Every Friday, Kristen Bell Promotes A Teacher On Instagram To Help Them Get School Supplies

November 21, 2019

When Kristen Bell isn't making movies or TV shows, she's helping teachers around the country get the school supplies they need.

Bell is running an ongoing Instagram campaign called "Featured Teacher Friday" where she posts he story of a teacher who needs school supplies, along with a link to the teacher's Amazon wishlist.

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It’s #FeaturedTeacherFriday 📚❤️!! Brooke emailed me to nominate her friend of 25 years, Emily. She told me that when they set up Emily’s classroom this year, she had little beyond tables and chairs and bought the rest of her supplies herself. SO! Let’s send Emily some love and support! Here’s a little about her: “I’m a first year kindergarten teacher at a small Title I school in Genesee County in Flint, MI. Being a Title I school means that a majority of our students live below the federal poverty line. Some of our families struggle to have their basic needs met. Although most of our students reside in the city of Flint, our school is located in a neighboring town. They ride the bus to school, with the earliest pickup being 5:58am and the latest stop being close to 5:30pm. These amazing kiddos spend a majority of their waking hours at school, or traveling to and from school. This is just one of the many reasons that it is so important to make my classroom feel like a home away from home for my students. We call our classroom our “house” and we are all family. Our rules and routines are centered around being good to each other and supporting each other the way families should. Our mission at Woodland Park Academy is to “Create Relationships to Change the World.” For me, fostering these relationships means giving 100 hugs a day, checking in on older students on my lunch, telling students every day that I love them, and listening when they have something to say. It means never losing sight of how even the smallest act of kindness or understanding may change someone’s life. Our school is small and our teachers have some of the lowest paid salaries in our area. Being a first year teacher in an almost empty classroom has been challenging. However, everyday we try to fill our classroom with curiosity, excitement, and love! Please know that any donations received will directly impact the lives of my little learners and I am forever grateful for the support!!” If you feel inspired to help, her wishlist will be in my bio! 🧠🙏🏻📚❤️

A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Nov 15, 2019 at 3:41pm PST

Her most recent post is of Emily, a teacher at Woodland Park Academy in Flint, Michigan.

Emily was nominated by her long time friend, Brooke, through the email address Bell accepts applications.

On Tuesday, Woodland Park Academy shared a photo of the results on their Facebook page.

featured teacher friday
Credit: Woodland Park Academy

Bell said in a video that Featured Teacher Friday will continue "every Friday till the end of time. Till all the teachers have everything that they need and our kids grow up great."

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Oh yeah, it’s #FeaturedTeacherFriday! Reading the comments and seeing the love you all share with these teachers each week is THE BEST. Today, meet Kristen Williamson from Omaha, Nebraska. “I’m a 5th grade teacher in a Title 1 School, in Omaha, Nebraska. My class has 23 students (7 boys and 16 girls). In my classroom alone, there are 13 different languages and dialects spoken. I have students from Sudan, Kenya, Cuba, Guatemala, and Mexico. And yes, the most beautiful part of my classroom is the diversity within my students. Is this my dream job? 100% yes. I love every single day of work. The group of students I’m currently working with have given me the most rewarding year of teaching I've ever had. I adore every child in my classroom. Over these past 4 years I have worked really hard to build a great classroom library. Every month, I use part of my paycheck to buy more books for my students. I am not able to build my classroom library as quickly as I wish I could, but I try my best. I’ve spent a lot of time recently looking through my classroom library. It is lacking in so many areas. The area of my room I was once so proud of, is now my biggest mission. My kids deserve books with characters of all races. My kids deserve books with characters who celebrate holidays other than Christian holidays. My kids deserve books that discuss immigration, gay pride, science, technology, refugee journeys, and so many other things. My kids deserve the most amazing classroom library. I want to have a classroom library that meets the interests of EVERY student… and right now, that just isn’t happening. I’ve put together a classroom wish list of new books and supplies that will bring us so much joy (and organization)! These items will serve us in many ways. The first (and most important) way is that my kids will continue to fall in love with reading. The second is that my students can have a classroom that truly feels like a home. I’m doing what can provide everything we want and need in the classroom but we could truly use some help.” Kristen’s Amazon wishlist has so many great 📚and will be in my bio. 👍🏻💗

A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Apr 19, 2019 at 4:16pm PDT