and it was really effective.
- Does your school provide you with a mentor teacher, or is there someone there you feel comfortable reaching out to? Maybe there is a small budget you can tap to get some supplies. (I was told there isn’t my first year. Maybe you’ll have better luck? It’s worth asking if you haven’t already.)

I remember this stress and I’m sorry you are feeling it now. It will come together!

+1 Send out an all-staff or ask your mentor to do it for you, asking for any and all posters.

Also, does your school have a letter-making machine or a poster maker? I honestly don't even buy posters any more. I make them myself using Word or PowerPoint because mine are better (content) quality and using the colors/graphics that I want. The poster maker takes your 8.5x11 "poster" and turns it into a large scale poster. Then you can laminate it and it will last forever.

Additionally, you can usually find grade level Word Wall materials on your state's DoE website. Go to the teacher section of the state DoE website and you'll usually find lots of resources. You also can Google the grade level and word wall, and see what comes up. If you're an elementary teacher (legos are the clue) then go to Pintrest and look at what some of the teachers have on their boards, see if you can get some good ideas and create your own.

A teacher at our school takes colorful shower curtains, hangs them using Command Strip hooks and creates the most fun backgrounds for her story boards.

Finally, your school Finance Manager or Treasurer or Bookkeeper (depending on what they call this person in your district) usually is the holder of all supplies. She will have colored paper, colored pencils, glue sticks, et al. Go see what you can get.

Anonymous wrote:Buy nothing group.

+1 Facebook buy nothing. Post ISO and indicate you are a new teacher trying to build up your room.