CHESAPEAKE, Va. — For many parents, teachers, and students it probably feels like summer just started. Yet, with about a month and a half until school starts, some teachers are preparing early.
As teachers make "wish lists," they're reminded that they'll be spending a lot of their own money on supplies.
News 3 knows that this can be a burden, so we want to help local educators pay for their supplies through our Clear the List Campaign.
Last year Robin Rediger, a preschool special education teacher at Portlock Primary, won. I wanted to know what it meant for her classroom and students.
She tells me, "I don't think I would have had the supplies, and I wouldn't have been able to [afford it] if I didn't have Clear the List."
Clear the List helped Rediger make a sensory corner inside her classroom. The sensory corner is a quiet retreat for her students when they're feeling overwhelmed.
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"I had a sensory tent, I had a little ladybug, that was a sensory ladybug, that when the kids grabbed it vibrated. [I also had] weighted blankets," she says.
They may seem like small items, but Rediger says the cost adds up.
Though each dollar spent, she says, is worth it for her preschoolers and others at Portlock Primary.
"I had kids from other classrooms asking their teacher, 'Can I go calm down in the sensory corner?' They knew that would help them," she adds.
But what price do teachers pay for that help? According to the National Education Association, on average educators spend between $500 and $750 of their own money on classroom supplies.
These national statistics are on par with local teachers like Rediger.
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"People don't realize how much money a teacher spends in their own classroom," she says.
From larger sensory corners to keeping hand sanitizer filled, Rediger says it's not just a one-time cost and any help from the community directly supports the kids.
"The more people can help, the better we can help in the community -- and help these kids get the education that they need," she says.
Rediger is going into her 31st year of teaching. She says being a teacher is a blessing and helping kids be successful is why she shows up each day.
"I loved working with kids ever since I was little. That's what I wanted to do," she says.
You can help Clear the List through July 19th. To donate money, text 'teacher' to 50155. You can also donate at wtkr.com/clearthelist. WTKR will match the first $4,000 raised.
Help a teacher Clear their List today! News 3 will match the first $4000 raised!
