I’m fortunate to work at a school that not only supports my attendance at conferences but actively encourages me to submit proposals to present. And the more that I network at conferences and on social media, the more I realize that there are many teachers who have their professional development restricted due to a lack of funding.

Admittedly this poll isn’t the most scientific, but we can see from those teachers that responded that it’s evident that financial restrictions in education are affecting the professional development of teachers across the country.

I have heard many stories of the lengths that teachers have had to go to get themselves to conferences. One of the most powerful stories comes from  Tony Alexander who I had the great pleasure of meeting and presenting with at #SHAPEMinneapolis. You can hear in this short clip how he secured funding for his attendance at #PEInstitute15, which ultimately led to him presenting at the national conference. The clip is taken from the excellent Voxcast #SHAPEMinneapolis reflections episode and includes other stories like Tony’s.

As a result of these stories, I have launched the #sendateacher T-Shirt Project in an effort to raise funds to send a teacher to #SHAPEBoston who would not typically be able to attend due to lack of professional development funds.

T-shirts with both #physed and #healthed themes will be available for sale over the course of the school year with ALL profits being used to support a teacher in need of assistance.

Visit www.sendateacher.com to order your shirt. Please consider supporting this initiative and sharing with others who might be interested. By coming together as a PE/Health community we can give a teacher the opportunity to visit the national conference in Boston in March.

Thank you to those teachers who have already ordered their #physicalliteracy shirt.