Cents in Action: The Carolina Truth
Cents in Action: Guest blog post by Kelly Crowley (Pine Valley Elementary School - Wilmington, NC)
This week, we are higlighting one of our new rockstar teachers who is doing some great work in her Elementary classroom in Wilmington! Kelly has successfully raised over $600 (money she doesn't need to spend out of pocket anymore) for her students through 2 causes: Environmental Health Indicators & Safety First!
We want to highlight her experience on PledgeCents with her raw feedback to some of our questions.
Q: How long have you been a teacher, and what is your favorite teaching moment from your career so far?
I am working my way through my 15th year of teaching. My favorite moment in my career was when an exceptionally shy student in fourth grade prepared a speech on the importance of film in education. She stood up in front of our class and her nerves took over. Her face blushed, and she looked like tears were on the way down her cheeks. Then she took a deep breath. She delivered her speech. Flawlessly. Because she was able to talk about HER passion, what drives her, she was able to overcome one of her biggest fears and share her ideas about film in education with her peers. She may not have cried, but I sure did.
Q: How much of your own money do you think you have put toward your classroom and students in any given year, and what have you spent it on?
I probably spend $500 or more of my own money each year on my classroom. I love books, and I just can’t resist when a classic is offered for $1 in a Scholastic Book Club order. I usually order a class set with the points I’ve earned and pay for what my points will not cover. I found out about The Lunch Lady graphic novels last year, and ordered all 10 on Amazon. My students devour them. When I need materials for hands-on science lessons, you will find me at Wal-Mart or Target searching for mousetraps, marshmallows, paint, popsicle sticks, or any other supplies we might need.
Q: With so many fundraising options out there, why did you choose to work with the PledgeCents team?
My co-worker Beverly Ladd introduced me to PledgeCents. I wrote a cause to help fund our Frog Watch USA program, and I could not believe how quickly we raised money for the project. With this money, we paid for our buses to the NC Aquarium at Ft. Fisher and we ordered several copies of a NC Frog and Toad Guidebook with CD’s. There is still money left for which we plan to order a digital recorder for our evening excursions to record frog and toad calls.
Q: What did you personally do to market your cause? What worked? What didn’t work?
To market our cause, I sent the link in emails to the parents of my students who in turn shared this link with their family members. I embedded the PledeCents widget on my classroom webpage, and I tweeted our Cause on Twitter. The opportunity to earn $50 just by sharing it on Facebook and encouraging my friends to share it was exciting! It happened so fast.
Q: How was your experience with PledgeCents? What did you like? Not like?
My experience with PledgeCents was EASY. Other than remembering to follow district policy and complete a separate form, PledgeCents cause writing was so simple. I wrote a Cause in under an hour. Writing my first cause, I missed the part about the PledgeCents fees, so I did not account for that in the amount I requested. I have a second cause that is live right now, and I figured out to account for the fees. I quickly chatted with a member of the PledgeCents team who figured out the fee amount and helped me adjust the amount I was requesting. That was incredibly helpful. It also feels great when PledgeCents replies to and repeats my Tweets. I try to reciprocate this for PledgeCents as well.
Q: What would be your advice to another teacher who is considering using PledgeCents?
My advice to another teacher is to just go online and spend a few minutes exploring. Once a teacher realizes how easy this is, there is no turning back. I do, however, recommend it to teachers who utilize email and social media outlets to communicate with school stakeholders.
Q: What is the best thing about being an educator, and where do you find your inspiration?
The students are the best thing about being an educator. I spend time writing causes, planning lessons, and inviting student teachers to our class, because it all benefits the students. We grow and learn together.
*Kelly was not compensated for this post.
