As teachers start their first year at Ridgeview, questions are on the rise as to how they will manage to fund their classroom. Despite the fact that certain teachers aren’t exactly fresh to the curriculum, they are still unaware of what Ridgeview has to offer. Especially without a clear introduction to the programs that are available, it causes more confusion for the staff.
Although educational materials are important, it’s great to appreciate the aesthetic of the classroom and the teacher who designed it. Former teachers tend to decorate with the same fixtures they have used in their old class, and with the things they managed to gather over the years. Meanwhile, first year teachers are having to spend much more money, time, and effort into everything else, especially without the aid of a school provided budget.
Starting fresh at school can always be scary, especially with no prior experience. English teacher, Brenda Garcia, is completely new to not only Ridgeview, but teaching as well. When certain information isn’t deliberately provided, miscommunication can be the root for many complications. Garcia said, “From the beginning I purchased everything myself because I wasn’t aware that they give you things here.” Although Algebra teacher Brooke Nolasco is a new teacher as well, she had previous experience as being a substitute for two years. She explained having the same issues of not being informed enough about the resources, but eventually was able to understand with the help of other staff. “ You just have to communicate with your boss, and communicate with the title 1 person. It’s totally doable, it’s just the communication and comfortability of asking,” states Nolasco.
With a new school year, this is causing new teachers to spend hundreds of dollars out of pocket for educational materials. The process of ordering supplies through the school usually takes weeks to arrive. Even particularly in the beginning of the year, the procedure is extra strenuous because of teachers being eager to buy necessities for the classroom, and for their students.
Although Science instructor Audrey Vasquez has been previously employed as a teacher for ten years, she was still unknowing of the financial prospects. “I didn’t order the materials through Title 1 soon enough, so I had to buy it all myself because I need it now, and I don’t have time to wait.” While Ridgeview offers many resources to better help teachers, when new to the system it may be more complicated. Vasquez mentioned,“It’s tricky when you have multiple budgets that you have to deal with as a school. So as a brand new teacher you don’t really know all of that. Once you’ve been teaching for a while you start to understand where the money is coming from, and you kinda get a better idea of where to ask for the right things.”
As the school year is still kicking off, there are many issues and plans that teachers have prepared underway. Majority of the staff new to Ridgeview have reported to be unaware of any financial aid provided to assist with classroom decoration or organization. Noel recognized, “There are a lot of resources here that are available, teachers just need to learn to access them or find ways to get them.” Nevertheless, most of them are interested in utilizing personal work from students to further inspire community and effort. However, if new teachers were given a budget ahead of time, they would be able to plan, prepare, and know what to expect for their classroom. Overall, teachers really do care about their students as a priority, what the students need and what will benefit both themselves and their education.
