Classroom crusaders

COEUR d’ALENE — A wish list handed to the Teacher Fund soon becomes a reality of classroom dreams come true.

"I can’t afford to equip my classroom with some of the cool things that other teachers do have without writing grants," Borah Elementary fourth grade teacher Teresa Armstrong said Thursday.

Earlier this month, the Teacher Fund once again stepped up for public education in North Idaho by donating $10,000 in school supplies to Borah, a school with about three quarters of a population that receives free and reduced lunch assistance. The state average is about 50%.

"They said, 'Fill out this form with whatever you want and we’ll make that happen for you,'" Armstrong said. "It was really, really cool. I’ve never experienced something like that as a teacher. I've been in the Coeur d'Alene School District 14 years and I’ve never experienced that."

Armstrong received items including dry erase markers, stools, trays, organizational tools and exercise balls.

"I also got things like clipboards so kids can work around the room if they need to, not just sitting at their seats," Armstrong said. "They're $5 each sometimes, and I just can't afford things like that."

Formed in early 2019, the Teacher Fund is a nonprofit of philanthropic young professionals whose own educational experiences have motivated them to give back to teachers and support the classrooms where future leaders are taking shape.

Since inception, the Washington-based organization has raised $34,253 to partner with four schools, fund 31 teachers and impact 973 students.

"We had a great fundraising year last year. We supported just three teachers last fall and we wanted to open it up to the rest of the school this spring, so we gave the opportunity to every teacher to write down their classroom wish list," Teacher Fund co-founder Joel Wasserman said. "Now we’re moving into the phase where we want Borah to be able to tell incoming teachers, 'Hey, if you're a new teacher, the Teacher Fund will help you fund your classroom so you don’t have to fund it yourself.'"

In general, teachers don't receive a ton of building budget money to fund classroom supplies for an entire school year. Many have to dip into their own bank accounts to pay for things beyond those budgets.

To have support from the Teacher Fund, Armstrong said, "made us feel really validated and really appreciative of everything they did."

Wasserman said he and Teacher Fund co-founders all have teachers they look back on as mentors and role models.

"We’re all a bit fed up with the lack of appreciation that public school teachers get," Wasserman said. "They're the backbone of society and they deserve much more than they receive."

He said the hope is that by doing small things that mean a lot to the teachers, those big impacts are passed on to the students, creating better learning environments all around.

"Our teachers and students were blessed two times this year by the Teacher Fund," Principal Kristina Davenport said. "Initially, they supported our new-to-Borah teachers and then came back around and supported all of our classroom teachers. The sheer joy that they brought to our teachers in an extremely challenging year was truly a sight to behold. We are extremely grateful for their generosity and support our students and teachers."

Wasserman said the plan is for the Teacher Fund "to continue spreading our umbrella to reach more elementary schools in the Coeur d’Alene area."

Info: www.theteacherfund.com