Even though school does not start for a few more days, teachers like Georgianna Madagan, a fourth grade teacher at West Zephyrhills Elementary School in Pasco County, are back early, prepping their rooms for success. While they do have a budget, it is not endless.
"I'll ask for donations but if I don't get what I need, I am going to make sure I have everything because I want them to have the best experience they can," said Madagan. "That's important to me. We always try to have a good start with things, but that doesn't mean it is going to last long."
Madagan says there are a few items teachers, especially elementary school teachers, could always use: pencils, erasers, white board markers, and composition notebooks.
"They seem to go through pencils like they are food," Madagan laughed.
They also could use items you may not think of like tissues and band-aids.
"Because a scratch means a band-air before we can move on with the lesson," said Madagan. Everyone gets a cold and then they share it with the class, so we are always running out of tissues."
While she says she will always spend her own money for her students, any little bit will help.
"When they make a connection in something they are learning and their smile, it's the best," said Madagan.
Teachers in Hillsborough County agreed with Madagan. They say they can always use extra pencils.
If you want to help teachers in Pinellas County, check out this list.
