"Cheap Teachers"

Yesterday my friend Lisa was in town visiting from Traverse City, and we got together and had breakfast and lots of coffee. I got to play with her energetic pooch Jasper who I had not seen since he was a puppy. What fun! Then we did some shopping, including some back-to-school deals because, sadly, it is that time of year already and we are both teachers

WHO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF DISCOUNTS BECAUSE SCHOOLS NEVER PROVIDE TEACHERS/STUDENTS WITH WHAT THEY TRULY NEED!

So when you see sale signs for notebooks and folders for 5 cents, tell someone you know who is a teacher, and they will be your new best friend! Someone once told me, "...teachers tend to be the cheapest people I know." Well, I thought about that, and thought about it some more, and then was irritated and offended by it, but then, it hit me: HE'S RIGHT! We have to be cheap for 3 reasons. 1) Schools don't pay for jack s#$* that a teacher really needs in her classroom, 2) We are buying in bulk, and 3) Most things you see in a classroom are bought solely by the teacher....books, decor, manipulatives....the list goes on. It's like going into the greatest shoe store, knowing that you can look like the hottest momma in town with the most expensive pair of shoes in the store, but since you can't afford the most expensive pair and you still want to look hot, you're in a jam. What to do? Beg, steal, and borrow. Okay, not really steal, but you get the drift. That's why teachers swarm sales and discounts, garage sales, wholesale warehouses, ebay, craigs list, the dollar store, ect. I don't care what district a teacher works in, she has spent TONS of her hard earned money on TONS of things for her classroom. So when I think about the comment that was made about teachers being the cheapest people, there's a pretty good reason as to why. And I'm not ashamed to admit it either. I love bargains and I especially love the dollar store because

I'm a cheap teacher.