Some champions take years to grow. Others, like Lindsay Lipscomb, seem to arrive ready to go all in.
Lindsay Lipscomb from Pittsburgh Spring Garden Early Childhood may only have been visiting The Education Partnership for two years, but has quickly become one of our biggest champions. Recently, she helped connect us with a donation of several pallets worth of refurbished Legos, which, unsurprisingly, has become a favorite item for teachers to take from our Teacher Resource Center. She’s also been a familiar face at our events, even walking away with a Large TV during our Summer Camp giveaway. Beyond her unwavering support of TEP, her passion for her school is deep-rooted, with answers that were thoughtful, honest, and full of heart.
What inspired you to become a teacher?
I’ve always loved kids, even when I was younger. My mom was a teacher, so it just felt like the natural path for me. I wasn’t really sure what else I wanted to do, and because I loved working with children, everything just fell into place.
Can you share a story about a student whose experience was meaningfully changed because of resources from The Education Partnership?
For several years, we’ve provided our Head Start preschool students with backpacks as they transition from preschool to kindergarten. This year, however, we didn’t have funding for them.
My boss reached out to The Education Partnership, and they donated backpacks. We had also saved supplies throughout the year, and one of our teachers’ brothers, who is also a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher and visits TEP, donated additional materials.
With the backpacks, school supplies, Legos, and everything else we collected, we were able to put together amazing backpack kits for every student.
The kids were beyond excited. They know they receive these every year, so they look forward to it. They’re excited because they’re the ones finally getting their kindergarten backpacks, and it gets them excited about starting school.
How has The Education Partnership impacted your day-to-day life in the classroom?
My role is a little different because I travel and deliver supplies to multiple preschool classrooms. Many of these preschool programs don’t have budgets because they aren’t district buildings, so they don’t receive funding for extra materials.
Being able to bring basic supplies like paper and markers is incredibly helpful, but I also love bringing fun materials. I believe in using loose parts and creative materials for learning, so I enjoy finding unusual items at The Education Partnership and thinking, “I’m going to use this with Play-Doh,” or another activity.
One time I brought jackets to a classroom, and one of the teachers cried because there were enough jackets for every child. The kids were so excited!
It also allows me to teach other teachers how to use inexpensive or recycled materials in creative ways to help children learn. At the beginning of every year, I make backpacks for each of my classrooms. I have 11 classrooms, so I make one backpack for each classroom.
Before The Education Partnership, how did you handle situations where students didn’t have the supplies they needed?
I either bought everything myself or used programs like DonorsChoose, which is also wonderful. The challenge is that you never know if your project will be funded or when you’ll receive the materials.
So a lot of the time, I just paid for things myself.
What do you wish every student had on the first day of school?
I wish every student had a nice outfit, comfortable shoes, a backpack, and basic hygiene products like soap, a hairbrush, and laundry detergent. Those basic things help children feel confident on the first day of school.
I was fortunate to grow up in a family that could afford those things, but not every child has that opportunity. Feeling good about yourself affects your confidence socially, and that confidence carries over into academics.
Author: Ava Smith
