giveaways!
REVISED: Nominate a Teacher to Win $1000 in OfficeMax Classroom Supplies!—Deadline Extended!
Teachers are amazing! They inspire our children, build their confidence, encourage them to dream big, and make learning exciting. My boys spend 7 hours a day in school. Recently, my 6YO came home with a “superb” sticker from his teacher for advancing a reading level, and five days later, it’s still on his forehead, which he claims will stay there until 8th grade. Such a small validation has inspired my son to keep reading and advancing while building confidence in his abilities.
Teachers make such an impact on our children’s lives from an early age. And it kills me to know that his teacher, along with millions of others, is struggling to secure the essential supplies she needs to make ends meet in the classroom. Did you know teachers spend an average of $1200 of their own money on classroom supplies each year? Together, that’s $4 billion annually! I know—$4 billion!!! For most, they’re just trying to help kids get the basics!
That’s why OfficeMax teamed up with Adopt-A-Classroom to create “A Day Made Better“—a national cause event founded to erase teacher-funded classrooms. This year, “A Day Made Better” will take place on October 6 where 1,000 teachers will be surprised in their classrooms each with $1,000 worth of essential supplies from OfficeMax. That’s more than one million dollars donated to help teachers! Principals at needy schools nominated the teachers for demonstrating dedication, innovation and passion.
How Can You Get Involved?
To pay-it-forward, OfficeMax and Mom It Forward have teamed up to create awareness about the issue of teacher-funded classrooms and to give you the opportunity to get involved and help a teacher in your community on behalf of the “A Day Made Better.” Here’s how…
Simply nominate a teacher of your choice to win this giveaway following the entry requirements. Be sure to check out the prize and criteria!
Prizes
One exceptional teacher will receive over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in OfficeMax classroom supplies. Now that’s a lot of boxes of crayons! LOL!
And, four other amazing teachers will each receive a digital camera for their classrooms.
Criteria
This is a giveaway that is meant to be given away. What does that mean? You get to nominate a teacher by sharing why this person is exceptional and deserving of this giveaway. The winning teacher will be chosen based on the following criteria, so be sure to tell us why your teacher is most deserving:
- Dedication: does everything in his/her power to deliver the best possible education for his/her students.
- Innovation: thinks outside the box and engages his/her students through creative learning activities & programs.
- Passion: expresses a genuine passion for education and shares this enthusiasm in the classroom.
- Need: demonstrates a need for essential classroom supplies.
Entry Requirements
To enter your teacher and help spread the word about A Day Made Better, you are required to do three things.
(Note: post a separate comment for each entry.)
1. Nominate them through a comment.
Leave a comment on this post with the name of the teacher, the school and city he or she works in, and the reasons why you feel he or she meets the above-listed criteria and deserves to win this giveaway. Please keep comments to 150 words or less.
2. Post these messages on Facebook and/or Twitter.
(Note: Be sure to leave comments here with links to your messages.)- Teachers spend avg $1200 of own $$ on school supplies annually! Help erase teacher-funded classrooms. http://bit.ly/3VUNvC PLS RT #omx
- Nominate a teacher 2 win $1000+ in @OfficeMax classroom supplies. http://bit.ly/1337uy PLS RT #omx
- Join the “A Day Made Better” movement to end teacher-funded classrooms at http://bit.ly/UJ3LF #omx
3. Join the A Day Made Better Facebook Cause and leave a comment on the cause page about a teacher that has made a positive difference in your life.
Thanks so much for helping pay-it-forward to teachers in your community! Please join us on Tuesdays, September 22, September 29, and October 6 from 9 to 11 pm ET for Girls Night Out (#gno) on Twitter if you’d like to meet the team behind the cause: @officemax, @adaymadebetter and @Adopt_Classroom. Hope to see you there!
Fine Print
Entries are due Sunday, October 11 by midnight PDT. No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected by me based on the entry that in my opinion meets the above criteria. OfficeMax, Adopt-A-Classroom and Mom It Forward play no part in choosing the winner of this giveaway. OfficeMax, Adopt-A-Classroom, and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to enter. In a spirit of fairness, my personal friends and family members are also ineligible. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. The winner will be notified and have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the email. If no response is received within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the U.S. 18 years and older. You are welcome to enter all giveaways associated with this campaign, but you may only win once.
I would like to vote for Kelly Hered. Kelly is a science teacher at Beulah Academy of Science in Pensacola. I am currently in college to become a teacher and I could not have a better role model than Kelly. She is very organized, loves the kids and comes up with ways to make learning fun for her students. In addition to that, she is 100% committed to teaching and spends much of her own money for items in the classroom. She would be so appreciative of this gift card and would be able to do so much more for the kids.
Thank you for the opportunity!
joined on facebook
Kristen Peterson filled a need by creating a school (Maitland Academy LLC in Maitland, Florida) which personifies her dedication, innovation, and passion for children with autism and other exceptionalities. Her son’s diagnosis of autism was inspiration to switch careers and complete a Masters degree in exceptional student education, curriculum instruction and assessment. Her persistence was fueled by awareness that most curricula and assessments available aren’t designed to meet the learning styles of children with special needs, especially those with sensory integration challenges.
In 2007 she, with an equally dedicated occupational therapist, opened their one-of-a-kind school for whole-body/whole-mind development. Kristen’s enthusiasm for the school she created is reflected in the uniquely dedicated and enthusiastic staff. They accomplish miracles on a shoestring budget. How wonderful it would be for Kristen and her team to be awarded the supplies from Office Max; they will be turned into amazing learning tools!
http://twitter.com/flared0ne/status/4617422211
http://twitter.com/flared0ne/status/4617416440
http://twitter.com/flared0ne/status/4617408539
Joining the cause!
I nominate Rose Young of KCS in CT. Anything would be helpful with the things the teachers need now a days. Schools cannot keep up with supply needs, and teachers find themselves putting out for items out of pocket. Anything that can be done is always greatly appreciated by these schools. All teachers offer their own unique qualities that create well educated young children who grow to become the leaders of tomorrow. Whoever wins should be thanked for the wonderful service they provide to their communities.
My nominee is Mrs. Jen Williams from So. Amboy Elementary School in N.J.
Her enthusiasm for teaching is so contagious. She has a wonderful teaching style that is refreshing to watch through my son’s eyes. Teaching for the fifth grade, when children are entering their pubescent years is not an easy task. Jen Williams is definitely someone who thinks outside of the box and constantly reminds her students to make good choices. Jen has been a technology teacher for 7+ years at the school, but was required to have her own class this year. Funded solely with her own money, she has transformed her room into an inspirational, thought provoking, area where children feel comforted. Her love of mentoring and her selflessness is shown everyday in her communications with her students. She is so deserving of any extra funds to help her classroom. Thank you. #omx
I nominate my sister Mel who works for FBISD. She goes out of her way to help students as well as teachers. She’s beloved in the teaching community and inspires everyone with her selflessness.
Charles (Billy) Thompson at Evansville Christian School In Evansville does many things to make his classes interesting thus getting the kids interested in history. My daughter loves history now because he made it fun to learn and relevant.
He does everything in his power to deliver the best possible education for his students. He makes classes interactive. For example, when my daughter was studying the civil war, she and her friend made a brief play discussing the pros and cons of slavery and the war. They wore costumes that looked authentic to the time period.
He is very innovative to find ways to make the history info relevant to the kids today. You can tell he has a genuine passion for education and shares this enthusiasm in the classroom. Since he works at a Christian school, funds are tight.
Just to let you know the about was psoted at 12:17 am CST which was 10:17 PST. Thanks
Tweeted:
http://twitter.com/donnak4/status/4621404499
http://twitter.com/donnak4/status/4621718488
http://twitter.com/donnak4/status/4621359291
I joined and posted on facebook
I’d like to nominate Joe Hays. Teachers should not have to scrounge around for supplies or pay for them themselves. Joe has proved himself to be a dedicated and selfless person. He’s there for the children.
Mrs. Abele at El Monte Elementary in Concord, CA. She is a fantastic teacher who makes the most of her time with her students. She invested in a collection of Curious George books and stuffed animal that she sent home weekly with a different student to enjoy reading. Something all the children looked forward too. Unfortunately a student never returned it last year and she is working really hard to rebuild her collection. She rotates new books into the classroom to keep the kids excited and the supply fresh. She has so many really impressive learning tactics and rewards programs. She keeps things in a positive note and utilizes positive reinforcement. For instance she doesn’t say “no running” she politely will ask ” Please walk” simple example, lol. She spends alot on extras for her students and i would love to see what she could do with the extra money. The kids would really benefit. Thanks s much for the Chance!
Tonyamcrain [at] aol.com
tweet:
http://twitter.com/Mom2LinzNOkie/status/4632765591
I joined the cause: TonyaCrain
I would like to nominate Robin Held, a 4th grade teacher at Dayton City School in Dayton, TN. Ms Held is an outstanding role model with firm criteria that she demonstrates to all of her students, as well as others in the school also. Ms Held definately has a way of getting her students attention and keeping it. Though school has only been in session for 2 months now, my niece comes home almost every day talking about a story that her teacher had shared with the class. Even though it’s not a story from one of their text books, the lessons learned are valuable and will benefits these kids as they start their way into jr high in the next couple of years. My hats off to this wonderful lady! I agree with her “teaching” – sometimes old school is the best school. She is for sure proof of that!
[...] does not end until this coming Sunday, October 11, midnight PDT. That means you can still go to Mom It Forward and nominate Joe and his Superstars for the [...]
Nicole Harwood, 2nd grade teacher at Mt. Pleasant Elemenatry in Mt. Pleasant NC.
Mrs. Harwood understands kids, more importantly she understands that all kids are not the same, that they are on different levels and require different things. We have twins and while only one is in her class they both greatly admire Mrs. Harwood. She goes above and beyond to reach each child, to specifically teach what they need to work on without making them feel left out or behind. Learning has become fun by watching caterpillars turn into butterflies in the classroom and using computer programs to learn spelling words.
http://twitter.com/MamaOtwins1/statuses/4716076438
I’m revising my entry for my husband – Professor C.
I started teaching in August 1977. We were married that December. Hubby was still going to college while working full time in a hospital lab. He graduated with a degree in Biology and got his MT certification.
After 3 years, he “caught” my enthusiasm for teaching and headed back to college to get his teacher’s certification. He has been teaching for 27 years now. He mainly teaches Chemistry but has also taught Biology and Physical Science.
He’s always worked a second job, doing the lab work for a local Drs. office, to help us make ends meet. But for him, it’s worth it to be able to keep teaching!
He often gets discouraged when he has high school students who cannot read the text. He struggles to find meaningful hands-on activities to teach them the content. His students love lab days – of course they always blow to blow something up!!! Even the students who are known to be trouble-makers respect him and he rarely has discipline problems with them.
His honors level students gripe and complain about the work load but usually come back during their freshman year of college to thank him for having prepared them well. Some even call him when they get stuck on a college Chemistry problem!
He’s also the Key Club adviser for the school. Key Club is a service learning club sponsored by Kiwanis. This requires time before or after school for meetings – there’s no free time during the school day. It also requires weekend time for fundraisers and service projects.
If he should win, I know that he would use part of the money to buy some graphing calculators. This would make Chemistry easier for his students who cannot afford them. Our school district is in a very rural area and 93% of our students receive free or reduced lunches.
I hope you will seriously consider my husband for this honor. He’s a great husband, father and teacher! He inspires me every day!!
mj.coward[at]gmail.com
My wife is a high school teacher that puts her all into her class-from shaving her head to dancing and singing…you can get a glimpse into her at her website mrscordry.weebly.com
Her name is Sheila Cordry and she teaches at Southern Public Schools in Wymore, Nebraska
I would like to nominate my daughter, Stacy Kasse, a third grade teacher at Taunton Forge School in Medford, NJ. Stacy has taught for almost thirty years and during that time, every time I am with her, she is always buying things for her class. “If I don’t do it, who will?” she says when I ask her why. She is very concerned about children still being children and encourages a love of learning as well as a love of play in all her students. Many times I will run into one of her ex-students who will comment that Stacy made them work hard, but boy, what fun they had. She still teaches things like spelling and handwriting, but knows that technology is the way of the future and puts her time and energy into learning all she can so she can teach her students to be the leaders of our future.
I nominate Joe Hays. If there is anyone in this world that can open the minds of youngsters and get them to think positively and creatively its Joe Hays. He teaches in a school that is hindered by not having the supplies to help these “bright students” reach for the stars. Joe is encouraging them to be more than what they see themselves as at the moment. Joe is using his own resources to supply the needs of the classroom. However, no matter how hard the journey, Joe is upbeat and creative and definitely positive in reaching out to his students to see that they can have a better life through education, education, education.
He deserves to win this contest for his students and for himself to show what can be done when one perseveres and believes in the job he is doing. Keep up the good work Joe.
I nominate Mrs. Lisa Linn, 6th grade teacher at Vail Ranch Elementary School in Temecula Ca, 92592. Mrs.Linn is without a doubt the most dedicated teacher I’ve met in all the years of putting children through school. We have five children (ages 21 down to 5) and we have requested Mrs Linn since we were blessed with her as a teacher when she taught our eldest. He was a gifted child but ADHD made it hard for most people to see that, not Mrs. Linn. She helped him reach potentials that we didn’t think he ever would, she never gave up on him. Our second and now third child have all benifited from her. With the state of CA makeing huge budget cuts in our education, Lisa has spends so much of her own money to make the difference in having the most innovative teaching supplies as well as programs for her students. She is amazing and I know she has her limits as there is only so much she can do out of her own pocket. Our lives have been forever changed because of Lisa Linn, i hope to see my youngest children benefit from her as well, please consider giving this incredible gift to her
Just wondering if you will post the winner of the $1000 OfficeMax giveaway. I’ll be interested to read about the teacher who wins. Thanks for doing this.
Did you announce the winners yet?
i nominate Tammy Phillips a 5th grade teacher at Griffin school in olympia washington. She is the best teacher in the world she makes learning very fun. She is very supportive she will even go to your sports games to cheer for you. she loves kids and she is soooo dedicated to the children. Her activities are so fun like we did auctions with the tickets they earned by doing good things. I was not very good at math but thanks to her I have more confidence in my self that I can do well in math and now i have a b+ in math !
I nominate Jackie Keesee a 6th grade gifted reading teacher at Mason Creek Middle School, in Douglasville, Georgia. I know that she spends lots of her own money on stuff for the students and the classroom. She encourages the kids and gets them interested in reading. My son always says she reminds him of his grandmother. I think that if you can make the kids want to learn and make them feel comfortable then there is no stoping them. Mrs. Keese knowa what she is doing and is so decicated to making sure each and every kid has the most out of what they learn. I just hope that every child could be as lucky as mine to have experimented what she has to offer. Please take the time to look into it. Thank You so much.
I nominate Jackie Keesee a 6th grade gifted reading teacher at Mason Creek Middle School, in Douglasville, Georgia. I know that she spends lots of her own money on stuff for the students and the classroom. She encourages the kids and gets them interested in reading. My son always says she reminds him of his grandmother. I think that if you can make the kids want to learn and make them feel comfortable then there is no stoping them. Mrs. Keesee knows what she is doing and is so decicated to making sure each and every kid has the most out of what they learn. I just hope that every child could be as lucky as mine to have experimented what she has to offer. Please take the time to look into it. Thank You so much.
I agree that teachers spend $1200 but can anyone give me the study of where that information comes from?
i think he should win because he is the best
I NOMITE MY TEACHER KAREN SNYDER AT YUCCA LOMA SCHOOL AT APPLE VALLEY,CA US 92308 YUCCA LOMA RD 21351 SHOULD BE NOMINATED BECAUSE SHE’S A LIKABLE TEACHER SHE’S BEEN OFFERED A JOB IN OTHER SCHOOL’S BUT SHE WON’T LEAVE EVERY KID IN OUR SCHOOL IN OUR GRADE WISHES TO HAVE HER AS A TEACHER MY TEACHER IS LIKE A MOTHER BEAR SHE’S VERY PROTECTIVE FOR US WHEN WE DID OUR STATE TESTS SHE FED US PANCAKES,JUICE,AND SOME SNACKS SHE IS VERY COOL,AND FUN AND MY TEACHER IS VERY TECHY SHE KNOWS ALOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY WHEN OUR TECHNOLOGY TEACHER LEFT OUR SCHOOL EVERYBODY STARTED CALLING MY TEACHER BECAUSE SHE WAS THE 2ND TECHNOLOGY TEACHER MY TEACHER IS VERY POLITE AND FRIENDLY TO OTHER TEACHER’S SHE NEVER SAYS ANYTHING RUDE TO OLDER TEACHER’S SHE HAS NEVER TALKED BACK I ALSO WISH YOU COULD NOMINATE MY TEACHER BECAUSE ON MY TEACHER’S BIRTHDAY 5/24/10 SHE HAD MEETINGS AND COULDN’T ENJOY HER BIRTHDAY MS SNYDER IS VERY NICE WE HAVE A COMPUTER LAB ROOM AND SOME STUDENTS MESS WITH THE COMPUTER’S AND THROW DOCS IN THE TRASH AND SHE SPENT HER TIME GOING IN THE COMPUTER LAB BLOCKING STUFF SO CHILDREN WOULDN’T BE THROWING STUFF ANYMORE IN THE TRASH SHE IS VERY HELPFUL SO PLEASE CAN U NOMINATE MY TEACHER SHE WOULD BE SO HAPPY
I nominate my teacher Mr Kula at Zisukhanyo sss, whom is a Xhosa language teacher. He loves his work & that you can easly see without asking. That has lead me to love being taught by him & love Xhosa language. He always make sure that everyone in the classroom participate, concerntrate & focussed. E.g if it is his period Everyone knows that must speak pure Xhosa & he also make sure that no learner is above one onother. Even now that I’m not at that school anymore but I alway say Mr Kula told me this & that with confidance & proud. I say thank you Mr Kula for everything & I hope you will keep doing good job, being a teacher & a parent at the same in those school premises. Thank you.
Students would rather be at school! Students want responsibilities within the classroom! Students make complimentary compliments to one another and help each other out when needed! Where will you find this? In Mrs. Arnold’s 4th grade class. You’ll walk into her room and find family pictures of those in her classroom, a stair step machine for students to use when they just want to get rid of some energy stored up, a small stone waterfall near the reading center, and soft music playing during work time. Mrs. Arnold establishes relationships will ALL her students and helps them move academically through her high expectations. When she is not at work she is seeking ways to grow professionally, seeking new teaching strategies to put in place in her classroom tomorrow. She certainly deserves recognition through her dedication and love for her students.
i would like to nominate Melissa Chandler, a 5k teacher at Clinton Elementary in Clinton, S.C. She is an extraordinary teacher who is very involved in the early education of her students..My family has on occasion taken her some extra supplies for her classroom and she couldn’t have been more appreciative..Both my son and daughter had her as their teacher and they loved her to death.. She put a love for education in their minds and makes learning fun so they are excited about it instead of dreading it.
I would like to Nominate Cindy Feltzer of Whitsett Elemetary School. This teacher takes great pride in teaching children who struggle. I have 3 children and was able to teach both girls how to read, however I could not teach my son. Mrs. Feltzer realized like me that my child was not understanding how to read by sound, she cared enough to go in front of the board of education and request books on how to teach the blind or deaf how to read and taught my son to read. This is a caring teacher. We need more like that. He is now fininshing his freshman year and I
am extremely greatful for this woman. He gave her a hard time too but she truly cared about him. Thank you Mrs. Feltzer you are a true Teacher.