Red Clover Education

Maybe you’re just starting your teaching journey, perhaps (like me) you’re headed back, or maybe you are switching to a different grade level and need new books! Whatever your situation, building a classroom library can put a major crunch on your classroom budget.

Classroom libraries are essential for many teachers, but especially those of us either teaching literacy or self-contained elementary classrooms. These libraries serve as research material, a source for independent reading books, and more. When thinking about how many books my classroom library needs, consider how many books each student needs. I ask kids to have a maximum of 3 books in their book boxes. Almost all students will meet or (try to) exceed this. At any given time, with 20 students, this means that 60 books are checked out of my library. To make sure that everyone has good choices whenever they are ready to book shop, I like to have a library 4-5 times that number, so somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 – 300 books. Obviously, we cannot shell out $6-10+ for each of these books – our classroom budgets would be completely blown, and we’d have no school supplies. 

So, when you are starting from scratch, what can you do to get books for your classroom – that kids will actually want to read – on a tight budget? No fear! There are many great ways to build your library for little to no cost. Below, I’ll share the different approaches I used to seek donations and contributions to get things rolling for year one in my new classroom.

Tip #1: Ask for local donations

Do you have a local online group that’s used for lost pets, people selling stuff, etc? I listed a request on mine that read as follows: 

Hi there, (my town)!
I am heading back to the classroom after a few years out, and am trying to rebuild my library for third and fourth grade students. If you have any used books or magazines that would be of interest to kids ages 8-10, please email me and I’d be so grateful to take them off of your hands!

Thanks in advance,

Shannon

This approach led to about ten different donations – some dropped off at my house, and others were worth the short drive to go pick up. You will not always strike gold with this approach. Some books were really just too outdated to appeal to this age group anymore, but sorting through them to find all the great donations was well worth it! Best part – this was completely FREE!

Tip #2: Be clear with your friends who are parents of the age range you will teach, as well as other teachers that you know, that you are building a classroom library!

People want to help with this project. If you let folks know that as they clean their books out, you would love to have them, they will come to you! It may not be for the first day of school, and that’s fine. It’s always awesome to get new books for your collection. 

In letting my teacher/parent friends know, I had one friend put together 2 full boxes of books for me and another friend mail me a bunch(!). I also heard from one teacher friend that she could weed out her fourth grade books for those that were too young for her, but great for my third grade students. Finally, a very established teacher friend of mine saw me post and contacted me to share that she had accepted a position as an interventionist. She offered to loan me many of her books for the school year! You never know what people may have to share until you ask. Again – completely FREE!

Tip #3: Build an Amazon library wishlist and share on your social media!

This is the one I debated against the most, because I hate asking people for money. That said, I always donate if someone asks me, so I figured it was worth a shot! This was an incredibly successful approach to getting some new books tailored to my students’ interests, as well as some books that I wanted that reflected the curriculum. 

A few suggestions to make this a success:

• Include different price points, with lots of options for books in the $5-$10 range. People were very excited to help with this project, and this price point was a great entry level for those who don’t have a lot to spend, but wanted to pitch in.
• On the flip side of that, include a few “big dreams” for family members or close friends who may want to be generous – I included a few box sets that I thought my students would love.
• Include a personal note about WHY this is important in your classroom! See mine below, which I shared on (my personal) facebook page:

This was another FREE way to get classroom books! I will likely keep this list going for parents who would like to contribute a book to our classroom in the beginning of the year.

Here’s the social media post I included on my personal social media. I was thrilled with the response from family, friends, and former co-workers: I received over 50 book donations in less than a week. The image was a snapshot of an interest survey I had taken of my new students on step-up day, with names removed.

Tip #4: Yard sales and library book sales

Have you been in your library basement lately? If not, time to check it out! Most public libraries host their own “book store”, although it’s often hidden! Some sales are priced by the book while others just ask for a donation. In all cases, it’s much cheaper than the bookstore. I rely on these sales for copies of the classic tales, with occasional lucky finds of graphic novels or interesting non-fiction books for kids. Yard sales are similarly hit or miss: ones that specifically list a lot of children’s items are often a better bet for classroom books. Not free, but pretty close! 

Using these approaches has already gotten me close to 300 books: my family is so ready for me to get these stacks out of our basement! Now that I’ve tried every source I can think of for free books, I’ve begun to sort into my category baskets. This process makes it easy to see what’s missing. Now, I can spend my own book budget on filling in those gaps, and purchasing multiple copies of texts for literacy groups. 

Share your strategies below for scoring free or low cost books for your classroom library below!

Since so many of us have left the classroom in the past few years, it’s bound to be a question that some people are kicking around. Whether you left for online teaching, to stay home with kids, or for another career altogether, some teachers are still feeling the pull back to the classroom.

I am one of these, and after a full two years out, I’m headed back in to teach pretty much the same thing I did before I left. What’s different now? I’m excited. I’m not burnt out. After many years in the classroom, I was ready for a break. 

I was not truly a victim of the pandemic: I notified my district that I would be resigning from my position as a fourth grade teacher in November of 2019, to be effective the following June. After the pandemic hit, I initially considered shifting to a much smaller school in my district since I knew they needed support, but in the end, I opted out. Several back-to-back years of intense behaviors in my classroom, compounded by nonstop consultants, curriculum changes, and shifts in administration and initiatives sent me over the edge. My interest in having a creative, dynamic classroom never changed, but it was crushing me to get it all done. I chose to shift to working as an administrator for a distance-learning program, which also allowed me to homeschool my own kids. It was a great job. Yet, I still felt that bug… I couldn’t stop following my teacher blogs, reading trade books, slapping my own hand away from children’s literature at Barnes and Noble… I knew it was time to head back.

The truth is, all of the things that drove me out are still there today, even though I’ll be in a different school. So, how do I know that this time will be different?

Obviously, I can’t control everything. Admin will leave, other turnovers will happen, etc. But, reflecting on how I was spending my time, and what control I do have, has been essential for me in being ready to go back to the classroom. Several key pieces in particular have made it possible for me to move forward, that might also be of use to others considering returning to the profession to think about:

Do your research. What schools are a good match for you? My previous school was a good match for me in some ways, and in others, it was a real challenge. After thinking about my experiences in the three schools I’ve worked in, I know now that I work best in small communities. I like to have one or two teammates, max, to make everyday decisions with. I also had some red flags that I stayed away from: if a school had a ton of vacancies, or all of its admin leaving, I didn’t consider it. Considering schools before positions was helpful for me – this allowed me to keep an eye on the places I truly wanted to work, rather than getting distracted by attractive positions in districts that weren’t a good match. In the end, I was only interested in one school this year, which also happened to be the school my youngest child attends. I knew that if something came up in the grade levels I enjoy teaching, I would apply, but if not I would just stay with my current work for another year. As luck would have it, the only position they advertised this year was a grade 3-4 teacher, and I applied and accepted the job this spring with confidence, knowing that this school met a lot of the requirements I was looking for. 

I will be spending my time focusing on my team, and my classroom. This isn’t to say I don’t care about whole-school issues or activities: I certainly do! What I’m choosing to leave behind is the work drama. My role as a school administrator this past year taught me that I really *don’t* want to know what’s going on with everyone. It’s exhausting, and stressful. My primary interest is in working with kids, and other adults who are enthusiastic about teaching. It’s easy and even entertaining to get bogged down in building politics, gossip, and the like, but I know that taking a pass on this in the future will allow me the mental and emotional space I need to do my job well. Note: Please don’t read this as a holier-than-thou statement: I’m not a bucket of sunshine. I’ve got more than enough interest in snark and sarcasm, and have a fantastic cadre of friends to share that with. I have found though, that it’s best left out of work, for me, and separating it from my professional life in my current role has been extremely beneficial to me.

I am a confident, knowledgeable educator who can make decisions about my classroom and advocate for my students. In the past, I’ve largely just followed directions from administrators, consultants, whoever, with far less expertise than I had about the “best practices” for my students. As a person who loves learning, research, and staying up to date in my field (not to mention the National Board Certification, advanced degrees, or 15 years of experience in the classroom…) I feel confident this time around to ask hard questions, push back (kindly, but firmly!) when information and decisions don’t benefit students, and know that I have just as much expertise as anyone in the room. In the worst case scenarios, when something has to be implemented that isn’t great, I usually know how to integrate the support my kids actually need, as well, and can go home knowing that I am serving my students in the best way I can.

Of course, the biggest thing driving me back was – I LOVE IT! I missed putting my classroom together, facilitating math talks, designing games, running book clubs, crafting science projects – the whole shebang. I’m a total teaching and education nerd at the end of the day, and I’ve got to let it shine. 😀

I hope you’ll check back to see how the big “reentry” goes – I’d also love to hear from you! Are you considering going back to teaching? Never in a million years? Share your thoughts and questions below.