Many North Jersey teachers have been busy with a back-to-school ritual of their own — digging into their own pockets to stock up on star stickers, alphabet posters and the extras they say warm up their classrooms and motivate children.
Some said they even had to provide their students with the basics. Pam DiPrima said she scoured Staples and Office Depot for bargains on notebooks and pencils for her fourth-graders at School 2 in Paterson because otherwise they might never get such necessities.
"Sometimes they’ll say they can’t afford it or they’ll say, ‘My mom will get it when she gets paid,’ " said DiPrima, of Fair Lawn. "I want them to be prepared from Day One, and if I give it out, I know they’ll have it. There’s so much to cover you can’t miss a day."
Like many colleagues, she said she spent about $100 on back-to-school supplies. She said she expected to spend another $400 of her own money over the rest of