Saving Energy and Money

Pin It The hard economic times plowed right into the school system this year. In response to the needs of our population, we are not allowed to ask parents for school supplies. We were not given any budget from the county to buy supplies. And, our pay is reduced!

So we've been asked to cut back. It's easy to see that misuse needs to be corrected. For instance, consistently running toilets in the bathroom stands out as a conservation blunder. It's easy to explain to students how the school's water bill is affected by blatant waste. It's easy to understand that FIFO (First in, First out) rules need to be applied to the supply cabinets. But, how do you explain to students that even though the lunch menus are printed in color on glossy paper, we don't have money for pencils? Instead, we are going outside to sit in the dirt and write our math problems in the sand!

Most teachers spend a bundle annually on classroom supplies, books, treats and decorations in response to the needs of their students. Just the cost of purchasing a pencil a day for each child for a single class for a week equals the cost of a dinner on the town . . . and don't forget the cost of a pencil sharpener! A teacher can't say NO! How does a student work without a pencil? We are obliged to supply if we want the child to succeed.

Our county is now pondering the idea of eliminating classroom personal refrigerators and microwaves in response to budget cuts. The mention of more teacher focused restrictions, hardships and limitations added to the dark cloud of reduced staff, increased classroom size, and limited resources only incites more discontent.

So, here are a few jovial thoughts to join the ranks of budget-wise suggestions:

Maybe we could ask the students to only flush poo or every third use!

Or, we could only run the air conditioner between noon and 2 PM!

Or, move all desks to the windows and turn off all the lights!
Or, run computers on a ration system!

Or, serve cold lunches every other day!

Or, vacuum the floors once a week! (Sorry . . . that routine is already in place!)

I'm sure there are many more possibles to save money that put the burden on victims instead of budget creators.

Maybe, I'll stick around long enough to hear some ideas that actually relate to improved learning and promoting teacher confidence.