Teachers' School Supply News

Chicago and John Henry

2011-05-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

While in Chicago to train our wonderful new sales rep, Prem Glidden, I visited the “Bean” an iconic mirror-like sculpture in Centennial Park. Then I had the pleasure of attending “John Henry” a musical put on by the spirited youngsters at Kipp Ascend Elementary, ably lead by Ellen Davis. The musical is based on the book “John Henry: An American Legend” by Ezra Jack Keats, with script and songs by Aaron Brenner, of Kipp Houston. As the “playbill” states: “To our KIPPsters, John is a character who represents all of our values. He creates his own path; he continuously shows love to others; he inquires when he has questions; he makes it happen for his teammates by finding solutions to problems; and he demonstrates to all of us how to be the change by always having a good attitude and reminding us to never give up.

The children enthusiastically played their parts and it was hard to hold back the tears and they sang, danced and acted their way into our hearts.

Richard A. Lasser
President

We're Happy To Help - Royal Child Daycare and Preschool

2011-03-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

When Dorothy Loman of Royal Child Daycare in Columbus, Ohio contacted me about the needs at her center, I knew right away I wanted to help them. Royal Child Care is located in a low income neighborhood, but they’ve managed to stay in operation since 1995. What impressed me was that they believe in helping children explore the world beyond the limitations of their often perilous neighborhood. Their center environment is warm and inviting. In Ms. Loman’s words, “we are trying to make the children feel comfortable and secure in their classrooms.” Royal has been an NAEYC Accredited Center for the past 8 years. Ms. Loman goes on: “Being an accredited center is a goal we worked very hard to attain and maintain throughout these past 8 years. We became a One-Star Step Up To Quality center 3 years ago, which that means our program is aware that there are guidelines and standards that identify the experiences children should have at each milestone. But that wasn’t enough. Our center worked so hard at improving the lives of the children here we are now a Two-Star Step-Up to Quality Center. Hopefully; they will be inspired and encouraged to explore and set their sights beyond their experiences here.”

Teachers’ School Supply was happy to help Royal with a tumbling mat and badly needed classroom furniture. How can we help you?

- Richard A. Lasser

Celebrate the Young Child Conference

2011-03-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here at Teachers’ School Supply one of our very favorite past times, as you can tell from our previous blog entries, is to visit with our customers. My name is Bonnie, and I recently had a chance to travel to Phoenix, Arizona to do just that, while attending the Celebrate the Young Child Conference, hosted by the Association for Supportive Child Care (ASSC) and Arizona Child Care Association (ACCA) at the Glendale Civic Center. The conference focuses on workshops that enhance child care professionals’ understanding of child development and behaviors, as well as the state of child care in Arizona.

It is always our pleasure to know and speak to those that make our company what it is, as well as to contribute what we can, whenever we can. After the convention, with great support from one of our business partners, Early Childhood Resources, we were able to donate a small, early childhood table with three matching chairs, bilingual rugs and activity kit, a large classroom easel, cots and sheets and soft blocks, as well as a listening center and a rolling organizer -- some of which will go to filling small gaps in the needs of local daycares. Most of it will be used in the silent auction for the ASCC’s Child Care Bowl, which will in turn raise even more money and opportunity for the programs that serve thousands of Arizona families each year.

We are very happy to have been a part of this cause. What can we do for yours?

Bonnie Morrissey, Charter School Account Executive

Thanks TSS

2011-03-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

I have been blessed to be a part of the Teachers’ School Supply family for the past five years. Two months after I started working here, I discovered that I was pregnant with my four year old daughter, Kaitlynn. She has been a welcomed part of the TSS family from that day on.

She has been going to her daycare center for the past three and a half years. They have been one of our customers for a long time. We, at Teachers’ School Supply, had the wonderful opportunity of donating a tricycle to them a few months ago and it was a big hit with the children. Kaitlynn came home and told me about how she and her friends were all riding it on the playground the next day.

I have received many wonderful things from TSS as well. My daughter was so excited when I brought home a new and colorful carpet for her room. She loves to play on it.

I would like to say “Thank You to TSS for being an important part of my life!”

Tammy Kamphaus - TSS

Reading

2011-02-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

As members of the education community, we all know the importance of reading. We teach it, devise new strategies for encouraging it, promote it in every way we can. But do we, as busy professionals with families and tons of responsibility, take the time to read ourselves? Do we derive the tremendous pleasure available to us when we put ourselves in the hands of a great author and admire his beautiful descriptions or nod knowingly at his universal insights – which all too often apply directly to us. (Especially Tolstoy). But when? How do we find the time?

I’ve recently discovered Audible, the next iteration of books on tape. Audible is a subscription online service at (www.audible.com) that allows you to download full length books onto your computer, ipod, ipad or other device. Now, when I’m commuting or at the gym, I get to “read” the great books I’ve always longed to. In the past two years I’ve “read” War and Peace, Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, Lolita (OK, enough Russians!), Sanctuary, The Old Man and the Sea, Richard III, The Way We Live Now, White Noise, Freedom, Ulysses, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Sound and the Fury, The Great Gatsby, Lush Life, Midnight’s Children, Norwegian Wood, Let it Come Down, Indignation, The Dying Animal, American Pastoral (my Philip Roth period!), James and the Giant Peach (for my grandchildren and I to listen to on car trips), The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Don Quixote (one of the funniest books I’ve ever read, about the original Laurel and Hardy), Death in Venice, Blood Meridian (certainly the most beautiful, yet darkest book I’ve ever read), The Beautiful and Damned. One of the great bonuses of Audible is that often they hire the finest actors in the world to read. To listen to Jeremy Irons read Lolita, the French Lieutenant’s Woman and James and the Giant Peach heightens the enjoyment of the book even more. Other greats such as Donald Sutherland, Will Patton, Campbell Scott narrate other books. And when you listen to Toni Morrison herself reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, well…what can I say? I’ve even downloaded and listened to a few different kinds of French lessons, but I fear the only way to learn a language is to speak it daily with a native. So, I encourage all educators to take the time to enjoy the pleasure of a good book, at a time when you might actually be able to.

Richard A. Lasser
President

Teachers’ School Supply helps Donors Choose

2011-01-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

Teachers’ School Supply helps Donors Choose to provide much needed school supplies, books and equipment to teachers in need.

Here’s how it works:
· After going to www.DonorsChoose.org, teachers select the items they want from Teachers’ School Supply’s website.

· A description of those items and their total cost is then posted on the Donors Choose website.

· People from all over the country then donate what they can to support the project.

· Once it’s fully funded, Donors Choose lets Teachers’ School Supply know, and we ship the order to the teacher.

· After the items arrive, the teacher takes pictures of the children using the items in the classroom and sends -- along with handwritten letters of thanks from the children -- to Teachers’ School Supply,

But Teachers’ School Supply isn’t just a supplier. When we see a project may not get fully funded, we help out with a cash donation of our own to push it across the finish line. Here are a few letters of thanks from teachers whose school supply projects we’ve helped get fully funded.

To learn more about the great work Donors Choose is doing, click here: www.DonorsChoose.org

Sincerely,
Richard Lasser, President
www.TeachersSchoolSupply.com

New Catalogs Arrive Soon

2011-01-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

I recently travelled from chilly Washington State to even chillier Minnesota to proof our Teachers’ School Supply 2011 catalog covers. It was seven degrees the night I arrived and the temperature continued to drop all night. But the next morning broke sunny and clear and by the time I reached pretty little Sauk Centre, I enjoyed a nice strong latte and some homemade bread pudding with caramel sauce. Thus fortified, I continued north through the lovely Minnesota prairie to the town of Long Prairie where I proofed the catalog cover and made some corrections so the catalog photos looked their best. And then back to Minneapolis. To my surprise, I passed a highway sign saying “Lake Woebegone Trail.” Being a fan of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion,(in which he regales his audience with tales of his fictional hometown of Lake Woebegone), I couldn’t resist stopping to take a photo. That night I had a lovely vegetarian meal at Restaurant Alma where the standout dish was the celery root soufflé. I got the recipe and we’re going to try it at home tonight. If you try it too, let me know how you like it!

-Richard Lasser
TSS President

Helpline House

2011-01-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

For the Teachers’ School Supply family, it’s always giving time. And when I say “family”, I mean it. My granddaughter came to me the day after Christmas and asked if we could do something for those who didn’t have a very good Christmas. I mentioned an organization in our hometown called Helpline House, which feeds, clothes and shelters those in need. She asked if we could collect money for those they serve. And her little brother, never to be counted out, volunteered to join us.

We parked ourselves in front of our local Town and Country Supermarket and braved the cold for 3 hours to collect over $115 for Helpline House. You can support the work of Helpline House yourself! Just click on www.helplinehouse.org

Teachers Partners With Candeo School

2011-01-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

Candeo School Peoria, Arizona has been ranked “Excelling” by the Arizona Department of Education. Founded by visionary educator Stephanie Musser, Candeo serves as the feeder school to the top-performing college preparatory middle and high schools in the nation. Their program is academically rigorous - well beyond state standards - and sets high expectations for student performance.

They feature:

• A teacher-to-student ratio of 1:15

• Class sizes of 18-26

• Highly qualified, well-trained, certified teachers

• A culture of performance

• Content-rich curriculum including Latin, Handwriting, Classics, Singapore Math, Music, and Visual Arts

• Instructional blocking in reading and math within grade levels (for acceleration)

• Junk-food free campus

• Love and Logic Discipline

So when Teachers’ School Supply was chosen in 2008 as the company to completely outfit this new academy of 500 elementary school youngsters, we were quite honored. Since that time, we’ve continued to serve Candeo as the school has expanded. But we don’t just sell to Candeo. We service what we sell. Recently, Stephanie brought to our attention that the color of the 32 cafeteria tables she ordered didn’t match the school décor. I felt terrible because we sold her those tables. So I made arrangements with the manufacturer, Midwest Folding, to replace the table tops and benches and I hired a crew to switch them out – all at Teachers’ School Supply’s expense. But wait…there’s more! I was recently at a trade show and made arrangements with Early Childhood Resources to donate all the items in their booth (chairs, tables, foam climbers, mobile organizers and sand & water tables) to Candeo. See pictures of some of the loot they received above, plus a picture of a happy Stephanie Musser with her beautiful, newly-refurbished cafeteria tables. What can Teachers’ School Supply do for your school?

Hanoi Sales Trip

2010-12-29T09:54:00.000-08:00

In the words of TSS President, Richard Lasser:

I just got back from Hanoi, Vietnam, where I was privileged to meet with the staffs of some great international schools. Our first stop was the brand, spanking new Concordia International School, which will open next fall in 28,000 square feet of a shiny, new high-rise tower in the north end of this bustling city. A city which runs on the perpetual energy of its enterprising 20-30 somethings, who buzz around the crowded streets on motor scooters, weaving in and out of the unpredictable traffic in a kind of motorized dance. Led by the ever-smiling Steve Winkelman, and ably assisted by Meg Brainard and her staff, Concordia will serve 200 elementary school children of foreign workers in this fast-growing city. After two years, they’ll move to their own campus and continue to grow. Perhaps to the size of the well-established United Nations International School, (UNIS) where we met with business manager David King, and his procurement specialist Mrs. Van. David’s quite a guy. Prior to coming to UNIS, he was instrumental in helping Cambodia’s fledgling government set accounting standards that will serve the country and its population for generations. Talk about leaving a legacy! UNIS is opening a new wing, and Teachers’ School Supply hopes to help outfit it as only we can do. My last meeting was with Mrs. Hang, Procurement Executive at the lovely Hanoi International School, whose motto is “making a world of difference.” And it’s obvious they are. Enjoy the photos of my trip to this fascinating city, which is the wild, wild west, firmly rooted in the east. Hope you can make it there someday.

Richard A. Lasser
President

Teachers' Supports Harlem Children's Zone

2010-06-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

By sponsoring a scholarship program for a top student, Teachers’ School Supply is able to show its support and appreciation for Harlem Children’s Zone.

President Richard Lasser traveled to New York to present the winner with a scholarship check which was awarded to Dominque Bradham-Riddy, the student with the highest academic performance.

Harlem Children’s Zone is a not for profit organization that operates the Promise Academy Charter Schools in Harlem. Recently Harlem Children’s Zone has received national attention for its efforts in setting up and maintaining effective charter schools.

Equitas Charter School Fund-Raiser in LA

2009-08-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

Teachers' School Supply President Richard Lasser at the fund-raiser for the new Equitas Charter School in Los Angeles. Malka Borrego and Nora ordered all their school furniture from Richard and everything will be delivered in time for the start of school in just two weeks!

Sales trip to New York

2009-06-28T22:07:00.001-07:00

Hi All,
Just back from a whirlwind 2-week sales trip to New York where I visited 15 charter schools, DonorsChoose.org and the Graham-Windham charitable organization. A great trip with the wonderful people who sacrifice so much for the children of New York and across the country. Here are a few pictures.

Teachers' School Supply's own Richard Lasser at Yankee Stadium.

2009-06-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Richard Lasser, the President of Teachers' School Supply visits with Victor Rios of Promise Academy at the New Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won!

Teachers' School Supply's own Andrea Opalenik in the News!

2009-05-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Kitsap Health-Clinic Chain Turns Away Nobody in Need

The Harlem Miracle

2009-05-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

By DAVID BROOKS: Op-Ed Columnist

The fight against poverty produces great programs but disappointing results. You go visit an inner-city school, job-training program or community youth center and you meet incredible people doing wonderful things. Then you look at the results from the serious evaluations and you find that these inspiring places are only producing incremental gains.

That’s why I was startled when I received an e-mail message from Roland Fryer, a meticulous Harvard economist. It included this sentence: “The attached study has changed my life as a scientist.”

Fryer and his colleague Will Dobbie have just finished a rigorous assessment of the charter schools operated by the Harlem Children’s Zone. They compared students in these schools to students in New York City as a whole and to comparable students who entered the lottery to get into the Harlem Children’s Zone schools, but weren’t selected.

They found that the Harlem Children’s Zone schools produced “enormous” gains. The typical student entered the charter middle school, Promise Academy, in sixth grade and scored in the 39th percentile among New York City students in math. By the eighth grade, the typical student in the school was in the 74th percentile. The typical student entered the school scoring in the 39th percentile in English Language Arts (verbal ability). By eighth grade, the typical student was in the 53rd percentile.

Forgive some academic jargon, but the most common education reform ideas — reducing class size, raising teacher pay, enrolling kids in Head Start — produce gains of about 0.1 or 0.2 or 0.3 standard deviations. If you study policy, those are the sorts of improvements you live with every day. Promise Academy produced gains of 1.3 and 1.4 standard deviations. That’s off the charts. In math, Promise Academy eliminated the achievement gap between its black students and the city average for white students.

Let me repeat that. It eliminated the black-white achievement gap. “The results changed my life as a researcher because I am no longer interested in marginal changes,” Fryer wrote in a subsequent e-mail. What Geoffrey Canada, Harlem Children’s Zone’s founder and president, has done is “the equivalent of curing cancer for these kids. It’s amazing. It should be celebrated. But it almost doesn’t matter if we stop there. We don’t have a way to replicate his cure, and we need one since so many of our kids are dying — literally and figuratively.”

These results are powerful evidence in a long-running debate. Some experts, mostly surrounding the education establishment, argue that schools alone can’t produce big changes. The problems are in society, and you have to work on broader issues like economic inequality. Reformers, on the other hand, have argued that school-based approaches can produce big results. The Harlem Children’s Zone results suggest the reformers are right. The Promise Academy does provide health and psychological services, but it helps kids who aren’t even involved in the other programs the organization offers.

To my mind, the results also vindicate an emerging model for low-income students. Over the past decade, dozens of charter and independent schools, like Promise Academy, have become no excuses schools. The basic theory is that middle-class kids enter adolescence with certain working models in their heads: what I can achieve; how to control impulses; how to work hard. Many kids from poorer, disorganized homes don’t have these internalized models. The schools create a disciplined, orderly and demanding counterculture to inculcate middle-class values.

To understand the culture in these schools, I’d recommend “Whatever It Takes,” a gripping account of Harlem Children’s Zone by my Times colleague Paul Tough, and “Sweating the Small Stuff,” a superb survey of these sorts of schools by David Whitman.

Basically, the no excuses schools pay meticulous attention to behavior and attitudes. They teach students how to look at the person who is talking, how to shake hands. These schools are academically rigorous and college-focused. Promise Academy students who are performing below grade level spent twice as much time in school as other students in New York City. Students who are performing at grade level spend 50 percent more time in school.

They also smash the normal bureaucratic strictures that bind leaders in regular schools. Promise Academy went through a tumultuous period as Canada searched for the right teachers. Nearly half of the teachers did not return for the 2005-2006 school year. A third didn’t return for the 2006-2007 year. Assessments are rigorous. Standardized tests are woven into the fabric of school life.

The approach works. Ever since welfare reform, we have had success with intrusive government programs that combine paternalistic leadership, sufficient funding and a ferocious commitment to traditional, middle-class values. We may have found a remedy for the achievement gap. Which city is going to take up the challenge? Omaha? Chicago? Yours?