HOUSTON – Our teachers often go above and beyond to make sure their students have everything they need in the classroom... even when it means reaching into their own pockets. But a teacher in Houston ISD says she has found a better way to get her students the supplies they need.
Madelynn Campbell teaches art to students in kindergarten through second grade and goes through quite a bit of glue and construction paper over the course of the school year. After spending $1,600 on supplies one year, her students’ parents asked her if she had a Wish List on Amazon. Teachers often create lists of supplies they need on the shopping site, allowing them to easily share the link with people who want to help out.
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“For years I never did an Amazon Wish List,” Campbell explained.
“I always just kind of did all the buying myself. And finally, there was one year where some parents actually got together and asked me, ‘Hey, do you have a Wish List? We would like to contribute to the classroom.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, that makes sense. I should probably be doing that.’”
After creating her Wish List, she shared the link on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, where it really took off.
“It was actually TikTok that got the most replies. I was pretty surprised because it wasn’t like I had this major following or anything like that. But there were a lot of people who saw it in their ‘For You’ page.”
Campbell recommends teachers use the hashtags ‘Teachers of TikTok’, ‘Fill My Classroom, and ‘Amazon Wish List’ to make sure their Wish Lists get the most views.
“It’s quick how everything adds up when you’re buying stuff for your classroom. So anytime someone can donate, it’s amazing.”
Campbell hopes to repeat this success with something just for the teachers at her school.
“We work at a charter school in a low-income area. The building that we’re in was an already established building. We’ve made it work really well for the students and what their needs and resources are. But what the teachers might need is a little bit on the back burner, which is totally understandable. But now we finally have settled enough to where we have this extra space. I asked our superintendent; can we please use that for a break room? And our superintendent said absolutely.”
The teacher is now putting together another Amazon Wish List to fill the teacher break room with furniture and other items.
“Wish Lists worked well for me in the past, and I’m a firm believer in it never hurts to ask.”
If you’d like to donate to give these teachers a well-deserved space to relax, click here.