Two Things

Number one. It's a known fact that teachers do not make nearly as much money as they deserve. I teach.  I can attest to that. I work at a Title I school and that means my students, who I love to refer to as "my kids," don't have a lot, and their parents don't have a lot...which means I, and the other teachers at my school, have to dig into our pockets and purchase the things our kids need to be successful. Some of my kids come to school without a notebook and without a  pencil.  As a result, we, the teachers, have to provide these things. We do.

So imagine my delight when I found out about this organization called Kids in Need. They are based in Atlanta and, they are a free store for educators. You heard me right. FREE. That means educators, like me, get to shop for school supplies. For FREE!!! In order to qualify to shop at Kids in Need, your school has to have at least 80% of students enrolled in a free and reduced lunch program. At my school, that number is at least 90%. So, after receiving many emails from this organization and several nudges from my co-teacher, Terri, we decided to check it out.

Terri and I arrived at Kids in Need just before 11 a.m. this morning. We signed in, showed our ID's, and received a clipboard with an alphabetized list of all the items in the store. We were given the maximum amount we were allowed to take for each item and, we were also given a shopping cart (I think the carts were from Target). Then we were off to shop for about 40 minutes; they do give you a time limit. You name it, they had it: pencils, pens, markers, copy paper, construction paper, glue sticks, notebooks, notebook paper, paperclips, hand sanitizer, book bags, folders, binders, books, and much more.  And to top that, because we brought our own boxes (which they tell you ahead of time), we were able to "spin the wheel" for a free teacher prize. We left with four boxes of school supplies all FREE plus two additional boxes filled with 40 pouches each of travel size toiletries that we will give to our school's clinic for our students.  Final words…every teacher who qualifies needs to take advantage of this worthy organization. Do it. It's worth it.

Number two. You gotta eat after shopping, right? And in case you don't already know this about me, I love to eat! Kids in Need gave us some really good recommendations to some nearby restaurants. We decided to try Osteria del Figo on the Westside. This was a first for both Terri and me. 

We were not disappointed! After mulling over their menu of home-made and freshly prepared salads, sauces, pastas, paninis, and much more, we came to an agreement. 

We resolved to try the crab meat ravioli with Pecorino Romano cheese and cream sauce with lemon zest, chicken Marsala and mushroom ravioli with a wild mushroom cream sauce, and for an appetizer we went for the spinaci...spinach with roasted garlic and walnut on toasted ciabatta bread. It was all so very delicious. 

What a day of FREE shopping, GOOD food and GREAT company.