Source: Pexels

Melissa Saxson dreamed of being a teacher since she was in the first grade.

Saxon, now with 17 years of instruction at Green Springs Elementary in Olathe, Kan., said teachers go in knowing that long hours and low pay could likely await them.

But Saxson didn’t dream that it would cost her almost $200 a year out of her own pocket to help subsidize needed supplies for the students.

A study by Scholastic shows that teachers spend an average of $500 on their classrooms.

That’s why Saxson said she was especially excited that Fingerprint - a San Francisco based start-up and leading children’s educational content provider - and Highlights for Children, publishers of the iconic Highlights Magazine found in every doctor and dentist office from my childhood - are giving ‘every teacher in America’ a free copy of Scribble Press: Creative Book Maker and a subscription to Highlights Every Day for their classrooms.

Scribble Press is already in an estimated 35,000 schools with more than three million “interactive stories” written by children. Highlights Every Day is the online version of the iconic magazine found in my childhood dentist’s office.

Not For the Paycheck

“Most teachers are drawn to a career in education to make a difference in children’s lives, not for the paycheck,” said Nancy MacIntyre, Co-Founder and CEO of Fingerpint. “Their selflessness inspired me to make sure every teacher in the country had access to top quality learning content for their classrooms.

MacIntyre continued, “The teachers I remember most from my childhood are the ones that made learning fun; and Highlights Every Day and Scribble Press are among the interactive tools teachers can use to support their curriculum-based goals, while also creating fun, lasting memories for their students.”

Starting September 14 until Halloween, teachers can get a copy Scribble Press: Creative Book Maker for Kids and a subscription to Highlights Every Day – a $50 value - for free. Teachers can log on to and register their school email address to receive codes to unlock these acclaimed educational apps.

Unlike some of the other educational products teachers use in the classroom, Scribble Press: Creative Book Maker for Kids and Highlights Every Day provide teachers with thousands of educational activities they can do with their students – from writing imaginative stories and playing math games mapped to Common Core standards to competing in interactive quizzes and brain challenges that stretch young minds.

A Place To Start

“One thing I think I will like is how Scribble Press has ‘story starters’ for kids” Saxson said. “That gives them a story idea to start with and enables them to use their imaginations as they write.”

According to a 2016 report by the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute, access to resources for teaching and learning was one of the five key factors that influenced whether a teacher decided to enter, remain in or leave the profession.

As companies dedicated to children’s learning, Fingerprint and Highlights for Children wanted to make sure the choice to use an educational app in the classroom was based on what was best for the students and not a financial decision – a very real issue for teachers across the nation.

According to an National Education Association report, a comparison of teachers’ weekly wages to those of other workers with similar education and experience shows that, since 1993 teacher wages have fallen behind by 11.5%.

These stats underscore the dedication educators have and the noble profession of teaching.