Teacher Sells Ads On Tests To Cover Printing Costs
Left to fend for himself after budget cuts, His tests cost over $500 a year to print, but this year he only got $316, one calculus teacher resorted to selling ads on quizzes and tests to cover his printing costs. $10 for quizzes, $20 for tests, and $30 for a final.
After a local newspaper featured his story, the offers rolled in and he sold out his semester. Most of the ads are positive messages bought by parents, while others are from local businesses.
While the story is charming and plucky, it does raise the concern that other schools and teachers might get inspired and start renting out space to more sophisticated clients, like McDonald's or Coke.
"The advertisers are paying for something, and it's access to kids," said Robert Weissman, managing director of Commercial Alert, a non-prof that combats commercialization in the classroom.
But if the teachers keep the advertising local and in the style of the school yearbook, is it really so bad?
Ads on tests add up for teacher [USAToday] (Thanks to Joanne!)
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Comments:
Brilliant. Keep it low profile and preferably only allow local businesses, parents.
@The Name's Ash78, Housewares: Agreed. And the nice thing is, because of the small scale, the instructor can monitor the content of the ads. Beautiful solution to an ugly problem.
Will it work? I don't know if I want to be pulling in to a gas station and suddenly get flashbacks to my calculus final.
Yes, your typical high-school student spends thousands of dollars each year on structural engineering services.
Ash 78's right - our high school had ads everywhere - I sold them for the school paper, the yearbook sold them, scoreboard, sports and musical programs...
Schools just can't win. Old farts complain about taxes, taxes, taxes, and something like this will make other people complain about commercialism.
positive message from parents? Such as, "If you don't pass this test......"?
how long until some enterprising group of students/parents/school administrators desperate for better results buys ad space for formulas/hints that they prepare ahead of time for the test?
I will now start selling ad space on my papers that I hand in to my professors that cost me 10 cents to print. $300 dollars please.
I say more power to them, the schools are so underfunded as it is. My only concern is that this may accelerate that underfunding as they start relying more and more on commercial support. If that happens kids will be learning subjects like "Frying" and "What to do when you get robbed at the drive through window"
This is a horrible concept and one that's been ruining American education system. From Coke sponsored text books to now teachers selling ad space on a damn test!
and we wonder why we're last place in education in first world countries.
how about funding to schools that goes to actual needs rather than the pockets of stupid unionized teachers and over paid superintendents?
@Jakuub: That's exactly what I thought. I'm guessing the teacher won't allow it, but it would be clever!
teachers need to be paid you know
Arcon Structural Engineer Inc. needs YOU! Pass your calculus test, and we'll pass out a free hat.
As long as it isn't credit card companies or fast food companies, I'm pretty much okay with this. For a small-scale thing like raising $184 to cover the cost of printing, it's not like companies are going to get a lot. I think on something this small, companies are more likely to do it because it's not really a big deal, not because there are actual benefits (so far) of advertising on a test. It's like buying a box of candy bars from your kid's class because it's a nice thing to do, not because you actually like Chocolate Blueberry Crunch Surprise (read: chocolate-covered cardboard).
@Skankingmike: Hear hear. When the ad money becomes something to take for granted, just like every other short-sighted quick fix for cash, they'll be scrambling for more.
The fundamental problem isn't lack of money, it's lack of priorities. 700 billion for bank bailouts... imagine what the educational system could do with that money (properly managed of course instead of a feeding frenzy)
@Skankingmike: In this case, the advertisements are small, low-key, and are not food companies or credit cards. They're local businesses.
@Yebo: So... a government institution limiting free speech? I see a lawsuit in the works by the cranky old man across from the school who wants to advertise "You dang kids stay off my lawn!" and is rejected because he's not a parent.
I think it's fun that parents or others would kick in for "Go student!" type messages. "Enjoy Coke" is a little more concerning.
But at the end of the day, at 3 cents per copy $500 is more than SIXTEEN THOUSAND pages. I think that's the real problem that needs solved.
Wasn't there something in the recent past about McD on report cards and get a free something with certain grades (I'm being vague because I'm at work and don't have time to research it)?
I hate all the "sponsorship." Back when I was in college, Coke bought "us" a new scoreboard for the gym and then all Pepsi products were banned from campus. Funniest part about that is that the food service company with the cafeteria contract was owned by PepsiCo. I guess it's better than raising my tuition, but I still found it annoying because I was there to learn and for all I care the gym could've been made into a parking lot.
Cigarettes and Boones wine should be tapping this market
@Skankingmike: how about funding to schools that goes to actual needs rather than the pockets of stupid unionized teachers and over paid superintendents?
I never heard of a teacher who wasn't barely breaking even. Never heard of one who did better than a lower middle class lifestyle, unless they married into money. Unionized or not, the only pockets that seem to be enriched by our education budgets are administrator pockets.
And I'm pretty sure administrators aren't unionized. Union blame fail.
This seems so terribly sad to me. I'm constantly told by various sources that I live in the greatest country in the world. I'm told that are educational system is the tops, bar none. Obviously, this isn't the greatest country in the world, just the best one for those who want to live here. And the idea that we have the best educational system when shit like this happens .. well, it just seems laughable.
I don't know what the answer to the public education system is, but I'm sure it's not corporate sponsorship. AT&T Senior High School here we come ... :(
While this specific example - small local businesses and parents paying for the tests - is smart and OK in my book, what this guy should have done was find out how to not spend $500 on paper every semester. It's wasteful. Quizzes are informal - make some of them oral. Even better, write the questions on the chalkboard, have the students write the answers on their own notebooks and hand the paper in.
"If you have three Pepsis and drink one, how much more refreshed are you? You, the redhead in the Chicago school system?"
"Pepsi?"
"Partial credit."
Fucking weak.
Just what we need: "Pepsi presents: Idiot America"
Kind of the ultimate slippery slope argument, right? Everyone always seems OK with a limited amount of this (local business, low key, etc.) But legally, down the road, can you draw a line- free speech wise? Ultimately, schools are public institutions. I think we've seen what happens when you start mixing those chemicals... yes it solves the problem, but this one really opens the door to far too many others.
Great idea. I spend several hundred dollars a year on paper and ink for my wife to use in her classroom. Public schools today are so underfunded that the limits set by the school on how many pages can be printed are ridiculously low.
@TheUncleBob:
First Amendment probably wouldn't apply. The school hasn't really created any kind of "public forum" where any advertiser has a right to say whatever they want to say. One could easily argue that the school has at best created a limited public forum where they can limit the scope of the speech that they choose to allow, or the people/places from whom they choose to accept ads.
@Yebo: I don't know. I don't want to be the kid who opens up a calculus test to find "Pass your test, or else you won't get that PS3 for Christmas. - Mom and Dad"
This is ridiculous. Education needs to be funded by entities that are NOT looking to exploit the youngest, and most impressionable, generation.
I hope that this teacher is kind enough to post all of the ads he/she runs in the exams, and also post who solicited for ad space, so I know which companies to stop patronizing.
Looks like I am going to have to contact my rep, try to get a bill introduced that prevents this.
"This Pop Quiz is brought to you by Carl's Jr!"
@youbastid: I'm not sure you could do math quizzes orally, but when I was in school (and didn't have a choice in avoiding math classes) my teachers regularly had quizzes on the board. It made more sense to do it that way because then he/she wouldn't have to prepare the quizzes with the layouts and the blank spaces and each student could use their own paper. It saves printing costs, and it saves time that the teacher could be using to prepare other lesson plans.
Why oh why does this make me think "Welcome to Costco, I love you" ??
Sister-in-Law; Masters Degree; East Whittier Unified School District, CA; Teaches 4th grade makes $76,000/ year.
I have several school teachers in my family, NONE are want for ANYTHING. (Except more, but really who doesn't want MORE!)
@Yebo: I would not want parents or parents's businesses to advertise. It's too much of a conflict of interest.
"Who can tell me the atomic weight of bolognium?" "Ooh ... delicious?" "Correct. I would also accept snacktacular."
@Skankingmike: School funding went into my pocket?!!? Ha!
I went broke teaching. I literally spent $4000 per year on basic supplies like pencils, paper, and crayons. The books in my classroom library were from my own childhood collection. The bulletin boards were decorated with my mothers hand-me-down borders. The math manipulatives were my old legos.
I spent most of my own money on making copies: copies of workbooks the kids couldn't write in, copies of books because the school library wouldn't let the kids check books out, copies of homework (1 page per night per kid adds up).
The list of expenses is endless.
It's not so much selling ads as it is shaming the school for not properly funding the teachers. There's no reason teachers shouldn't be fully reimbursed for the expenses they incur.
Hahaha... Man, there is just something wrong with this country when our teachers actually have to sell ad space on tests. I can't wait to see when each classroom is outfitted with one of 'em LED signboards. By Mennon!
@Skankingmike: Superintendents? Maybe. But how are teacher's unions hurting schools? By making sure teachers get paid a living wage? Surely you're not going to suggest teachers are overpaid, are you? Are you that ignorant?
Good for the teacher.
Here in Georgia the teacher can use Fast Food branding because the cafeterias are already. Chick Fil A is a huge sponsor, our kid cant have a happy meal in school, unless its not identifiable where it came from so as not to offend the other sponsors..
If I fail little Junior in the back row, his dad will pull his ads from my exams. I'd better go easy on him, even though he spelled "Yale" with a "6".
Where to start. My main issues with this:
1) The teacher's energies should not have to be spent rustling up ads. They should be dedicated to better education and management of his classes and maybe once in a while catching his breath.
2) While I'm sure a curb on, say, 100-page tests given out weekly would (and should) raise eyebrows in the school's budget, the fact that teachers have to be page-conscious when it comes to actually obtaining the tools necessary to teach/quiz their students makes me sick.
3) Every time a student sees one of these ads, he or she will be getting the subtle message that education is not something society values. Not as if they don't get it ten times a day already, but jeez, on the test itself. Good grief.
Finally, the next time some politician floats the idea of raising taxes so more funds can go to school, those of you dissenters need to re-read this story.
@RevRagnarok: ... at the same time, schools have costs - and the majority of voters don't want higher taxes to pay for those costs..... it is sad when those same people complain when McDonald or someone helps support a school.
I'm not exactly comfortable with this kind of practice, but I applaud the teacher who did it. Districts routinely ignore concerns of their employees, and sometimes they only respond to community pressure. Hopefully, this will embarrass them into addressing the issue.
Simply cutting funds and saying, basically, "Make it work somehow!" to your employees invites this kind of stuff.
Sounds like the yearbook and scoreboard and school paper. I have no objections to this, provided they stay in a low-key space on the page.