Now more than ever, teachers need our help. With many unknowns about the upcoming school year and limited funding for resources, they are working hard to prepare so they can successfully educate their students, virtually or in-person.

I give teachers major props. Most of us have adapted to this new way of life where we are working remotely from home, holding meetings and conferences virtually through social streaming platforms such as WebEx or Zoom, and balancing our personal lives with our professional lives amid a global pandemic. Teachers were thrown a curveball this year when schools abruptly shutdown while massive social distancing and state lockdowns took place in order to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 virus, learning to do the same as the rest of us but on a much larger scale. Many were learning on the fly how to reach their students remotely without all the necessary technological resources, and provide them with the same quality education that they would get if they were in the classroom. I watched as my fellow teacher friends worked tirelessly for hours to put together take-home packets for different units that they were working on so that students could still get the education they both deserve and need. They also learned how to manage a classroom virtually. I don’t know about you, but I have seen the attention span of adults on a WebEx call, and it can be minimal, so I can’t imagine a classroom of twenty-two 2nd grader’s all waving to their friends on video chat, playing with their dog at home, yelling at their siblings, and so on. I’ve heard countless stories about how hard it was to maintain the attention of the students via Zoom or WebEx while trying to teach a math lesson or science lesson, especially as we crept closer and closer to summer vacation, a time when students and teachers alike are feeling burnt out and ready for a long-awaited break and attention spans are running short. So again, I give all the teachers out there a huge round of applause for the work and effort you put in to ensure that students are still receiving an education, no matter how difficult - this post is for YOU!

A Long List of Supplies

Every year as teachers work through their school year, they are also figuring out what’s working, what’s not working, and what resources they are going to need to have a successful year in the next Academic Calendar year, and make a list of needs on Amazon. Come mid-summer they start ordering off their list, setting up their classroom, and preparing lesson plans as they get ready to welcome in a new group of students to teach.

In the latter half of this Academic Calendar year, teacher’s were put on the spot to immediately transition their teaching abilities through virtual platforms for all their students, as the country went on lockdown and the school’s shuttered their doors and moved to remote learning amid the COVID-19 global pandemic. As the country moves to reopen, the question around whether students will be going back to school has been one of the biggest questions, and it’s being addressed differently across every school district in every state, and whether that return will be virtual or in-person.

This summer some teachers are preparing to teach again from home, but many others are preparing to head back to the classroom. With many unknowns, teachers are reflecting on what they didn’t have when they were tossed into virtual teaching and what they need to be successful if they will be continuing to teach that way this year. Those who are preparing to head back to the classroom are working with several health and safety guidelines in place to keep everyone safe. With the current guidelines, students aren’t going to be allowed to share resources and will each need an individualized kit of supplies and learning tools that normally could be shared throughout the whole classroom. This is going to quadruple the amount of resources teachers will have to purchase this year and likely most of it won’t be able to be purchased through the school’s budget.

My goal this year is to ensure that the teachers who are going to be providing an education to students - virtually or in-person - have the resources they need to be successful and for their kids to be successful. Below is my call to action for my followers.

Clear The List - A Call To Action

In the last couple of years, there has been a huge movement to help support teachers and their classroom needs. Many of the resources that are found in the classroom are often purchased by the teachers themselves, not through the school budget. This movement calls for people to help purchase the items on a teacher’s Amazon Wish List in order to help them fill their classrooms with the supplies needed each year. The items on this list can vary from books to pens and pencils to supply the kids with, arts and crafts supplies, equipment, classroom organizers, notebooks, and other supplemental learning tools.

This year I am asking my friends, family, and follower’s to help clear the lists of fellow teachers and support their classroom needs for the 2020-2021 Academic School Year. Even the smallest contribution will help! Below I have the list of one teacher in need this year and as I get more Amazon Wish Lists I will continue to update this post.

Let’s Clear the List!

Miss Sloper - Early Intervention Teacher, Camden, NY

Meet Chelsea, she is an Early Intervention Teacher at an elementary school in Camden, NY. Below is her Amazon Wish List filled with reading materials for her students, supplies to help keep herself, her classroom, and her students safe and healthy, as well as supplemental lower-level materials to help get her students back on track after this year.

We All Get By with a Little Help From Our Friend's

Are you a teacher preparing for the 2020-2021 Academic School Year? Do you have a long list of supplies and resources you need to help you and your students have a successful school year? Send me a small bio, a picture or two, and your Amazon Wish List to contact@lifeunderpressureblog.com and I will add your list to this post and my social media! Know someone who is a teacher that you want to be featured? Send me their list too!