There is a list of things that I do every year, just before school begins, to get everyone and everything prepared for the school year. Some of the tasks are practical and some of the tasks are psychological, but they are all important. A simplified version of my list looks like this:

1. Help a local classroom get their DonorsChoose project funded.
2. Get basic list of supplies from school websites.
3. Shop sales to get needed supplies AND
4. Bolster school supply stockpile in the basement.
5. Scrub and repair backpacks and lunch boxes.
6. Make sure everyone has sneakers that fit and are not falling apart.
7. Add dates and schedules to my planner.

While I’m gently preparing to conquer items 2 – 7, I am stuck on the DonorsChoose project. In past years, there have been dreamy, fun, brilliant and inspiring projects that made it difficult to choose a favorite. This year, the majority of the projects are teachers desperately trying to get simple, basic needs met for their classrooms. Teachers are pleading for pencil sharpeners to help students spend less time waiting for their turn to have a functional writing tool.

That. Is. Sad.

I have to believe that we can all put a tiny sharpener in our child’s pencil box and send a few of them to teachers while we collectively work toward putting larger, faster, better sharpeners in classrooms. Room parents, please make this a priority.

After eliminating the sharpeners and the requests for furniture that I know in my heart could be made in backyard wood shops and the few remaining vo-tech facilities, what remained was this project. It is a simple solution to a classroom need and the cost is so low that I know it can get funded.

Please take the time to click the link and read the teacher’s list of requested math supplies. Then, buy one less coffee and donate that money to help our students learn. Every child needs to experience the light bulb of clarity that happens when the numbers and letters suddenly make sense.