Teachers Supporting Teachers {fundraising campaign for CT}

As I looked through my blogroll on Sunday all I saw were hearts.  Symbols of our day of silence for Sandy Hook.  Symbols of love for the families there.  Symbols of support for the teachers who were lost and those who are still there who will enter the building today or tomorrow or in the new year, trying to start again and rebuild.  Trying to feel safe in their classrooms.  Trying to heal.

If you ask me why I started a teaching blog I'll say it's because I had good ideas to share and I wanted to help other teachers.  If you ask me why I stayed - through all the copyright battles, the negative feedback and frustrations from the technology we love to hate - I'll say it's because of the network.  This network of amazing educators that opened their blog worlds and their classrooms for anyone who cared to take a peek.  This community of educators all across the country that have sent encouraging messages, helped answer technical questions and been a shoulder, an ear and a friend I could turn to on the good, the tough and the not so great school days.  These teacher bloggers that I've met online yet may never actually be lucky enough to hug in person.  You are the reason I've stayed.  You are my community and support.

And I'm challenging us to take the next step in encouraging our friends, sisters and brothers in Newtown, Connecticut.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about the horrible tragedy that happened there on December 14th and I've been up at night trying to figure out what I could do.  Because the support and love I've witnessed and seen myself in this blogging community tells me that we can do more than cry and think and pray.

Together, we can do something big - in a major way - to support our friends at Sandy Hook.

{use the code below to add this button to your blog or FB page to direct others to this post}

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From now through January 14th, I encourage you to set aside a portion of your proceeds to be sent to Sandy Hook Elementary.  To help them rebuild, regroup and heal.  Decide on a percentage {be it 5, 50 or 100%} and promote the campaign.  Use the image above on your blog, in your Teachers Pay Teachers stores, in your Teacher's Notebook stores, via Facebook, Twitter, Instragram and Pinterest.  Send an email to all of your followers and ask them to clear out their wishlists.  I can't think of anything more motivating than knowing that not only do I get to finally get that fabulous unit I've had my eye on, but that in spending those few dollars, I'll also be contributing to the students in Connecticut.
Link up your blog or TpT store to the linky party below then send your friends and family members to this post, where a master list of all participants will be kept.  Encourage non-teacher friends to buy a literacy or math unit from any one of the participating bloggers to send to their child's teacher for Christmas or a "Just because we appreciate you" gift.  How many of us would not be thrilled to receive a new unit from TpT or TN in our inbox?!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

{{This giveaway has expired.}}

After collecting for a month, participating teachers will transfer their donations to my PayPal account and I'll send one large transfer to Sandy Hook, with the names of all teachers, sellers and bloggers who are behind them.  {I'll take a screen shot of my account and keep you informed every step of the way with our final donation.}

Let's show the teachers of Sandy Hook that we, too, feel a personal hurt for what happened because we know that any one of us could've been in the same situation and we would've done the exact same thing to protect our students at any cost.  Let's show them that we're proud of their strength and hold them high as heroes.

Thank you for linking up.  I know already that this is going to be amazing.