After spending time working in various facilities as a recreational therapist, Kathryn quickly learned that her true love was teaching. She went back to school to earn her master's degree in exceptional students education and resolutely pursued her dream. During her time at Dillard High School, Kathryn has made an impact on the lives of her students and constantly strives for more.

I am a Special Education teacher at an inner city school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The high school I teach at is a Title I. Approximately 80 percent of my students receive free or reduced lunch due to their families' socio-economic level. The students in my class are considered to be cognitively the lowest functioning students within the school; they are diagnosed with either mental retardation or autism.

Due to their disabilities they tend to be visual and/or tactile learners, learning best when provided with hands-on materials. The past couple of years, due to financial constraints within our school district, my classroom has not received money for new supplies. The hands-on materials, which I need to teach my students, I have created or bought myself. While I love my students and teaching, during this tough economic time I cannot always afford to buy the materials myself. Unfortunately I know their families cannot afford to buy the materials either. Given the age of my students, my curriculum focuses on teaching them real-life functional skills. My students are learning vocational, communication and daily living skills.

If my classroom were to win the "Tools for Teaching Contest," I would use the money to purchase functional items, which could be used to directly teach them in the classroom. For example, I could purchase a variety of vocational task sets, where my students could get hands-on experience practicing sorting and packing skills. I could purchase computer programs [about] community signs and menu math so that I could incorporate using technology within their curriculum. I could purchase board games so they could practice communication skills and age appropriate leisure skills. And most importantly, I could purchase books and reading materials so that my students could have a library of age appropriate books at their reading level. They could access their library during their breaks and classroom leisure time. Since my students stay within my classroom three quarters of their day, I feel that it is important to provide them with an environment not only where they feel comfortable but where they have fun [with] interactive materials.

With the help of the "Tools for Teaching Contest" I could provide these materials for them. I want my students to have fun and to be as excited to learn as I am to teach!

Bhavna has a true passion for chemistry and for teaching. She uses a variety of methods to help her students understand and learn the complex nature of her subject, such as PowerPoints, group activities, lab experiments, videos and other materials. After a successful career as a college professor, Bhavna wanted to bring her enthusiasm to high school students, teaching dual enrollment classes at Northbrook High School. Unfortunately, the tight economy has made it difficult.

I teach dual-credit chemistry in a Title I school. It is an exciting program that allows motivated students to save college tuition by earning college credit at the same time as they earn high school credit. My students, for example, will earn 6 hours of college credit for taking [my class] their senior year. Students change their minds [about college] when they have…earned college credit...Students discover they can do college work, meet the challenge, do well and suddenly new horizons are at their fingertips!

But there's a catch. It isn't a watered down program. It's real college material, taught by highly-qualified teachers with master's degrees in their subject…with proven track records of success who know how to teach to high school students. Therefore, the program demands the use of quality college lab equipment and chemicals. Budget crunches have kept us from buying new lab equipment and chemicals…what we have is high school level. There are simply no funds available to buy college level lab equipment. The wonderful opportunity dies, strictly from a lack of lab equipment.

People often help elementary school kids. They're less likely to help high school students. And, too often, the gifted and hard working are slighted the most because those in charge say, "they'll learn anyway." Yes, they'll learn science- you can't stop their inquiring minds. But no, they won't stress themselves, challenge themselves, and realize their capabilities. Yet these are tomorrow's future, if given a chance to get ahead with this opportunity. Please, I [wish] to have good labs. I'll take it from there. I'm really good at what I do. My kids will succeed. And we, all of us, will be the winners when America's future is well educated. So, I don't need markers. I don't need desks. I don't need laptops, though I'd sell my soul to have them for my kids. What I need is college level labs [so] our kids who will be pharmacists, doctors [and] nurses continue to succeed in science.

Thank you for your consideration.

Winner and newest to teaching, Kekai brings a fresh perspective and a youthful enthusiasm to her classroom. Not only is she the high school math teacher at George Washington Preparatory High School, Kekai is also the founder and moderator of the Pacific Islander Student Association. She truly epitomizes what a loving, caring educator can do for students.

My classroom deserves to win a gift card from Catalogs.com and Nasco because I believe that my students deserve it the most--not just because they are an awesome group of students, but because they have already been dealt so little in regards to everything else.

My school is located in an underprivileged, high-poverty stricken community in South Los Angeles, where many of my students feel as if they have nothing--and for the most part, many of them truly do not have a lot. In my classroom, I try my best to provide them with an atmosphere and environment with a stark contrast to the life that they have to go home to each day. My classroom is all about my students: from their birthday wall, to their pictures, class work, artwork and poetic pieces, I want my students to feel like my classroom is their home away from home. Oftentimes, I find myself not only purchasing academic resources, manipulatives, and basic supplies out of my own pocket, but I also find myself providing students with breakfast snacks or juice from not having eaten much at home the night before. In short, for the most part, my students love my classroom.

What would make my day even more would be for my students to love math just as much. I believe that having a classroom with an investment in math resources, manipulatives, games and other tools for teaching, my students could succeed far more than where they are at now. In fact, given the community [where] my school is located, I sincerely doubt that my students have ever even been in a classroom rich in such resources that could be attainable from winning this contest.

My hope is not only to simply win a contest, but to inspire my students, push their potential, and to let them know that someone out there truly does care whether they make it or not. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you for your consideration.

Since the library is the center of any school, Library Media Specialist Geri Ellner Krim interacts with all 580 students at Brooklyn Collegiate teaching information skills, and working with every teacher to provide students the best education possible. Over the years she has received a number of awards and grants, including the Giant Step Award for improving her school's library program.

It has been said that "determination, patience and courage are the only things needed to improve any situation." This is only a part of the picture. School supplies should be added to the list.

The majority of my students have a difficult life. They have absent or single parents. They live in a world where gang violence is not something you see on television, but to and from school. Some are responsible for younger siblings and half-siblings. Money is tight. My students still have hopes and dreams of going to college and being a success. That is why they have selected to come to our school.

Our school is the first College Board school created in New York City. We prepare our students, not only for college entrance, but for college success. With all their social and economic handicaps, my students still want to succeed. I see this while I work with our students both in the library and in their classrooms. I also see that they have to improve their use of formal English.

Because of this, I would like to be able to purchase materials from the Reading Resources catalog. I would like to use the materials in my library, some of which would be circulated for the other teachers, and some materials to be used by students. I would like the reading center/chart holder so that I can conduct group library skills lessons. Also, I would like the teacher book resources to be able to work better with those students with reading difficulties. I would circulate the books to other teachers. They, too, can use them with their students. As for the students, I would like to purchase reading incentives, such as the reading ribbons to use as displays featuring our reading stars. With it, I would also like to use the reading posters.

My classroom starts at the library and reaches out to the other classrooms. The library is the hub of the school. Each spoke connects to another classroom. I would like to use the resources I purchase to reach as many classrooms as possible.