With school right around the corner parents are rushing to retail stores to get the best prices on back-to-school gear. While most retailers target sales to parents on clothing, school supplies, and gadgets, teachers are also spending their own cash to fully equip their classroom. 

According to a survey by SheerID and Agile Education Marketing, teacher spending is up every year. In the 2013-14 school year, the average teacher in the United States spent an average of $513 of their own money on classroom supplies, instructional materials, books, and professional development. The survey also polled teachers on their attitudes and loyalty towards retailers offering discounts or teacher appreciation programs where 80% of teachers said they are more loyal to brands that offer teacher discounts and 81% will seek out companies that offer teacher discounts. 

"I probably spend between $800 to $1,000 a year, and I have a small class of less than 15 students," said Brandi Poole, a special education teacher in Georgia. "A lot of students do not bring in school supplies at all. Although we have a couple of churches that donate, it’s not enough to supply the 400 plus students in our school. We are not given money to purchase stuff that we need to teach the material that we are supposed to teach."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor