Related Links
- Readers' Survey 2008 Home
- Best Blog for Educators
- Best Educational Podcast
- Best Virtual Field Trip
- Best Site from Which You Can Download Free Lessons and Materials
- Best Site for Grant Information
- Best Technology Product for Less Than $100
- Best Technology Tool for Students
- Best Education Software
- Amount You Spend Out of Pocket Each Year on Classroom Supplies
- Best Way to Get What You Need for the Classroom
- Best Public Advocate or Role Model for Educators
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- Top Concern of Parents
- Top Concern of Teachers
- What's Missing from Education Degree or Certification Programs
- Who, from the Past or Present, You'd Like to Teach Your Class for a Day
- Subject That Typically Isn't Taught in Schools That Should Be
- Best Way for Schools to Keep New Teachers from Burning Out
- Best Way to Find Inspiration
- Best Way to Create an Educational Community
- The 2008 Readers' Survey was conducted at Edutopia.org March 26-April 30, 2008. Participants responded to questions in their own words, and their answers were tabulated to yield the top three to five vote getters in each category. The top responses for each question appear with voting buttons to encourage our visitors to participate further.
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Readers' Survey 2008: Best Way to Get What You Need for the Classroom
Credit: iStockphoto
Responses to this question revealed our readers to be part go-getter, part bargain hunter, part pirate. Though many said, naturally, that the surest way is simply to buy it themselves (see question 9), others offered up a plethora of verbs to describe their tactics: grovel, plead, flatter, scrounge, share, whine, budget, plan, write, and the most popular of all, ask. Beg, borrow, and steal appeared multiple times. (Arrgh, mateys! No one actually wrote plunder.) Threaded throughout these strategies was the idea that if you want something, you must demonstrate its value. Try innovative lessons, articulate their importance, and do your job well. A good record builds a good case for getting support.
In the do-it-yourself arena, we clearly have some industrious readers, and their answers together form a veritable tip sheet on where to find discount deals or cash. Highlights include thrift stores, garage sales, Internet searches, open source software, donations from local merchants, redemption money for recyclable cans and bottles, and the time-tested approach of "getting to know the janitor." An honorable mention went to the grassroots grant Web site DonorsChoose.org. We know one elementary school teacher who has had thirty-two grants funded there, to the total tune of nearly $10,000.
What do you think? Weigh in on the results.
