Thomas Lohnes / Getty Images
- Teachers often have to purchase their own supplies when decorating their classrooms.
- Even standard office supplies like pens and paper sometimes come out of teachers' personal money.
- Here are 10 things you didn't realize teachers had to buy for their classrooms.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Many of us remember going to school and stepping into colorful, fully stocked classrooms decked out with bulletin boards, cute wall decals, and motivational posters.
What many people don't realize, however, is that teachers' classrooms don't come fully stocked and ready for students.
Teachers are responsible for buying many of these decorations themselves. In fact, even basic office supplies like pencils, pens, and folders come out of pocket for many teachers.
We spoke to six teachers and asked them what the biggest items they need to get for their classrooms are.
It's important to note that some schools are better equipped to reimburse their teachers than others, and in some cases teachers can order supplies through their school, but there are still many that leave it entirely up to the teachers to get everything they need. Though the US government gives a $250 tax credit to teachers for any school supplies they buy, some end up surpassing this amount.