Stocking Classroom, Building Futures

First-Year Teacher Reality: An Empty Classroom and Back-to-School Stress

A first-year teacher stands in an empty classroom with a key in her hand and a knot in her stomach. Twenty-six desks. Bare walls. One loud thought: School starts soon, and the room has almost nothing.

Dr. Megan Brown, an associate professor of education at Cedarville University, knows that moment well. Coursework can cover research and best practices. Training can shape strong habits. Still, the first year in a real classroom brings a different kind of weight — especially when the space begins as a blank slate.

Classroom Supplies and Tight Budgets: Why Teachers Pay Out of Pocket

Megan teaches literacy courses to future educators, and she talks plainly about what teaching requires. Learning is hands-on. Students need materials in their fingers so ideas can stick in their minds. Yet school budgets only stretch so far. Families can only do so much. Teachers often fill the gaps with their own money: pencils, tissues, notebooks, cleaning supplies, even backpacks. For a new teacher, those costs add up quickly.

Crayons to Classrooms: Free Supplies for Teachers in 144 Schools

That’s where Malena Ball comes in. A 2022 Cedarville graduate with a degree in strategic communication, Malena now serves as marketing director for Crayons to Classrooms. In that role, she helps connect educators to practical, personal support. The Dayton-area nonprofit provides free classroom supplies for teachers in 144 schools, reaching more than 50,000 students through the teachers it serves.

Malena has watched teachers push carts down the aisles and still expect a bill. “How much do I owe?” they ask, looking at the price tags left on some items to show their value. Volunteers smile back. “Nothing.” Relief softens shoulders, and gratitude shows up as tears. Being seen does that.

More Than School Supplies: A Care Center for Teachers and Students

Crayons to Classrooms stocks the consumables that disappear by October — glue sticks, erasers, paper, pencils. But Malena calls it more than a resource center. It’s a care center. Teachers find air filters, hygiene products, Band-Aids, sanitizer and tissues. Those supplies don’t just serve learning. They support dignity, comfort and confidence.

Megan watched one new teacher arrive after visiting her classroom for the first time. Empty room. End of July. No paycheck yet. She left with two full carts squeezed into a small car and a face filled with relief. Now there was something to build with.

Small Items, Big Impact: Backpacks, Notebooks and Everyday Encouragement

That “something” reaches far past academics. A spare notebook helps a student keep up. A backpack handed quietly to a child in foster care says, “This is yours.” A pencil offered without a lecture says, “You matter here.”

Megan and Malena shared these stories on the Cedarville Stories podcast. Their message? Equip teachers with training, care and supplies. When teachers feel supported, students feel it too. And that feeling can shape those students’ futures.

About Cedarville University

Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.