Do you have a favorite teacher?
I do. Her name was Madame Obadia. That’s us in 1983.
She is the reason I studied education and became a teacher.The gift she gave me is what I try to pass on to every student I have. She made me feel safe at school, she made me feel loved at school, and she made me want to come back the next day.
That wasn’t always the case.
One day Madame Obadia was gone and I blacked out in class. The teacher who was there did not believe me. That set me off. The next day I flat out refused to go to school. I didn’t feel safe and I told my mom I wouldn’t go. I am not sure how many days I stayed home but I remember meeting with Madame Obadia after school where she told me she did believe me and she had a plan to make me feel safe at school. She rewarded me for my bravery and I still have the little crocheted bookmark I earned. She didn’t have to do this, getting me to school was my parents job but she saw my needs and met them. What I really left her classroom with was a sense that school was a good place, school was a place I would be heard, and my needs would be met.
30 years later teachers all over the nation are doing exactly the same thing Madame Obadia did for me, meeting their students needs whether it’s part of their job description or not. Those needs are often in the form of food, in fact according to No Kid Hungry “three in five K-8 public school teachers say their students regularly come to school hungry, and as a result these teachers typically spend $37 per month from their own paychecks on food for their students.” Teachers should not have to feed their students but they know that a hungry child is not a child ready to learn.
Quaker understands the importance of helping to fuel health and wellness in schools – so they are teaming up with AdoptAClassroom.org to help teachers give their students the tools that can help them succeed. I am helping them spread the word.
As a Quaker Classroom Ambassador, I’m inviting you to join Quaker in supporting teachers nationwide. From July 7 to Sept. 30, purchase specially -marked Quaker products and enter the unique package codes online at www.QuakerUpForClassrooms.com. For every code entered online, Quaker will donate $1 to AdoptAClassroom.org up to $250,000 (minimum donation of $150,000) to help fuel classrooms across the country. Plus, you’ll get a coupon for $1 off Quaker products. Learn more at www.QuakerUpForClassrooms.com.
Specially-marked Quaker products include:
How much easier could they make it for us to support teachers? You don’t have to be crafty or spend a bunch of money. You just have to take a few minutes to enter the codes and know that it will make a difference!
Over the next few weeks as a Quaker Classroom Ambassador I will be sharing more about this campaign and host a fun giveaway as well. To see more great back-to-school content from myself and the other Quaker Classroom Ambassadors and join the conversation with your own teacher appreciation stories, simply follow and share with your social networks via the #QuakerUp hashtag.
I am participating in the QuakerUp campaign as a paid ambassador.