Each teacher has significant items that they paid for out of their own pocket. Here are three teachers and the story behind their items.

English teacher Hannah Gould has an “Ask Me” sign above her desk in her room to remind students that they are open to ask any questions in the classroom.

“I was inspired by the sign when I went to Outside Lands [a music festival] and the people working it had those signs so you could ask them for help when you’re lost,” Gould said. “ I thought this was a great idea to have above my desk because I wanted students to be encouraged to ask me any questions they had in case they were confused or lost.”

History teacher Hillary Barron bought a crown and shower curtain with a map of the world from Target and bought it to make her the classroom more fun and colorful.

“The crown I use every year for my french revolution simulation[in World History],” Barron said. One student gets chosen to be King Louis the 14th. It’s a little cheesy, but kind of an exciting and memorable activity that we do every year. The shower curtain I’ve had since I started teaching. I thinks its a nice colorful reminder of where the countries are, and I refer to it a lot during my teaching when we’re talking about the Suez canal or different countries and where they’re located.”

Student advocate Richard Prinz has an important phrase in Mandarin scripture given to him from one of his Chinese interns as a constant reminder of what to do in certain situations.

“This is really important to me in my work because it’s an expression that means ‘“crisis is opportunity,” Prinz said. “I think a lot of times when we get into something that seems really terrible, we don’t realize that it can actually be a time for growth, change, and a time for new discoveries. I think if we keep that in mind, then when we’re having a tough time, maybe we’re looking for that and we’re not so overcome by the hardship.”

Additional reporting by Om Khandekar