Low-Income Students Need your Help! UPDATED

posted by Katha Pollitt on 10/21/2009 @ 11:36am

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The school year is well underway, and most of you know how savage the budget cuts have been. Excellent teachers who care about their students –yes, they exist! --are struggling along without proper books, supplies, and equipment. Classroom libraries lack books, science labs lack materials, art programs lack the most basic supplies-- like paint!

In wealthy suburbs, affluent parents help fill the gap, but schools in low-income neighborhoods can't raise extra funds that way. Result: We expect students to achieve more than ever – and that's a good thing – but we don't provide the tools they need and too often can't afford to purchase for themselves: review texts for AP classes, graphic calculators, class sets of novels, even basic items like notebooks.

You can help! On my Giving Page at www.donorschoose.org you can chip in to help buy a cello for an elementary-school music class in Mississippi, a class set of Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" for an AP English class in Washington DC, review books for an AP psychology class in New York City, art supplies for "at-risk" middle-schoolers in North Carolina --and much more.

We hear a lot about ineffective, ill-prepared teachers, but the ones who put themselves out on www.donorschoose.org are the ones who desperately want their students to succeed and who, through no fault of their own, need our help to get the tools to do their job.

Can you help? You can give any amount -- even $5! Small donations add up. No funds to spare right now? Send the link to your lucky friends, post it on your blog or Facebook page.

Every child should have an opportunity to play a musical instrument, read great books, take challenging courses, and learn in a safe, well-equipped classroom. You can help make it happen!

BONUS: send me your receipt for $50 or more for a project on my Giving Page and I will send you a signed copy of The Mind-Body Problem, my new book of poems.

UPDATE: Thank you, Kelli from Santa Clarita, who is helping to purchase copies of "Guns, Germs and Steel" for a Global History honors class in a NYC school where 90% of the students qualify for free lunch. And thank you, Laura from Ithaca, who donated to fund review texts for an AP calculus class in a NYC high-poverty school AND also to buy paint for an art class in a high-poverty North Carolina middle school that focuses on "at risk" kids.

Note to commenters: It's great that you know all about what's wrong with the public schools (sarcastic eye roll), including teachers' poor "preperation" (like in spelling?), but what about chipping in to help kids who are in school right now and who have no say in school budgets or education policy or the priorities of teachers' unions?

You can light a candle AND curse the darkness. How about it?

Comments (24)

The best way to help Low-Income Students, and it doesn't even involve your money, is to push for more charter schools and vouchers. Break the stranglehold of the NEA and other `teachers' unions on urban public school systems.

It isn't the lack of money! Expenditures per student has risen every bit as much as healthcare and don't cry me any river that teachers today, are underpaid!

Posted by Happy at 10/21/2009 @ 2:31pm
Happy, it may interest you to know that the teachers at my second-grader's charter school in St. Paul, which has some of the highest test scores in Minnesota, are lockstep in solidarity with their union. Teacher unionism isn't the problem. And no, I don't think schools are necessarily underfunded either, at least not chronically so.

Posted by DP in TC at 10/21/2009 @ 3:34pm
Happy, it may interest you to know that the teachers at my second-grader's charter school in St. Paul, which has some of the highest test scores in Minnesota....

Posted by DP in TC at 10/21/2009 @ 3:34pm

so, your kids go to a charter school, good for you and her/him! So, why not help push charter schools everywhere? Teachers' unions, your charter's teachers notwithstanding, are the single biggest obstacle....and guess which party they fund?

Posted by Happy at 10/21/2009 @ 3:46pm
I have watched education get progressively starved in Pennsylvania for 40 years. When I was a college student in the 60s, the State funded 57% of higher education at stqte-related colleges and schools. The most recent years are on the order of 36%, The money has gone primarily to fund health care for the poor and elderly. This is a choice, and the same cash can't be used to cover both fields. Education needs to be a higher priority, but are you willing to follow thru on the implications.

John D. Froelich

Posted by balataf at 10/21/2009 @ 4:05pm
Teachers Unions and liberal biased social engineering has destroyed public school systems all over the U.S.A. and will continue to do so. Why should the taxpayers pour more money into this "bottomless pit" producing exponentially poorer results than Christian schools, the Home schooling trend that consistently out scores everyone else on ACTs and SATs, and the charter school ideas.

Some children excell in spite of their public education but they are the very small percentage of exceptions!

Posted by BigPasture at 10/21/2009 @ 5:50pm
No money for students, because the Government need money for 2 wars.And the current budget deficit is over 1-4 trillion dollars.

Posted by Dastu11 at 10/22/2009 @ 04:12am
As I've mentioned before, the champions of education in the OECD countries are the Finns.

But in Finland, the rate of teacher unionization is over 90%, much higher than in the United States.

Unions aren't the problem.

Posted by JakobFabian at 10/22/2009 @ 08:16am
The unions always say it is because of poor teacher pay, but not even Obamanations Sec. of Ed. buys that stupidity, he blames college preperation!

Posted by BigPasture at 10/22/2009 @ 08:37am
......in Finland, the rate of teacher unionization is over 90%, much higher than in the United States.

Unions aren't the problem.

Posted by JakobFabian at 10/22/2009 @ 08:16am

Are you seriously suggesting what works in Finland, a nation of ~5 million (btw, the size of Houston), will work in the US, or even just (your state)?

More on Finland, from Wiki:

The population is aging with the birth rate at 10.42 births per 1,000 population, or a fertility rate of 1.8.[21] With a median age of 41.6 years, Finland is one of the oldest countries;[22] half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old. Like most European countries, without further reforms or much higher immigration, Finland is expected to struggle with demographics, even though macroeconomic projections are healthier than in most other developed countries.

Posted by Happy at 10/22/2009 @ 09:45am
Unions aren't the problem.

Posted by JakobFabian at 10/22/2009 @ 08:16am

Right you are. Uneducated blithering idiots repeating the GOP party line are the problem. Thay dont wont nobody gittin nuthin they dint git. Skule terns kidz into illetist librols.

Posted by Wolfgang1 at 10/22/2009 @ 3:40pm
After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: 'Let me see if I've got this right. 'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. 'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. 'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. 'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams. 'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. 'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. 'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY?

Posted by BigPasture at 10/23/2009 @ 02:39am
More on Finland, from Wiki:

The population is aging with the birth rate at 10.42 births per 1,000 population, or a fertility rate of 1.8.[21] With a median age of 41.6 years, Finland is one of the oldest countries;[22] half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old. Like most European countries, without further reforms or much higher immigration, Finland is expected to struggle with demographics, even though macroeconomic projections are healthier than in most other developed countries.

Posted by Happy at 10/22/2009 @ 09:45am | ignore this person | warn this person

I'm sorry, Happ, but I still don't see what these particular stats have to do with whether teacher unionization rates, like those of Finland,are a good or bad thing for the U.S.

i.e.,

What is the connection between these demographic data and the goodness/badness of union membership for educators?

Posted by schnellerheinz at 10/23/2009 @ 8:49pm
What is the connection between these demographic data and the goodness/badness of union membership for educators?

Posted by schnellerheinz at 10/23/2009 @ 8:49pm

I am not the one to drag Finland's wonderfulness of teachers' union into the thread. I stated the simple fact it's the teachers unions IN THE US standing in the way of real school reform and choice!

Posted by Happy at 10/23/2009 @ 11:59pm
"It isn't the lack of money! Expenditures per student has risen every bit as much as healthcare and don't cry me any river that teachers today, are underpaid!"

Posted by Happy at 10/21/2009 @ 2:31pm

"and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps."

Posted by BigPasture at 10/23/2009 @ 02:39am

Posted by FLaim at 10/24/2009 @ 12:59pm
From averagepay.net:

All teachers enjoy a five day work week, with reasonable hours. They also enjoy having all major holidays and summers off.....Most recent graduates start out making $31,000 per year.

Teacher Salaries By State State: Average Yearly Salary

Connecticut $58,000

California $57,000

Michigan $56,000

South Dakota $34,000

North Dakota $36,000

Mississippi $36,000

===============================

I'd say, they pay is quite good, for jobs with more days off than the average Gubber, full summer off each year, short days that end at mid-afternoon except maybe one day a week during the school year for after-school tutoring.

Side comment: I'd also guess $36k in MS is a whole lot more useful than $57k in Calif!

Posted by Happy at 10/24/2009 @ 1:19pm
This is an excellent example of why I think critical thinking should be a required high school course. Or perhaps even middle school.

One widget maker makes $100,000 per year. Two other widget makers make $10,000 per year each. So I can use statistics to say the average widget maker pulls down $40,000 per year. Sounds like widget makers do pretty well, doesn't it? Until I look at the mode.

Not to mention your figures include college professors. Who, in most cases have spent many hours and dollars getting their degrees and usually do not achieve tenure unless they are published.

Reasonable hours? Let's say a high school American Lit teacher has 4 periods throughout the day. Maybe 25 kids per period. They assign an essay on "Catcher in the Rye." That's 100 papers they have to grade, and they have to prepare their lesson plans for the next day.

Summers free? In order to move to the next classification as defined by their local school board, and to get an increase in pay, they have to take master classes during the summer, while they prepare for the next year, possibly with new teaching materials they have to learn.

These are the people responsible for educating our children. I'm all for competency exams and merit pay.

Any teachers on this blog? I'd be interested in their take on these comments.

Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 2:51pm
Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 2:51pm

Teachers have unions, and I'm certain they don't ALLOW one widget-teacher to be paid at one-tenth another widget-teacher. No need to get into a big debate about "average"....the average person understand it well enough....and know that if a profession starts at $31k "average" and the overall average is $50k, that then means the more senior/tenured teachers are making $70k "average".

Using outlier examples do not render "average" invalid. Saying some teachers choose to better themselves during the summer(s), means nothing.....they have a choice to spend their summers as they wish while being paid. You probably don't have that luxury and don't tell me, you wouldn't like to have almost 3 months free each year to do as you please!

Something you also may not know, most professors of some experience, have sideline gigs that bring in significant income not counted as teaching salaries. My cousin is one....and w/his above-average reputation, well-known in his field, my guess is he makes far more doing consulting than `teaching'.

Posted by Happy at 10/25/2009 @ 3:11pm
Using outlier examples do not render "average" invalid.

No, but it does point to the fallacy involved in using statistics to try to prove your point. And my example also shows how skewed an average can be simply by one high-earner.

If the average starting pay is 31K, then by definition, there must be many teachers who start at less than that.

"the average person understand it well enough"

Apparently you don't.

And I do know something about college professors.

For example, there are far fewer of them than there are k-12 teachers. Remove the professors from your statistics and tell me what the "average" k-12 teacher makes.

I also have had college professors who have published and then used their texts for courses forcing students to buy them to inflate their salaries.

And without "bettering themselves", as you put it, (I think you mean learning to be better teachers for our kids.) it generally takes about 5 years of k-12 teaching to even get to the median pay grade.

And, btw, I can take 3 months anytime I want. But I like to work.

Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 5:30pm
And what professors make on the side, consulting or whatever else they might engage in, has nothing to do with what they are paid by the educational institutions.

Or do you think those salary figures include consulting, speaking fees, book royalties and so on?

Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 5:33pm
And, btw, I can take 3 months anytime I want. But I like to work.

Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 5:30pm

That tells me, you don't get paid when you're not working! Guess most teachers may also "like to work" and beats the salary averages....heheheh!

=========================

And what professors make on the side, consulting or whatever else they might engage in, has nothing to do with what they are paid by the educational institutions.

Or do you think those salary figures include consulting, speaking fees, book royalties and so on?

Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 5:33pm

Not true! W/out the biz card of a power institution, they won't get as much "side" income.

Besides, you miss the main point of what these teachers are being paid, particularly at the college level, for the hours actually worked. Properly `averaged', they make good to very good money!

Posted by Happy at 10/25/2009 @ 6:03pm
You miss the point.

"Not true! W/out the biz card of a power institution, they won't get as much "side" income."

The link YOU provided wasn't taking into account any "side-income." You've brought that into the equation. It has nothing to do with "side-income."

Secondly, I provided you with an example of what a regular k-12 secondary teacher does with all that "free" time they seemingly have, and you cannot refute it, so you miss the point again.

I pointed out that the k-12 teachers have a much lower "average" and even that is actually a skewed version of what most k-12 teachers make.

10 States With Lowest Beginning Teacher Pay Lowest Pay for Beginning Teachers

"According to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the average beginning teacher pay across the United States was $35,284. However, the ten worst states for beginning teacher pay are much lower than that. Here is a list of the ten states with the lowest beginning teacher pay according to statistics from the AFT.

10. Kansas $30,408 9. Iowa $30,331 8. New Hampshire $30,183 7. Idaho $30,000 6. Nebraska $29,215 5. Utah $28,653 4. Maine $28,517 3. Montana $27,134 2. North Dakota $27,064 1. South Dakota $26,988

http://tinyurl.com/ygwdovf

So I contend that not only have you slandered the name of those people who probably have jobs more important to the health of this nation and economy than almost any other, but you have misrepresented the effort and vale of teaching as opposed to what they do and are responsible for doing, and what they are paid.

"That tells me, you don't get paid when you're not working!"

Happy, I always get paid. And it really doesn't matter what the "free" market does. Don't worry, be Happy.

Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 6:36pm
Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 6:36pm

The link I provided also didn't discuss how such salaries may vary.....it was specific, it cited "average".....what did you do? Bring some hypothetical widget makers' 10:1 ratio to misrepresent "average"!

Now, you go stretch the field again, with "a list of the ten states with the lowest beginning teacher pay".....I guess my next step is to show how these state's cost of living are BELOW-average so that, hey, their pay is actually equivalent to the national average, maybe even higher!

You also chose to stretch the field by bringing in the fact some teachers use their summers to gain further accreditation.....

Why all this fuss over what we all know: teachers today are decently paid while NOT decently educating the kids. If I sound like slandering the teachers, well, I'm a results-oriented guy and the results of the current educational system and the dictatorial power of the teachers' unions, kinda slander themselves.

Just for how much longer will we continue to pursue what has failed for 40 years? What's the saying.....you know....INSANITY! What it has done very well, is to keep the blacks down by expecting so little from them.

Posted by Happy at 10/25/2009 @ 10:33pm
Reasonable hours? Let's say a high school American Lit teacher has 4 periods throughout the day. Maybe 25 kids per period. They assign an essay on "Catcher in the Rye." That's 100 papers they have to grade, and they have to prepare their lesson plans for the next day

Posted by FLaim at 10/25/2009 @ 2:51pm | ignore this person | warn this person

Here classroom size is state mandated to 20, and if you go over that you lose funding equivalent to a teachers salary so you have to CUT some teacher next year or pay the fine out of general fund! More educational genius!

Posted by BigPasture at 10/26/2009 @ 01:36am
Here classroom size is state mandated to 20, and if you go over that you lose funding equivalent to a teachers salary so you have to CUT some teacher next year or pay the fine out of general fund! More educational genius! Posted by BigPasture at 10/26/2009 @ 01:36am | ignore this person | warn this person

--or hire more teachers...the part you conveniently ignore.

Posted by urmygyro at 10/26/2009 @ 09:54am