TAMPA, Fla. — School classrooms will look a lot different this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety measures are being debated across the country.
In Tampa Bay, each county has pursued its own re-opening plan. One thing will definitely look the same this fall for teachers – expensive supplies.
“A lot of students come with some things. A lot of them might come with some pencils but if we ask for notebooks or binders they don’t come with those types of things,” said Nicole Sullivan.
Sullivan, along with her husband, Tim, met in 2015 while working at a school in New York. Soon after they moved to Florida and began working at Reddick Elementary. They currently teach fourth grade and are concerned about the financial cost of getting back in a classroom during a pandemic.
“In the past, as a community, we have always shared resources. But times being what they are, we can no longer share resources. Every student has to have their own resources,” said Tim.
Kids will not be allowed to share school supplies in 2020 due fears concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. That makes outfitting a classroom tougher than usual. Tim estimates he spent upwards of $150 out of his own pocket last school year to make sure his classroom was fully stocked. He guesses that around 80 percent of kids at Reddick – a Title I school – don’t come to class with the requisite school supplies each year.
So, the couple, along with dozens of other teachers in Hillsborough, have formed a Facebook group to try and get teachers “adopted” by members of the community. Those interested in adopting a teacher sign up to help offset the cost of things like crayons, paper, scissors and more necessary items for classrooms this fall.
“A lot of people out there want to help but they don’t know what to give to teachers,” said Tim. “All teachers care and want to give the tools to their students that they need to be successful.”
“This group is for teachers in Hillsborough County and for community members who want to support them,” reads the page description. “Teachers will share their needs, specifically their needs pertaining to the notion that they are now teaching in a pandemic. If we are asking our teachers to step back into the classroom, in the midst of a pandemic, for OUR children...the very least we can do is support them as they do it.”
The group, which currently has over 8,300 members, is made up of teachers of all ages. Many have posted personal Amazon wish lists in the comments section hoping for some help. Others have offered up used books for trade.
Click here to learn more about adopting a teacher.
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