IMPACT: Helping Teachers Throughout North Carolina

Lessons For Life Through Sports (www.lessonsfor.org), a North Carolina nonprofit, is donating books throughout North Carolina to support teachers and children while reminding us to “put down the phone, and pick up a book.” The goal is to encourage a love for reading through the lens of college athletics. It’s no secret that despite our teachers having one of the most important jobs there is, every year teachers dig into their own pockets to meet their classroom needs to help our children. Lessons For Life Through Sports is here to help.

More than 90% of teachers spend their own money on school supplies and other necessities for their students every year, according to the National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the country — and the amount they spend has steadily been creeping higher. Just before the pandemic, teachers spent an average of $500 out of pocket. That number is expected to be considerably higher for the 2023-24 academic year, reaching $800 or more, according to the NEA.

At the same time, a separate report by online learning platform Study.com found that nearly 70% of teachers cited persistent inflation as having a noticeable impact on their ability to afford classroom supplies on their own this year.