ELYSE RIDEOUT, San Clemente
When you walk into an elementary or middle school classroom, you likely expect to see it decorated according to the subject taught.
The music room always had music notes up on the walls, and the science room had skeletons with clever names. If a room wasn’t decorated, I didn’t expect to enjoy the class.
So why, if this is something we have come to expect, do teachers have to apply for grants to be able to afford these setups? These dedicated instructors pay for fun decorations and other classroom enrichment out of their own pockets.
It is immensely thoughtful for the Assistance League to award grants to these deserving teachers, but unfortunately, this is only a short-term solution.
A lack of funding for public school teachers is a concern across the country that needs to be addressed at the roots, not just at the surface.
No teacher should feel that they need to pour their income back into their classroom, but much of the time they may feel stuck between their seemingly only options: pay to decorate the classroom and provide enrichment activities or leave the classroom as it is, and appear less invested in and devoted to their students.
