Forget The Supplies: Pay Teachers a Living Wage
By Jim Manos

Forget the apple. Try this instead.

Tradition suggests we exchange gifts. The traditional gift for a teacher, as we all remember, is an apple.

But with the on-going state spending cuts in education and few local dollars, our teachers have little or no money to spend in their classrooms.

As a result, most teachers reach into their own pockets to buy supplies. We all know that our teachers are not well compensated and, yet, most will selflessly reach into their own pockets to support their students, our children.

Teachers need our help. And we can help this holiday season (and all year, for that matter) by "adopting" their classrooms. There is a national 501(c)3, http://www.adoptaclassroom.org that allows us as individuals to reach out directly to a classroom teacher and provide financial support.

The teacher gets some needed resources, you get a tax deduction and our community becomes a better place.