I have a secret to admit. I may as well start this blog off truthfully, so here goes...I'm not tough enough to be a teacher. Don't get me wrong, most people that know me would say that I am very resilient, can tackle any challenge and have weathered many difficult storms. However, I am not tough enough to be a teacher.
Can someone out there please explain how it is possible to teach for 35 years? Both my parents were in educators. I heard all the stories growing up, yet I still wanted to give it a shot. After receiving my undergraduate Business degree and working for a few years in the business world, I ventured off to get my Master's Degree in Education with rose-colored glasses on the entire time. I found it to be much more difficult than working in the business world. Through it all, I still have the tremendous love of learning.
Fast forward to the present. I started EcoLabel Fundraising with great empathy for teachers and administrators. I was there for a short time - handling the pressures of the classroom, the paperwork, the parents, the administrators and your own family life. My Father was a school administrator, so I understand how all the same pressures fall on the administrator weighing heavily in different areas.
I got to know all the paperwork involved with lesson planning, keeping up with notes to parents and district professional developments plans. I decided, "why not create a system that takes all the work out of it for the staff?" How many lost checks or money envelopes can I teacher chase down?
We created a completely paperless system which is extremely low maintenance for teachers and administrators. We also created a line that is healthy. Healthy for children, healthy for the environment and healthy for learning. I wanted to emphasize that whole "ethical" package by:
- Promoting healthy products for the environment. How can we teach about preserving our Earth only one day a year ? How about promoting the message over the entire year or even two weeks by keeping it on everyones' minds through an EcoLabel Fundraising drive?
- Taking the lesson planning work out of it for the teachers for one week for a lesson a day. We are changing the face of the traditional fundraisers we have seen in schools for the last 25 years which make more work for teachers. Making more work for anyone creates more stress for them which inhibits their ability to do their job the best they can.
- Buying fair-trade products that are manufactured under ethical conditions as opposed to asking our children to sell products manufactured by children in oppressed situations.
- Focusing less on asking our children to peddle unhealthy foods as the main focus of the fundraiser.
- Making less work for the school staff so they can focus on educating our children. We ship directly to the home of the person(s) buying products to support your fundraiser. We take payments directly thru our secure website. No check or cash collecting at the school.
Welcome to "Respecting our Earth, Raising your Funds, and Educating our Future."
Humbly yours,
Jeanne Reslan, M.A.T.
Founder/President
EcoLabel Fundraising
t.877-eco-1141
www.ecolabelfundraising.com
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1 comment:
I think you raise a good point: Why focus on the Earth one day a year? Obviously, it's getting more popular for Americans to pay attention to their carbon footprint, but figuring out ways to actually reduce it can be tough/overwhelming. Teaching kids early with things like eco-friendly fundraising makes a lot of sense!
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