La Crosse teachers' union president Schams on preparing classrooms, funding school supplies and pre-K

Jill Schams, president of the La Crosse Education Association (LEA), joined heading into the first full week of school. We discussed how teachers prepare their classrooms — often at their own expense — and touched on the rollout of all-day pre-K in the La Crosse School District.

We opened the conversation, though, about how teachers build connections with parents.

Then had some fun getting Schams reaction to this story from another teacher: “Giving human names to glue sticks in my classroom has been revolutionary. Does a student care if a glue stick goes missing? No. Do they care if DEREK the glue stick has not been returned? ABSOLUTELY. It’s like a manhunt until Derek has been returned to his rightful spot.”

On classroom preparation, Schams noted that nationally, teachers spend an average of $400 a year out of pocket. She added that schools don’t provide much time or resources to get rooms ready, so teachers often use their own free time and money. We also discussed how teachers find creative ways to fill the gap — from Amazon wishlists to support from community groups.

On pre-K, Schams said the union had little involvement in the decision, which was largely driven by state budget changes.

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