TEMPLE, Texas — More than forty first-year Temple Independent School District teachers had the opportunity to add to their classrooms after participating in a district sponsored shopping spree on Friday (September 27).
Temple ISD treated the teachers to the shopping spree by using generous donations from Garlyn Shelton Automotive Group, Whataburger Unit 629, and the Temple Education Foundation. Those donations combined to provide each of the 41 participating teachers with $225 to spend on supplies or other needs for their classrooms. The teachers filled their carts with everything from pencils, markers, and highlighters to notebooks, composition books, and copy paper, to wipes and other cleaning or organizational supplies. Other teachers used the money to buy bookshelves or storage containers for their students use to supplement their existing classroom furniture.
This is the second year TISD has sponsored a first-year teacher shopping spree, and the district is grateful for the community’s support of Temple’s teachers and their students.
“I would like to thank Whataburger, Garlyn Shelton Auto, and the Temple Education Foundation for sponsoring our new teacher shopping spree today,” said Dr. Donna Ward, assistant superintendent of human resources for TISD. “Through their generosity and support, we were able to provide each teacher with more than $200 to purchase supplies for their classrooms. I don’t think people realize just how much teachers spend out of their own pocket to support students in the classroom. This is especially challenging for teachers going into their first year of teaching. Today’s event is just one way we and our sponsors can say THANK YOU for choosing the teaching profession and for making a difference in our community!”
Kayla Garibay is a pre-K teacher at Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy. The Temple graduate loaded her cart with a floor puzzle, extra Play-Doh, manipulatives for learning experiences, and items for her student’s treasure boxes. She is looking forward to being able to share the new items with her students and is grateful for the community’s support of the new teachers.
“I think this is fantastic because teachers, especially in their first year in the profession, need that extra support to make sure we give the kids the best experience possible,” Garibay said. “The kids are going to be so excited to see and use everything I was able to get today. That has been the best thing about teaching so far, seeing all the firsts. My students had their first performance yesterday and it was just so much fun to see that.”
Tamara Johnson is in her first year as a CTE teacher at Temple High School. She was able to purchase additional cleaning supplies for her classroom and games to help assist her students with critical thinking and socialization skills. She points to the community support as another reason to love working for TISD.
“I feel that this shows the support we have for our schools, our students, and especially our staff,” Johnson added. “I put a lot into this myself and it is so nice that someone sees that there is a need and wants to help out. I just love TISD, and I am so glad that I am here.”
The Temple Walmart Super Center on 31st Street hosted the teachers for Friday’s shopping spree.