Aug
12
2026
Teachers across the country routinely spend hundreds of dollars of their own money on basic classroom materials each year. With class sizes often reaching thirty students, educators must purchase notebooks, snacks, tissues, hand soap, and other essentials not covered by school budgets. The image captures this annual back-to-school reality as a teacher struggles with an overloaded shopping cart. The editorial position underscores how underfunded public schools force teachers to subsidize their own classrooms.




































