We decided to throw a B*A*S*H for teachers with a twist. The first (maybe last) ever Penniless Teacher Auction for Teachers. The items? A garage full of teacher items accumulated over the past year through Penniless Teacher blog.
Now, this wasn’t just any auction, we had to make it different. The ultimate objective of our auction was for teachers to leave Penniless. Care was taken examining calendars to ensure maximum attendance…..and then they changed the dates of the FCAT putting the event, smack dab in the middle of the standardized testing schedule. <SCREAM> Little did we know the timing worked perfectly…teachers were on STRESS overload, needing a diversion.
Invited teachers were asked to bring $5 which was returned to them in the form of 500 pennies! Instructions to teachers were they could “only use the money provided.” It didn’t take them long to figure out they could combine their money AND utilize the pennies sprinkled on the tables!
Over the next two hours, we auctioned off products that have been spotlighted on Penniless Teacher blog. No teacher invested more than $5 (paid the venue rental) yet walked away with hundreds of dollars in products for their classrooms.
No matter the price of an object, if two teachers (or more) wanted it, the bidding was fast and furious, cutthroat and friendly all at the same time. What a pleasure it was to give our teachers an afternoon of unexpected fun! The enjoyment is evident on their faces of the slide show.
Little did they know that one of us was suffering from a nasty stomach virus while the other was experiencing a sore throat and nasty cold. We covered it well! Amazing how enthusiasm and fun is contagious!