Teachers Change Lives

I became a journalist because of my high school choir teacher.

Seriously.

One of my first newspaper assignments was a column for the opinion page on the controversial editing of the movie Titanic. I buried myself in research about whether it was legal for people to buy edited copies of the movie. I filled my opinion piece with supportive facts and unknowingly took a very unpopular stance amongst high school students.

At the next staff meeting, letter to the editor after letter to the editor was read about how I was not only wrong, but also naive, stupid, and a myriad of other immature high school descriptions. I was crushed and wondering what I was even doing in a newspaper class.

My next class was choir and I was a little surprised when my teacher pulled me aside. He spent the next five minutes praising my journalistic writing and my bravery for taking an unpopular viewpoint. That was a turning point for me. Because Dr. Lee cared to take the time to bolster my fragile journalist ego, I decided to give newspaper writing another try.

I continued writing for the high school newspaper and received a full-tuition scholarship to write for the university newspaper the next year. I thrived under incredible teachers who believed in me and transformed from a shy freshman to editor in chief to the first student newspaper adviser. Journalism became my passion thanks to a choir teacher who encouraged me to stick with it.

Now that I have children of my own, I understand even more the importance of teachers who are passionate about their jobs. I adore my daughter’s first grade teacher and the efforts she goes to to make learning fun and exciting for the children. I was thrilled to learn of Office Depot and Adopt-A-Classroom’s Teachers Change Lives program. The two organizations have partnered to raise awareness about teachers, and all they do in the lives of their students. Adopt-A-Classroom is a nonprofit organization that helps connect donors with teachers to enhance the learning environment for students

I have many friends who are teachers and know that they spend money every year out of their own pocket. Like my friends, there are teachers across the country doing innovation things in the classroom to help our children. Office Depot is highlighting several of these teachers stories. I selected two of my favorites to share with you.

Estella Pyfrom uses her Brillant Bus to give students access to technology. She used her life savings to build this bus to help bridge the digital divide. She has recently been featured as one of CNN’s heroes.

Cassie Cox is a teacher at an alternative high school in Utah. This is the last stop for students before dropping out. Cassie is a former drop out who went on to earn her Masters Degree, and wants the same for her students. She gives them a second chance, and a new way to look at learning.

You can donate to the teacher highlighted in the video, or a teacher in your local community. Just follow these easy steps:

How to Donate to a Teacher
Go to Teachers Change Lives website
Click on the teal “Donate to a Teacher” box on the Teachers Change Lives website, which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website
Follow the corresponding steps from there

How to Register Your Classroom as a Teacher
Go to Teachers Change Lives website (http://clvr.li/1emq4KF)
Click on the red box that says “Register Your Classroom,” which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website
Follow the corresponding steps from there

Do you have a teacher who inspired you in school?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.