--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: DonorsChoose was conceived at a Bronx…" description: "\"DonorsChoose was conceived at a Bronx public high school where I taught social studies for five years. In the teachers' lunch room, my colleagues and I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/charles-best-6989_creativity_donorschoose-was-conceived-at-a-bronx-pu_2948280.jpg" --- # DonorsChoose was conceived at a Bronx public high school… ![“DonorsChoose was conceived at a Bronx public high school where I taught social studies for five years. In the teachers' lunch room, my colleagues and I often lamented a problem that drained learning from students and creativity from teachers: a lack of funding for essential materials and for the…” quote by Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/charles-best-6989_creativity_donorschoose-was-conceived-at-a-bronx-pu_2948280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/charles-best-6989_creativity_donorschoose-was-conceived-at-a-bronx-pu_2948280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/charles-best-6989_creativity_donorschoose-was-conceived-at-a-bronx-pu_2948280.jpg) > “DonorsChoose was conceived at a Bronx public high school where I taught social studies for five years. In the teachers' lunch room, my colleagues and I often lamented a problem that drained learning from students and creativity from teachers: a lack of funding for essential materials and for the activities that bring subject matter to life.” [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Funding shortages hinder learning and creativity; teachers need resources for engaging lessons. **In simple terms:** Lack of funds blocks learning and creativity. Key Takeaway Seek creative funding solutions. Themes education funding creativity teacher empowerment Mood concerned optimistic Type advocacy practical When to use this quote - school budgeting - grant writing - crowdfunding - classroom innovation Key Concepts resource allocation community support Questions to Reflect On - How can teachers advocate for resources? - What alternative funding models exist? A Different Perspective Bureaucracy can slow resource acquisition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Donorschoose Conceived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donorschoose-conceived-4430711/) [Drained Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drained-learning-4430713/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lunch/) [Lunch Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lunch-room-213406/) [School Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-taught-232611/) [Social studies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-studies/) [Taught Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-social-4430712/) [Teachers Lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers-lack-4329692/) ## Related quotes > [When I worked at my father's deli in Carmel, New York when I was young, my experience waiting on customers and interacting with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/when-i-worked-at-my-father-s-deli-in-carmel-new-york-when-i-was-young/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [You know, students who major in elementary education - they're going to be grade school teachers - they have the highest rates of math…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anya-kamenetz/you-know-students-who-major-in-elementary-education-they-re-going-to/) [Anya Kamenetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anya-kamenetz/) > [“Charm is an elusive quality. 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And devoted too, when he sets his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/from-inside-i-hear-sister-beatrice-s-voice-did-andrew-leave-already/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [I taught myself more in the library than school taught me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-taught-myself-more-in-the-library-than-school-taught-me/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Going to film school taught me how much I already knew, and that the best way to learn about film is being on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-ratray/going-to-film-school-taught-me-how-much-i-already-knew-and-that-the/) [Devin Ratray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-ratray/) > [“Okay, Dumb Diary, school has taught me a few things over the years. Once, it taught me the difference between alligators and crocodiles. (Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benton/okay-dumb-diary-school-has-taught-me-a-few-things-over-the-years-once/) [Jim Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benton/) > [The difference between school and life? In school, you are taught a lesson and then you are given a test. In life, you're given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-difference-between-school-and-life-in-school-you-are-taught-a/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [In primary school you get taught to be a tidy Kiwi and pick up after yourself - that's a given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/in-primary-school-you-get-taught-to-be-a-tidy-kiwi-and-pick-up-after/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [“At school you were taught about chemicals in test tubes, equations to describe motion, and maybe something on photosynthesis—about which more later—but in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/at-school-you-were-taught-about-chemicals-in-test-tubes-equations-to/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) ## More by Charles Best > [Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-outside-the-proverbial-box-we/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Teachers are heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/teachers-are-heroes/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [My colleagues and I would spend a lot of our own money on copy, paper, and pencils. 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It's more important to capture those unplanned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/if-you-track-your-organization-s-creativity-by-the-number-of/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Our ideological dilemmas won't ever be solved by machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/our-ideological-dilemmas-won-t-ever-be-solved-by-machines/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [One question we'll ask is, 'Who are you grateful for,' and a surprising number of people can't name anyone beyond their mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/one-question-we-ll-ask-is-who-are-you-grateful-for-and-a-surprising/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Our name is not great. It doesn't evoke anything about school or teachers. It doesn't roll off the tongue or stick in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/our-name-is-not-great-it-doesn-t-evoke-anything-about-school-or/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [To take on the jobs of tomorrow, students must become more than good test takers. They need to become makers who design, sketch, build,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/to-take-on-the-jobs-of-tomorrow-students-must-become-more-than-good/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Donors are sick of writing that $200 check to the Red Cross and not knowing whether it goes for the executive director's salary or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/donors-are-sick-of-writing-that-200-check-to-the-red-cross-and-not/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [When I began teaching, my colleagues and I quickly realized that our students didn't have access to the same resources we had growing up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/when-i-began-teaching-my-colleagues-and-i-quickly-realized-that-our/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/public-school-teachers-from-every-corner-of-america-post-classroom/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [My colleagues and I would spend a lot of our own money on copy paper and pencils, and often we couldn't get the resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/my-colleagues-and-i-would-spend-a-lot-of-our-own-money-on-copy-paper-2/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) [Explore all 94 Charles Best quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "DonorsChoose was conceived at a Bronx public high school where I taught social studies for five years. 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