Freelance journalism has allowed me to visit many of the best schools in my area, and one of the things that always amazes me about them is how many different ways college administrators, professors, and parents are willing to come up with to fund education.
The PTA at a nearby elementary school was trying to raise money for new computers in the classrooms, so I created a tale about it. Some students at the institution decided to organise a “walkathon,” in which they solicited donations from strangers based on the amount of time and distance they walked. The institution had gathered enough money to buy six new computers by the time it was all said and done.
As an added bonus, I wrote about the Education Foundation, a group dedicated to increasing districtwide educational financing. Parents who were also business owners or other professionals made up the majority of the members of this group, which committed part of their weekly schedules to raising money for various causes within the college district.
They would submit grants, organise fundraising events, and do anything else they could to raise money for education, on which many teachers said they had grown to rely heavily. There were a number of instructors who told me that they would not be able to provide their kids with the educational opportunities they currently enjoy if not for the Education Foundation.
Because of the hard work of parents and instructors, I immediately realised that these schools are well recognised and perform at a high level because they have the necessary budget to provide the best resources for their students.
It was an honour to receive a thank you from a member of the Education Foundation, who said that the local newspapers have been an invaluable resource for their organisation. I inquired as to what she meant, and she explained to me that fund-raising activities gain a great deal of attention when their stories are published in the newspaper, and as a result, they raise a big number of money. To be honest, that made me quite happy.
I hadn’t given much thought to why some schools and districts performed better than others before this experience. As far as I could tell, the wealthier districts had better facilities and more resources.
To my surprise, I had no idea how any of this came to be, nor did I realise how much work goes into raising money for school. As a result of my experience, I now have a greater admiration for volunteer groups that have that as their primary goal. Because of the hard work of parents and instructors, I immediately realised that these schools are well recognised and perform at a high level because they have the necessary budget to provide the best resources for their students.
It was an honour to receive a thank you from a member of the Education Foundation, who said that the local newspapers have been an invaluable resource for their organisation. I inquired as to what she meant, and she explained to me that fund-raising activities gain a great deal of attention when their stories are published in the newspaper, and as a result, they raise a big number of money. To be honest, that made me quite happy.
I hadn’t given much thought to why some schools and districts performed better than others before this experience. As far as I could tell, the wealthier districts had better facilities and more resources.
To my surprise, I had no idea how any of this came to be, nor did I realise how much work goes into raising money for school. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to see it for myself, I’ll be more appreciative of volunteer groups that have that as their goal.