An Oklahoma public school teacher decided to try panhandling after budget cuts left her to spend $2,000 to $3,000 of her own money on school supplies each year.
Teresa Danks is a third-grade teacher in a Tulsa public school who decided to stand at roadside and ask for help after talking to her husband about the situation.
“Well, I guess you could make a sign, hit the streets like a panhandler,” Danks' husband told her half-jokingly, she told The Washington Post. So she tried it right away, before she could talk herself out of it.
With her poster reading, “Teacher Needs School Supplies! Anything Helps. Thank You,” she hit the streets. On her first day, she collected $126 and many kind words about the impact of teachers on their lives.
“I went from being nervous and awkward to being overwhelmed, not only with the small donations of cash but just the words of encouragement,” Danks said, The Washington Post reported.
“I want the proper tools to do my job well,” she continued. “I wouldn’t ask somebody to build my house with a spoon.” Danks also shops yard sales and thrift stores throughout the summer to get supplies at bargain prices.
A GoFundMe page set up for the panhandling teacher has reached nearly $4,000.
Oklahoma ranks almost at the bottom of the states in per-pupil funding, spending about $8,000 per student each year. In about one in five districts, students only attend school four longer days a week in order to save districts money on utilities and bus transportation.
Twitter followers had mixed opinions on the teacher’s decision.
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