Parents and children aren’t the only ones doing some back-to-school shopping. Some area teachers also stock up to make sure all their students have what they need. 7’s Gina Benitez has more on the “Price of an Education.”
Faith Brown has made her list and checked it twice. She’s not a parent; Faith is a first-grade teacher.
Faith Brown: “I buy everything that’s not nailed down.”
And all of this is just round one of her back-to-school shopping.
Faith spends her own money to make sure every child in her class has what they need to learn.
Faith Brown: “We buy uniforms, we buy shoes, we buy jackets — because at the end of the day, that’s somebody’s child, and you want to make sure they’re loved and valued.”
Her spending sprees have been getting attention since she posted about it on Facebook.
“And so it starts … #24boxesofcrayons #50compositionbooks #18pocketfolders,” the post read.
And the list went on. When it comes to reading, writing and arithmetic, each supply on her list has its purpose.
Faith Brown: “I’ve got books for math, journals.”
Faith said some of the supplies go to children whose parents just can’t afford them.
But she also buys for kids whose parents send them to school with excuses.
Faith Brown: “‘I’m not buying all of that. Why do you need that? I thought the school gave you everything you needed.’ That’s a good one; we hear that a lot. ‘Don’t you guys get money from the state? Why don’t you just use that?'”
Her message to parents: do the math.
Each year, she spends hundreds of dollars, well beyond her reimbursement from the school district.
Faith Brown: “Please bring the things. We do not take them home. In my house, I do not have your Kleenex wipes and your hand sanitizer stashed. We do not bring them home. We use them for your children.”
And children with the right tools have an easier time learning.
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