Mr. Drake, I appreciate your wish for teachers, that we
should not have to spend our own money on things for our classrooms. Of course it would be great to be reimbursed
for everything I buy to supplement curriculum, as well as those things we buy
to meet my students' basic needs when I notice specific areas are not being
met.
Of course, if this were to happen, it would affect taxpayers. You yourself remind us that the taxpayers
are the ones who pay us to work during specific hours of the day. Of course, they don't pay us to work on
weekends or summertime, and for most, not after 4pm on weekdays. Yet every teacher I know gives more of their
time beyond their contractual hours for free to plan lessons, mark papers, and
so on. And taxpayers certainly do not
give teachers carte blanche to spend money where they see fit. So although that's a nice dream for us
educators to have, it doesn't seem feasible.
And until that day that schools are given unlimited tax dollars,
situations arise, often on a weekly basis, where we see something is lacking,
and we have to step up and fill that need.
Fortunately, when it comes to meeting the ever changing
needs of the children in our care, the beauty of the internet and the free
marketplace is that we are never alone.
We can find bargains at the grocery store to stock up on snacks for our
students. We can peruse Pinterest for 17
do it yourself fidget objects for under $10 to help kids with sensory needs who
break the 3 we're issued at the start of the year by the second day of
school. And yes, on TPT we can purchase
engaging Fraction of a Set task cards when the lesson from our textbook is so
dull that half our class is asking to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water,
or see the nurse instead.
The fact is, not only do we need to be flexible when it
comes to caring for children, our curriculum is changing so fast (not just
every year anymore; in my own school our writing curriculum changed 3 times
during this school year) that we NEED to supplement resources beyond what the
schools have bought for us. We're going
to get it from somewhere. Some of it is
free, (both on Teachers Pay Teachers and other venues) and some is not. In a free, capitalist society, we all get
to/have to make choices when it comes to what we're willing to spend. Teachers are consumers too. Why wouldn't we be?
So if teachers have to be consumers like the rest of
society, why can't we pay for materials created by experts? And by experts, I mean other teachers. This too is the way of the world. In the last decade, reality TV has made
"regular people" into stars.
People don't just want to see professional actors in a role; they want
to see regular people and real reactions.
People aren't just getting their news from professional
broadcasters. They read blogs and
Twitter to get news faster, from people who are there, who are local, who have
perspective. People magazine named
"You" as "Person of the Year" because of the number of self-publishers who are garnering the attention of the masses who want hear "the common man's" view. So why wouldn't teachers turn to other
teachers who are coming up with creative solutions to challenges in their
classrooms?
In this day in age, online publishing is easy for everyone
(as you, Mr. Drake, a fellow blogger, can attest). Teacher Pay Teachers is not unique in that
regard. It's a shame that this is the
site that comes under fire by those who don't understand the real role of a
teacher. We are paid by the tax payers
to teach children. We are not hired to
publish games, advertise and promote products, or implement graphic design for
cover art, and those skills are valuable, not to be given freely. Our resources that are created on our own
time, with our own materials do not belong to the public, any more than the
dinner I make for my family belongs to the public. What I buy and make on my own time is my
business.
Just because "most teachers signed up for the job
knowing...[they] aren't paid what they're worth...[and] can't really raise a
family on the salary they're given" does not make teacher-entrepreneurs
criminals who are stealing from the tax payers.
Instead of condemning a site like Teachers Pay Teachers with
insinuations that teachers are doing something wrong by earning money by
publishing on there, try looking at what the site is actually doing from a
different perspective. What the site
actually is, is a place which promotes collaboration among teachers, current
materials during a period of rapid educational shifts, and yes, extra income
for teachers whose hobby is related to their field. Maybe, just maybe, teachers who love
educating enough to devote their free time to it should be applauded.
P.S., To my regular readers who look forward to weekly ideas for classroom use, a bunch of us on Teachers Pay Teachers have donated a product or two to a GIANT compilation for charity. All of the money earned from this product will be going to The One Fund, the organization endorsed by Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Tom Menino, to help the victims and families of the Marathon Bombing last week.
As a Massachusetts resident I was happy to help with this effort. I've donated my Substitute Teacher packet and my Fraction of a Set, Level 1 activity cards. The grades 3-6 Bundle contains 37 Products (valued at over $180) for $20. You can make your donation here at Michaela Almeida's site, The Center Based Classroom, and receive this bundle as a thank you.
Money bag and piggy bank graphics from OpenClipart.org.