Readin', Writin', and Donatin'

8/1/2007

WEDNESDAY

12 PM

Any minute now, the cicadas will start up, and you know what that means . Hate to break it to you, those of you out there for whom the academic calendar bears watching, but school starts soon.

School

According to this Plain Dealer story, quoting an education industry trade group, teachers spend an average $310 for school supplies, plus another $242 on instructional materials.

Answer me this: Is there a sadder sight anywhere than a teacher in line at Staples in August, whipping out a credit card?

If you re feeling like a good citizen, there s a great organization out there called DonorsChoose that would let you go even beyond helping out teachers looking to decorate bulletin boards. You can check out the group s Web site here where you ll learn that DonorsChoose is:

a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

Proposals range from "Magical Math Centers" ($200) to "Big Book Bonanza" ($320), to "Cooking Across the Curriculum" ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter.

DonorsChoose operates only in certain regions and states, and for the moment, sad to say, Ohio ain t one of them.

But need is need, right?

Hey, it s just a thought .