Some Pflugerville teachers using donor based website to help supply classrooms

Some teachers in Pflugerville are back in the classroom getting ready for the return of their students next week. But for some teachers, their classrooms aren't exactly how they would like them to be.

Miss McKeown is a 2nd year teacher so she said she is still building up her classroom. “My goal this year was to make my classroom feel like home, instead of like classrooms are cold and it's really not comfortable.”

While the district provides funding and parents bring supplies, many teachers have wish lists to help make their classrooms better.  For Miss McKeown it revolves around reading. “My library looks full right now, but compared to other teachers it's really not.” She said students need to have a large selection of books, with a variety of reading levels, and most importantly, the right environment. “If they're comfortable, they are more likely to sit down and do it, and it's going to instill in their mind that they like doing it, because they're comfortable and it makes them feel like they are at home.”

Many teachers are setting up pages on the website www.donorschoose.org. The website helps teachers all over the U.S. bring their classroom dreams to life without breaking their banks. For Miss McKeown at Barron Elementary, it's having her little ones reading books by the end of the year. “People from your community can go on and donate to your classroom to make sure that you're going to have the supplies that you need. It's a gift to our classroom and those gifts really mean a lot,” she said.

It may just be a small gift but it could help achieve a big goal.“It's so rewarding to be able to come into this school every day and to see them progress as the year goes on. It's an amazing feeling at the end of the year when you realize that they have gone from nothing to wow I can read a book,” she said.

For a link to Miss McKeown’s Donors Choose website you can click here.

If you're a parent who needs help with school supplies, Pflugerville ISD Social Work Services is handing out supplies for those students on free and reduced lunch. They will be holding two sessions Thursday from 11am - 2pm and 5pm – 7pm, while supplies last. You can click here for more information.