Meet Olivia Roller, a Spanish teacher at Hunters Lane High School who shops at the LP PENCIL Box (LPPB) every semester to stock her classroom.
“I shop at the Box because it gives me enough supplies to provide my students with everything they need without having to purchase it out of pocket,” Ms. Roller said.
Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) teachers are eligible for a $200 reimbursement through the district, but that often doesn’t come close to covering the needs of the classroom.
This is where PENCIL’s free teacher store enters the picture. During the 17-18 school year, more than $1.2 million in school supplies were distributed to MNPS teachers through the LPPB.
“I came from a district in Georgia and didn’t have this kind of support,” Roller said. “It’s amazing that our community cares enough to offer these resources for us.”
Supplies distributed range from pencils, pens and glue to paper towels and hand sanitizer.
“I really enjoy grabbing writing utensils and paper – those are basic supplies my students always need,” Roller said. “I’m also pleasantly surprised by the manipulatives and posters that are available.”
Read more on this topic:
- For Many Teachers, Paying for Supplies Out of Pocket Is Unavoidable, Nashville Scene
- Exactly How Teachers Came to Be So Underpaid in America, TIME
