Winston-Salem teachers prepare for new school year at Educator Warehouse

Dozens of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools teachers spent their Friday afternoon perusing the shelves of the Educator Warehouse, located behind Diggs-Latham Elementary School. 

For the last 14 years, this site has provided classroom supplies at no cost to thousands of teachers. Karel Chandler is one of the founders. 

“Typically, a teacher across the country spends between five and $800 out of their own pockets every year," Chandler said. "We try to make up the difference. We can't do it all, but we try to fill in the gap.”

The Educator Warehouse is one of several programs offered by the Forsyth Educator Partnership, a nonprofit that aims to support WS/FCS teachers and students. Through donations and sponsors, the building is filled with books, art supplies, STEM kits and more. 

Esta Lampkin, an eighth grade science teacher, was one of the shoppers at the warehouse on Friday getting ready for her second year in the district. 

“I just can't wait to meet my new babies," Lampkin said. "And this morning, I got a text from a student who just left, and she said to me, ‘I hope you love your new students as much as you loved us.’”

On this trip, Lampkin stocked up on the basics: pencils, markers and scissors. She plans to come back every quarter. 

“It's great when teachers can feel appreciated because people donate and we can help our students directly," Lampkin said. "I'm in a school where a lot of times, our kids don't have supplies.”

The same is true for Beverly Hayse, a high school English teacher. She picked up composition notebooks for her students to do some journaling, and hand wipes to keep her classroom clean. 

She’s been in the district for 15 years, and has some advice for newer teachers:

“Get a good night's rest every night. Pamper yourself," Hayse said. "Come shop at the warehouse every quarter when it's available, because it's a wonderful resource for teachers to not have to dip into their own pockets.”

The warehouse is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the first and third Saturday of every month through the end of May.

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.