Teachers in Corpus Christi go shopping to set up classrooms for the school year

With the new school year quickly approaching, teachers in Corpus Christi have already begun preparing and purchasing supplies for their classrooms and students.

For most teachers, that means putting up their own money. But for a handful of teachers shopping at Mardel Christian and Education Store Thursday morning, the bill was covered by Reliant and Mardel.

The All-Star Educators Program has provided $45,000 to teachers for school supplies since its inception in 2022 by Reliant and Corpus Christi Hooks. The program recognizes approximately 10 teachers from the Coastal Bend region each year. Honorary teachers receive $1,500 from Reliant and another $100 from Mardel in gift cards.

Malia Perez, librarian at John F. Kennedy Elementary School, came to Mardel with a list of items she wanted to pick up and order online.

Perez has worked in education for over 25 years. During the summer, she prepares the West Oso ISD school library for the new year by making sure books and Chromebooks are ready for students. She leads activities and lessons in the library to reinforce classroom lessons and inspire a love of learning and the library.

On Thursday, she picked up buckets to display books at the front of the library so students could easily check them out, and ordered school supplies like crayons and pencils.

Normally, she sets aside money from each paycheck to put back into the library, Perez said. It’s common for teachers and even administrators to reach into their own pockets to buy supplies to create a better learning experience for students.

“I don’t know a single teacher who doesn’t do that,” Perez said.

According to Jeff Mudd, a math teacher at Ray High School, the All-Star Educators Program shopping trip was helpful in preparing for the new school year.

“As a math teacher, I need a lot of supplies, like pens, pencils and paper,” Mudd said.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Teacher and Principal Survey, nearly 94% of teachers spent their own money on school supplies without reimbursement during the 2019-20 school year nationwide. The percentage of teachers who spent their own money was higher for public school teachers than for private school teachers.

According to a May 2024 report from the Texas American Federation of Teachers and Every Texan, the average teacher salary in Texas fell 9% between 2009-10 and 2023-24, adjusted for inflation. The report notes that teachers in Corpus Christi ISD have lost about 20% of their earning power to inflation over the past 15 years.

The state has not offered new funding for teacher salaries in years, except for a program that gives raises to top teachers in participating districts. The state’s base grant, which is the basis of the school funding formula meant to provide a basic level of education, has not increased since 2019-20.

In the summer before each school year, Kaffie Middle School science teacher Jane Lee-Rhodes reflects on the past school year and makes plans for the new year.

It’s exciting every year, she said.

“The best part about the new school year is all the possibilities,” Lee-Rhodes said. “Everything is a blank book at this point.”

Lee-Rhodes, who is preparing for her 38th year as a teacher, was also named the regional high school teacher of the year this summer. With the funds from the All-Star Educators Program, Lee-Rhodes said she plans to shop for some of her colleagues and their classrooms as well.

“Once we get back to school, I’m going to set up the room and make it a welcoming place for the kids,” Lee-Rhodes said. “I want to create a calm and productive environment for my students.”

Ada Anderson, who has been teaching for more than 25 years, will begin her second year teaching a science, technology, engineering, art and math class at Flour Bluff Intermediate School in August. Students in the electives will learn about the engineering process and work together in groups to solve challenges based on real-world problems.

“They build things and they can change their minds as they go and then we test it,” Anderson said. “They learn that failure is okay because you learn from your mistakes.”

These projects require supplies such as cardboard, glue guns, pipe cleaners, and straws. She tries to reuse supplies whenever possible.

Anderson was out looking for new craft and building supplies on Thursday, but she also hung a decorative respect-themed sign on her cart.

“We want to create a culture and environment that is welcoming,” Anderson said. “My big thing is to be kind, because they work in groups and sometimes students are afraid to share ideas. I want to promote a safe environment and definitely (that they) are respectful and kind to each other.”

Operation Supply Our students collect donations and distribute supplies for students

‘It’s our sea turtle’: A look at the history of Kemp’s Ridley recovery, ongoing threats

Coastal Bend schools make Texas Honor Roll list

watexr eu

Teachers in Corpus Christi go shopping to set up classrooms for the school year

Recent Posts

Social Media

Advertisement