After the 2008 recession, cuts in educational spending left many teachers opening up their own wallets for basic school supplies like dry-erase markers and printer paper. In fact, a study found that 99.5 percent of teachers paid an average of $485 out of their own pockets last year (and we already know that our country’s teachers don’t make a lot of money).
But as Good News Network reports (via ABC 7), Google has alleviated this financial burden for 604 Bay Area teachers. How so? By forking out $600,000 to help these educators entirely fund special projects geared toward helping their students learn.
Some teachers hadn’t received money from their school district for new supplies for five years. After posting their requests on the website Donors Choose, Google stepped in with a donation that replaced the old stuff and dated material.
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Oakland High School teacher Payton Carter received graphic novels to help his students get more interested in reading. “They want stuff that is interesting, where pictures tell the story, too,” he told the local TV station. “It can help them figure it out.”
Other gifts ranged from basic school supplies such as dividers, binders and white boards, to more technological gifts like iPads and even a remote-operated submersible for students to help build and study. Google’s gesture sounds like a wonderful way to help teachers the provide tools needed to help students succeed.