'We are all doing it': US teacher begs motorists for money for classroom supplies
A teacher in the US has been forced to beg for cash on the side of the road because she does not have enough money to cover classroom supplies.
Holding onto little more than hope and a sign, Teresa Danks from Tulsa, Oklahoma, stood on the side of the road to panhandle passing drivers.
Despite appearing upbeat and having a bright smile, Ms Danks told ABC-13, "it's just getting harder and harder".
Ms Danks has been teaching since 1996 and despite having a masters degree earns less than $45,000 a year.
Ms Danks said she was not in the job for the money – it’s her passion for teaching that keeps her going and compels her to contribute thousands of her own wages to getting the job done.
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"And I'm not alone. I mean, we are all doing it. I am just one voice of many," Ms Danks said.
"I was getting emotional. People were like, 'Teachers like you – that's the reason I am alive today.'"
A lack of resources in the classroom drove the teacher out into the city streets to drum up cash, earning more than $40 in less than 10 minutes – double what she makes in an hour at her day job.
Many Oklahoma schools and classrooms are doing it tough, with the Washington Post reporting a total of 96 schools across the state have cut the school week down from five days to four.
According to the Oklahoma Policy Institute, the state has been number of one of all 50 US states in cuts to education for several years, with the 2017 budget slashing K-to-12 spending by 18 per cent.
