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.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jyl Johnson Pattee. Jyl Johnson Pattee said: Nominate a deserving teacher to win $1,100 in classroom supplies from OfficeMax! http://bit.ly/1337uy [...]
This is such a great, service oriented campaign. I appreicate that.
[...] Nominate a Teacher to Win $1000 in OfficeMax Classroom Supplies! :Mom it Forward [...]
[...] you have visited here recently, you may be aware of the fact I have joined 29 other bloggers and Office Max to help spread the word about a great program created to benefit teachers – A Day Made Better. You [...]
My entry:
http://auntiethesis.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-made-better-office-max-teachers.html
My tweets:
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/4474285265
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/4474298855
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/4474309908
I joined the Facebook cause (Michelle Hudak) and left a comment about my junior high school English teacher.
I nominate Julie Baltz at Roberts Elementary in Fond du Lac. Being a special education teacher she is always having to think outside of the box to incorporate all the different needs of her students. She goes out of her way to find ways for the children to learn and communicate. She is so dedicated that she won an award from the school district which has a monetary donation, and used this money towards new books for the library. She has come to the house to teach my child who was out of school due to medical needs. She is always thinking of the children ,even during summer recess, where she offers to have the chidren come to her home if the parents would like. The classroom uses many different types of supplies and equipment, things that the regular classrooms might not need, like special writing instruments, special seating, communication aids, etc. She even makes sure to make every holiday special for the children and families and often has many gifts. She really makes her students feel special.
I joined the cause and posted about teacher Julie Baltz
http://twitter.com/colleen_mouse/status/4475764830
http://twitter.com/colleen_mouse/status/4475755320
http://twitter.com/colleen_mouse/status/4475744020
all on facebook also
My mom Marcia Diaz is a kindergarten teacher at Lee Elementary School in El Paso, TX. She put so much time, personal money, effort, and love into her classes. She always has homework and work to do and everywhere she goes she’s on the look out for something interesting to put in her prize box, to use as a prop for a lesson, or even just a fun pointer for the blackboard. Her students love her and she has had many families request her for subsequent siblings. She’s been teaching for 30yrs! Her school is underfunded and being watched after recovering from low test scores. She could definitely use the help to supply her class with the things she needs to continue to make learning a positive experience.
The link for the Facebook cause is broken. From searching, I can only find the option to friend “A day made better” is that the cause? Thanks!
Joined the caused and posted as well as added the links to my face book profile at http://www.facebook.com/renetty?ref=profile.
I would like to nominate my mom, Linda McFarland, at Esten School in Rockland, MA.
Every summer she assembles all of the school supplies her kids need to begin the year all packaged into a pencil box full to the brim. Most of the children in her class cannot afford the supplies. She has worked extra hours for the school after hours to keep the computers/networks in the building up and running, sometimes not getting home until 7. She is always finding new projects to make a memorable experience even if it means spending her own money. She has her own photocopier at home for all the worksheets it requires. An opportunity like this would show her that all that she has done for our children has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for providing this opportunity for such deserving people.
Joe Hays teaches in a high-poverty inner-city St. Louis, MO elementary school.
Joe Hays teaches in a high-poverty inner-city St. Louis, MO elementary school. Joe has named his students the Superstars and is teaching them to live up to that name. He has created a cool, colorful learning space for the kids, all with his own money. Get this: he even has to buy his own COPY paper!!! He is currently plastering the classroom walls with college/univ t-shirts and pennants to encourage his students to think about and work towards college, not something usually considered in their environment. Joe is a person who believes in people and their possibilities, and those Superstars are so blessed to have him as their teacher.
For more info on Joe, I have a blog entry about him and the Superstars: http://lonestarlifer.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/real-superstars/
Thanks so much for having this giveaway. I would so love to show those kids that there are folks out there who DO care about their future.
I also posted all three tweets on Twitter just now. http://twitter.com/lonestarlifer
I’d love to nominate Amber Bolinsky who works with high schoolers and often gives 150%. She won teacher of the year and always helps her kids win regional and national contests and field trips. She’s in the Dallas area.
http://twitter.com/mclanek/status/4485909660
http://twitter.com/mclanek/status/4485914174
http://twitter.com/mclanek/status/4485903892
I also joined the FB page for A Day Made Better and left a comment. Thanks again.
I nominate Janet Burton of Darnall Charter Elementary in San Diego, CA. Mrs. Burton was my daughter’s second grade teacher last year. Hispanic, Vietnamese, Indian, and African students represent the diverse community at Darnall. Mrs. Burton is passionate about teaching and works extra hours to bridge gaps between students, parents and community. One of her roles is obtaining local business sponsorship – in a lower income community & in a school struggling with budget cuts, her work makes it possible to fund activities like field trips. Last year a student was diagnosed with Leukemia and she spent extra hours visiting him on her own time. Mrs. Burton is “strict” but believes in rewarding students (using her personal budget). She allows each student to practice leadership roles and believes strongly in each child’s ability to learn.
My 10 yr old daughter has ADHD and it’s very hard to find any teacher that is willing to work with her and it’s also hard to find a teacher who is patient with her. I understand, but it’s still hard (not to mention frustrating!) for me to deal with.
A few years ago, she had this teacher, this older grandmother teacher, who loved my daughter like her own. I’m not a great seamstress, so when my daughter’s coat (that SHE bought her) ripped around the hood, she took it home and fixed it for her! She was constantly helping her outside what she needed to do as a teacher. My daughter still visits her and loves her so! I’d love to nominate Mrs. Smith of Forest Lakes Elementary In Forest Hill. She’s a great lady!
Here’s my tweet links: http://twitter.com/pricousins/status/4487553710
http://twitter.com/pricousins/status/4487930617
http://twitter.com/pricousins/status/4487939570
i joined the cause and left a comment on the wall about my Journalism teacher! I loved her!
I’d like to nominate Jan S. from Seiling Oklahoma elementary school (Kinder.). Mrs. S goes above and beyond to make sure each child is treated fairly and that they all learn together. Mrs. S is VERY watchful of each and every child and makes sure that each and every one is escorted to their bus or to their parent after school. She is always putting her own money into school projects and things that the children make for mother’s day and Christmas. By the end of the year all the parents have pictures that she has taken of the children all year. Her watchful eye and caring heart are priceless. She has been working in this school for 16+ years and VERY MUCH deserves this!
tweeted you
http://twitter.com/laceylovespink
and added to facebook
laceylovespink at yahoo dot com
I would like to nominate, Nell Muehlbrad from Foster Elementary School in Kingwood, Texas. She was my son Jake’s first and second grade teacher and by far his favorite teacher of all time. He is now a junior in high school and still loves Miss Muehlbrad. She was the best teacher either of my sons ever had. She was great at her job, teaching and the kids all learned so much, especially since they had her two years in a row. First grade just went seamlessly into second grade without the usual getting to know each other period. While she is a fantastic teacher, she is also a wonderful, caring person and since she has no children of her own, she “adopts” every member of her class and they become her large family. She treats every child in her classroom like they are her own children and loves each and everyone of them. Since she has been teaching 20 plus years her extended family has grown very large! I can think of no one that deserves this more.
tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/status/4497010018
I joined A Day Made Better Facebook Cause and left a comment about my high school English teacher, Mr. Anderson.
Mr. Richards Rocks! First off, it is delightful to see male Teachers at the elementary level. Our school is lucky enough to have several and this one, Mr. Richards is top banana in my book. He has been teaching for 8 plus years, and he really tries to help those kids who have a negative view of school and/or learning. He admits to parents at back to school night that he did not enjoy school and he became a Teacher to try and help others learn in a positive enviroment. He works hard. He stays on campus until very late preparing and really looking at the group dynamic of each year, He gears his Teaching towards the goal of highest acedemic achievment for that while looking at the whole kids needs. Something he says often is he wants kids in his class to feel safe. Safe for peer judgement, safe from negative outside influences, because kids can not learn unless they feel safe. I find that kids thrive in his class and feel blessed that my children had such a powerful malel role model in their lives.
[...] this entry, and Joe can be entered in all the contest. Sadly, he can only win once. One blog, the Mom It Forward blog, is having a $1000.00 OfficeMax gift card contest, so be sure to go by that site for sure. [...]
I’d like to nominate my husband Professor C. He teaches high school Chemistry in rural South Carolina. Our school district is featured in the Corridor of Shame video.
He has been teaching for 26 years. He teaches all levels of Chemistry. He leaves home at 7am even tho he doesn’t have to be there til &:45 to help kids before school. He often doesn’t get home til 4:30 for the very same reason. His students often call at home when they need help with problems.
The money could be used to buy a graphing calculator to be used by a student who cannot afford one.
mj.coward[at]gmail.com
Tweet http://twitter.com/sumrthyme/status/4508787070
I joined the cause.
My 4 children have each had at least one teacher that has greatly influenced them for good. They have made a difference in their education and an even bigger difference in their self-awareness and self-worth. I owe many things to a few great teachers in my life.
My daughter’s 6th grade teacher came at a crucial point in her life. 5th grade was a disaster. Everything that could go wrong in a teaching situation happened and the one constant in the class was an awful teacher. Some of the children even had to repeat 5th grade at a different school.
Mr. Porter was Anna’s 6th grade teacher. He was incredible. He ran a tight classroom and the children knew what to expect. Anyone not in his class was fearful of him. When the class was well behaved he had a super sense of humor and the class enjoyed being at school. As a result an out of control group of students learned how to learn and be in control again.
Mr. Porter was able to help my daughter enjoy those around her and more importantly how to enjoy and appreciate herself and her qualities. She learned how to ask questions without fear, how to be proud that she was responsible, how to be ok making a mistake and not have to be perfect at all times. In addition to these and many more personal accomplishments, Anna had a great academic year. She enjoyed learning and entered 7th grade more than prepared.
Thank you Mr. Porter for helping my daughter, and many more, have a great year learning about school and much more.
Mr. Porter
Morningside Elementary
Granite School District
Salt Lake City, Utah 84124
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&suggest¬e_id=145580147854
http://twitter.com/RayLinDairy/statuses/4528891795
I was terrified when I enrolled my young 5 year old son in kindergarten. I knew the teacher was going to make or break this first year. I was right. Heather Pogue from Monroe Elementary School in Norman Public Schools in Norman, Ok, is amazing. Her creative passion for teaching has sparked an interest in my son in the way I had hoped. She designs fun ways for children to involve their parents in learning. Her classroom is warm, inviting and perfect for group lessons or working one on one. This is the one place this socially diverse group of kids can feel equal. But like all teachers I know she dips into her own pocket instead of asking her students to do without. There is an on-going “wish list” that needs fulfilling. Help wipe it out for the year!
You’re on Facebook, Twitter and tTownmoms.com! Hope it helps spread the world.
[...] I’ve nominated Joe but it sure couldn’t hurt to have more nominations for him. Go here http://momitforward.com/giveaway-1000-in-officemax-clasroom-supplies to read the instructions of how to nominate. Nominations end Sunday, October 4th at midnight [...]
tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/statuses/4588250709
http://twitter.com/annedoggett/statuses/4588257424
Troy Bowman was a great Trigenometry teacher.
I nominate my cousin Casey.
She teaches in an inderprivelaged area, where most of the kids lack the skills they need.
And with the No Child left Behind Act, many move on to the next grade regardless of how they performed. Casey tries her hardest to make sure all of her first graders move on with the reading and mathmatical skills they should know. And she tries to get the parents involved even though they don’t always care. I just want her to see that everything she is doing IS making a different because she doesn’t always feel that way.
I am not sure how to post a link to a tweet.
But my twitter id is ohslowdown
I nominate my friend Sue Rae, who teaches speech and language at Paloma Elementary in San Marcos, CA. She genuinely loves her students and goes the extra mile. Many of the supplies and things she uses in the classroom, like Kleenex, she purchases herself. Sue Rae developed a small invention to help students with speech and hearing difficulties that I think is worthy of a patent, yet she purchases the materials herself each year and builds the devices for her students.
I nominate my mom, Kathy Youmans, kindergarten teacher in Concord, Michigan. She works tirelessly for her rural low-income students and she truly believes in the limitless potential they bring in their first year of school. She is passionate about early childhood and has worked in early childhood programs for low-income children for much of her career. She was a role model for my twin sister and I and it is because of her enthusiasm for the classroom that we both have grown up and become teachers with classrooms of our own. I love her and thank her for her devotion to education every day.
I would like to nominate my son’s teacher – Mrs Carol Smith.
She teaches at PS 229 in Woodside, Queens.
Mrs Prince, the fourth grade teacher for Grantsville Elementary in Utah – currently teaching at Willow due to a fire at the elementary school over the summer, these teachers are providing a good education in exceptional circumstances. These teachers lost thousands of $ in classroom materials when a wing of the school caught fire this summer. They are working with donated supplies and what they could put in out of pocket. Entire years of supplies are gone. Many are working in mobile classrooms this year – trailers on the other school’s properties.
Kristel Hansen works as a science teacher at a jr high in West Valley City, Utah. This year she isn’t getting any help with science supplies, and not always lab supplies either. She buys those out of pocket.
In order to inspire her students, she presents one with a “Student of the Week” award…out of her own pocket also.
The school doesn’t have air conditioning, and it’s pretty hot in her classroom – upstairs with no windows. She buys them bottled water and Otter pops to help cool it down, and brings in her own swamp coolers and fans to make it cooler.
She also coaches soccer there, and spent $60 of her own money to repaint the soccer field since the school ran out.
She stays on her own time, unpaid, after school to help students with her homework and do soccer coaching.
I know this card would help her out so much – even if just for ink for the printers. They only get so many copies a year, and have to pay for anything over their allowance.
Tweets posted on http://twitter.com/treesandshrubs/
Also joined Facebook cause
I would like to nominate Joe Hays. He teaches underprivileged children in an inner-city school in St. Louis. He is committed to inspiring and encouraging his students while opening them to the possibilities their futures hold. Much of his own money is used to further his committment to his “superstars.” He truly deserves the $1000. prize and much more.
I am nominating my daughter’s 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Heimburger of St Charles, MO. She has not been present for a few weeks of the school year due to the birth of her own baby, but she has made a great attempt to get to know the children in her classroom. When she knew she was going to be leaving, she brought the substitute teacher in to get the kids comfortable with the changes coming. When she returned, she talked and still talks in depth with the substitute to learn all the needs of the children. She has dedicated herself to getting to know all the quirks of the kids that she wasn’t able to get to know as well as the substitute. She is very open with parents and does her best to keep parents informed of any problems or issues that arise. She thinks of new and different ways to encourage the kids to learn and enjoy doing it.
http://twitter.com/ToBeThode/statuses/4613471599
http://twitter.com/ToBeThode/statuses/4613484236
http://twitter.com/ToBeThode/statuses/4613492592
Joined the facebook cause and left comment.