Back in the early days of my teaching career, I had a position in brand new school building. So new, in fact, that we were neither allowed to staple nor pin posters to the walls. My room was outfitted with desks and empty bookshelves. As an avid reader, I knew I had to fill those bookshelves with inspiring reads for my sixth graders.
Like most teachers, I was on a serious budget that year and I think my lucky starts that the local thrift store took pity on me. When I lugged a basket of 50 books up to the register, the volunteer asked, “Are you a teacher?” While I’m sure it was the weary eyes, Expo Marker-stained hands and rumpled outfit that gave my occupation away, I was too loaded down to be impressed with her Sherlock Holmes routine. “I am a teacher and have exactly zero books in my classroom,” I answered.
Taking pity on me, the volunteer sold me all 50 books for $1. She assuaged my guilt in not paying more by assuring me that the going rate for used books was one basketful for a buck. I have no idea if that was true, but after each month’s pay day I’d drag another basket up to the register.
I think we can all agree that it shouldn’t have to be like this-teachers spending their hard earned money to just provide the basics for their students. Freebies and great deals are just two reasons I’ve been a Teachers Pay Teachers buyer nearly since its inception. I know that many teachers have their reservations about this website. If I can provide a teacher with a resource that supports learning at a reasonable price, it’s a win-win. And furthermore, earning a little money for the time I’ve spent creating the resources allows to me buy more resources for my classroom (including snacks to stash in my desk!).
In the spirit of back to school giving, here is one of my most loved free resources on TPT. Give the pic a click to download it for free!
Pick up this free, back-to- school themed slide template deck at TPT.
Crosswalk Curriculum 