This website started as a joke, but being a “broke teacher” isn’t funny. 

Years ago, I knew a broke teacher. She moved to take a job for half her prior teaching pay (“They need me!”), and ran out of money. I posted jokes to cheer her up–things like “Best Places to Steal Pens for Your Classroom,” “How to Eat for Free” and other tips to stretch the teacher dime.  

Eventually, I dumped those things here. I added other useful things too–sage advice like “never tell anyone you can fix a copier,” and “Creative writing that will get your requisitions filled every time!”

The jokes hit home for a lot of people because–there are a lot of broke teachers.

Too many. 

I realized–I was one too.   

Being a broke teacher isn’t only about money.  And it’s not a joke.  

This site’s been up for a long time–before the teacher strikes, and pre-Covid.  Today, the situation’s even more critical.  You must hear me and believe me now…  

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE BROKE TO BE A TEACHER.  IN FACT, YOU SHOULDN’T BE. 

This is especially important if you’re a Covid-era teacher. You’re spending 2x what you normally overspend in your classroom buying things for in-person and remote learning.  You’re buying pencils, pens, paper, masks, Tyvek suits, scrubs, upgrading your software, buying studio production equipment, professional makeup to make sure you look good on Zoom…

You’ve got to stop today. 

80% of you will stop reading here. You’ll tell me to pound sand. “I can’t stop spending,” you’ll say. “I need it!” “It’s for the kids!” 

Trust me, I said it for years. It’s half of what made–and kept me broke.

The other half was something deeper–“teacher mindset.”  Turns out the very same things that make teachers effective, loving, and generous–and broke–are the same exact things that make top CEOs successes.

It’s all in the approach.   Change it up a bit, and you’ll leave your inner “broke teacher” behind. 

I promise you, I’m not going to have you fleecing your second graders for lunch money, either. 

I wrote my story in A Broke Teacher’s Guide to Success,” but that’s only half the story because there were some setbacks along the way… The spoiler alert… I kept at it. It works.

But, you can also skip right to the (pay what you want, even free!) No-Spend Challenge here.  Download it, take it to heart (it works, I promise!) and make today the first day you leave your “broke teacher” behind.