Meet some of the teachers whose back-to-school wish lists were fulfilled by Chrissy Teigen
Last year, during Kayla Richardson's first year teaching, she spent approximately $2,000 on classroom supplies for her students out of her own pocket.
"I spent nearly every weekend purchasing classroom supplies from garage sales, thrift stores and clearance sections," Richardson, who teaches 4th grade ESL at Science Hall Elementary in Kyle, Texas, told "Good Morning America."
"I even worked on weekends, by choice," she added, "to ensure my students had the best experience and lesson engagement in my classroom."
Thanks to Chrissy Teigen and the #ClearTheList movement, though, this year is going to be a little bit easier for Richardson, 24, and others like her.
Over the weekend, Teigen took to Twitter to offer a helping hand to teachers amid the global COVID-19 pandemic by offering to pay for teachers' wish lists and the replies started piling up.
"If you are a teacher in need of supplies for the upcoming school year, please drop your amazon wishlist here, I will do as many as I can," the 34-year-old cookbook author wrote.
Hours later, she updated her 13.1 million followers that she had already cleared 50 wish lists for teachers, promising to do more throughout the week and focus on "struggling districts and special needs."
With class in session using virtual and online or socially distanced and in-person teaching, teachers are having to go above and beyond. The viral #ClearTheList movement, which has garnered celebrity support like that from Teigen, seeks to help these educators obtain the supplies they need to do their job -- and do it well -- by purchasing supplies for them.
"It's necessary for teachers to feel supported," Angela Rivero, another educator Teigen reached out to, told "GMA" when asked how she reacted upon seeing the model reply to her tweet. "And that's how I felt, supported."
Rivero, an ECSE teacher from Pearl Harbor Elementary School in Honolulu, Hawaii, said these items will provide "support and materials for my students and make sure they have fun" this school year.
The 44-year-old, who has been teaching for 15 years, remembers feeling "lost" in her early 20s before deciding to become an educator. Now, she feels good knowing "I am making a difference in the lives of children" and "shaping the future."
Richardson, who received her master's degree in education just weeks ago, said she was inspired to become a teacher because, given her multicultural background as a bilingual person of color, she believes "representation is key."
This shows in the types of items she included on her wish list, which "consists of mostly multicultural and social-emotional books."
Richardson, who also teaches dual-language students, hopes the multicultural books can "help me instill healthy interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and understanding of cultures" while the social-emotional books can "help students understand how to regulate their emotions and learn about social issues."
In addition to helping educators across the country, Teigen has set up an at-home classroom for her two children, 4-year-old Luna and 2-year-old Miles, to learn in this school year given the COVID-19 pandemic. The impressive setup includes desks, cubbies and even a book wall in the shape of a tree.
The Cravings entrepreneur, who is expecting baby No. 3 with husband John Legend, clarified that while she has always wanted to be a teacher, they are "absolutely bringing in a professional" to keep the little ones on track.
