Donate to the UNCG Teacher Supply Drive organized by the UNCG Staff Senate 

North Carolina teachers spend as much as $1,300 of their own money on school supplies each year, some $400 more than the national average. As UNC Greensboro prepares to send 136 students currently earning their teaching licenses into the education workforce, the UNCG Staff Senate is determined they will not have to spend so much out of their own pockets. 

The Staff Senate is hosting the first UNCG Teacher Supply Drive to help new teachers furnish their classrooms this April. 

“We work with these students and support them in class,” says Barbara Halbert, program coordinator at the Teaching Resources Center and UNCG Staff Senate member. “We’re excited to do one more thing to help them start their classrooms.”  

Classroom design matters 

Staff Senate members were inspired to create the drive after visiting the model classroom showcase held last semester by Dr. Sara Porter, associate professor of Teacher Education and Higher Education (TEHE) in UNCG’s School of Education. 

“Classroom environment matters,” says Porter. “How they set up the room sends messages to students about what they’re going to learn and how they are going to learn it.”  

Students in Porter’s class experiment with the classroom environment, thinking through everything from how to help students monitor their moods to models for collaboration with other students.  

Lifting some of the financial burden – and the trepidation — related to classroom setup is the goal of the Teacher Supply Drive. 

“Having supplies will alleviate some stress and also help support these new teachers in their foundational year,” says Dr. Ryan Hughes, assistant professor of TEHE. “It allows them to focus on other things and is an additional support bridge from the University as they start their teaching careers.” 

The Staff Senate surveyed the graduating students to ask what supplies they need most. The results were curated into an Amazon wishlist where supporters may purchase directly, or use as a reference if they wish to drop supplies at collection spots on campus: 

• Elliot University Center – Office of Leadership & Civic Engagement (2nd Floor) 

• School of Education – Teaching Resources Center Room 310 

• Gatewood Studio Arts Building – School of Art Office Suite 

• School of Music – Dean’s Office Suite 

The UNCG Student Government Association (SGA) also partnered with the Staff Senate to organize and set up a storefront for the supplies. SGA Senator Madison McMasters is recruiting student volunteers to help with the distribution of supplies event.  

Graduating teachers will be invited to “shop” at the teaching supply store on Reading Day, May 1. Armed with free classroom supplies, the new teachers will enter the new school systems with an extra boost of practical support from UNCG. 

“These students are already thinking very hard about their classrooms and preparing for them,” said Halpert. “We hope that the UNCG community will join us in supporting them.” 

Story by Alice Manning Touchette