Teachers are an invaluable asset to any society. Our children are our future, and, without teachers, that future seems dim.
In states like Oklahoma, educational prospects are looking gloomy for both teachers and students alike.
With budget cuts, many teachers are leaving the state in order to find better employment elsewhere. Tulsa Public Schools superintendent Deborah Gist says:
“There are a lot of things we do to mitigate the costs [for teachers] but unfortunately it’s tough everywhere and it’s tough in Oklahoma especially.” She reveals, “I actually left the state about 30 years ago to teach in Texas for the same reason that many teachers leave Oklahoma to teach in other states now.”
And it’s not just the teachers who are suffering.
The Oklahoma Education Coalition reports that Oklahoma’s student-to-administrator ratio is 42nd in the nation, claiming, “Oklahoma could hire 300 more administrators and still not reach the national average.”
These stats are no doubt directly related to the fact that the state also ranks 43rd nationally in per-student spending.
While this makes a depressing setting for Oklahoma teachers, one educator was not about to let the budget cuts get her down.
Teresa Danks has been a teacher for the past 12 years.
Earning an annual salary of about $35,000, the teacher is forced to shell out $2,000 of her own money every year in order to cover the cost of class supplies— some of the items being as basic as staples and disinfectant wipes.
After spending the majority of her summer perusing yard sales and thrift shops in an attempt to cut costs, Teresa’s husband came up with an interesting idea.
“He kind of jokingly said, ‘You could always make a sign and go on the corner like panhandlers.’ I said, ‘You know what? I think I’m going to do that. That’s a great idea.”
Despite being a bit nervous, Teresa planted herself at a busy intersection corner with a sign reading:
“Teacher Needs School Supplies! Anything Helps!”
Within 10 minutes, she had collected $50 and overwhelming community support.
She describes the experience, telling ABC News:
“It just felt so scary, but it was a wonderful feeling to hear people being so supportive of teachers. The one that choked me up the most was a girl in her 20s who said, ‘Teachers like you are the reason I’m alive today.'”
Teresa got national headlines for her panhandling routine and created a meme, which she has since posted to Facebook. The caption reads: “Doing whatever it takes to get our kids what they need.”
As a result of the positive support, she has also created a GoFundMe— which has earned over $27,000 to date— and a Facebook page called “Begging for Education”.
Deborah Gist, superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools supports Teresa’s decision, telling ABC News:
“I think what our teacher has done here is to [speak out] in a way that not only helps her with extra money for her classroom but makes a point too. She is getting to a really serious need, and I think that’s a pretty smart thing to do.”
If you’re wondering how you can help your local teachers, Teresa has a few suggestions:
“I would say go to your local schools and find out what they need. It could be as simple as getting them a bean bag chair or a border for their bulletin boards, but we need the community to help us step up and educate our children because they are our future leaders.”
What a creative way to spread awareness for the cause!
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