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I've met with titans of Silicon Valley because they're investing in our national expansion. I've had lunch with Claire Danes because she sees DonorsChoose.org as the best way to help students in public schools. I would never, ever rub shoulders with such people if I had followed the typical career path in investment banking or whatever.
Charles Best -
I do not live off canned soup.
Charles Best
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I'd listened to my colleagues in the teachers' lunchroom. I could tell they were passionate, fired-up people who had great ideas for strategies and projects to help kids learn better. They just didn't have the resources. I was frustrated, but I also knew it was a frustration felt by teachers all over the city.
Charles Best -
I had really good relationship with my students; it definitely took me a few months before I had my students' respect.
Charles Best -
We really are based on this idea that teachers have all this pent-up classroom expertise and that if we could just empower them to come up with micro-solutions, they're going to come up with smarter ideas than anybody would at the top.
Charles Best -
Access to sports is an important part of a well-rounded education, and it takes committed communities and companies like Dick's to make a real difference in kids' lives.
Charles Best -
KIPP schools would be just a shining example of schools where students aren't just given homework and taught imaginative ways, but they're really brought into a culture of education.
Charles Best -
Students who learn to collaborate and negotiate - on Capitol Hill, in the board room, in everyday life - will outperform peers who have higher test scores.
Charles Best
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We will employ almost every strategy and hustle in any possible way to recruit top engineers to our team.
Charles Best -
If anything, we hope that DonorsChoose.org is going to be a prompt, a nudge in the side of the public school system to improve and to start delivering these materials and experiences that students need and to make it easier for teachers to innovate.
Charles Best -
Our brains are designed to solve some of our most complex problems when we're distracted by routine habits.
Charles Best -
One question we'll ask is, 'Who are you grateful for,' and a surprising number of people can't name anyone beyond their mother.
Charles Best -
Teachers know how to improve education, but they are a voice that is consistently overlooked or ignored.
Charles Best -
To get DonorsChoose.org to scale, we first need to increase the viral appeal of our website.
Charles Best
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My colleagues and I would spend a lot of our own money on copy, paper, and pencils. I just figured there are people out there who would want to help teachers like us if they could see exactly where their money was going.
Charles Best -
Whenever there are changes to school budgets, we know teachers feel it first.
Charles Best -
We reflect on our successes and failures at monthly staff meetings.
Charles Best -
I think it's the strength of the idea that's made Donors Choose work, not me. I mean, I'm determined, and I work hard, but so does everyone else.
Charles Best -
A really large number of teachers contact us offline testifying how valuable iPads are for their students.
Charles Best -
Imagine someone with $10 finding a classroom project that speaks to them personally, seeing where their money is going, and realizing that they don't need to be a millionaire to make a difference.
Charles Best
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Ideally, DonorsChoose.org wouldn't be necessary for basic supplies, but I hope we'll always be a platform for teachers to request resources that would bring the learning experience of their students to the next level.
Charles Best -
Donors are sick of writing that $200 check to the Red Cross and not knowing whether it goes for the executive director's salary or the office rent.
Charles Best -
We all remember special days at school, whether it was going on a field trip, doing a science experiment, or performing in a school play.
Charles Best -
I've been a fan of bass fishing for as long as I can remember.
Charles Best