Four HISD teachers experienced “A Day Made Better” recently, when they were chosen along with hundreds of educators across the nation to be honored by OfficeMax for their contributions to the profession.

Twain ES teacher Robert Bonn with students

Robert Bonn (Twain ES), Patricia Butler (Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School), Catherine Quinn (Parker ES), and Natasha Miller (Gregory-Lincoln Education Center) were all surprised in their classrooms on Oct. 1 with school supplies worth nearly $1,000 each, courtesy of OfficeMax and its nonprofit partner, Adopt-A-Classroom.

According to the National Education Association, American teachers spend nearly $1,000 out of their own pockets each year for basic classroom supplies, adding up to about $4 billion annually.

A Day Made Better is designed to end teacher-funded classrooms by drawing attention to the situation and encouraging other organizations and individuals to consider “adopting” a classroom.

Since 2007, A Day Made Better and other OfficeMax Goodworks programs have contributed over $25 million in grants and supplies to more than 31,000 teachers and their classrooms. OfficeMax has also helped AdoptAClassroom.org secure funding for more than 100,000 classrooms nationwide.