Carpentersville teachers get a small reward

A thousand teachers nationwide, including two in Carpentersville, got a pleasant surprise Tuesday morning when each received $1,400 worth of school supplies as a thank-you for their hard work.

Pilar Nieto, a first-grade teacher at Golfview Elementary, and Dawn Buchewicz, a second-grade teacher at Meadowdale Elementary, received gifts for their classrooms as part of "A Day Made Better."

The program, sponsored by Office Max, connects stores with principals to reward teachers, who, according to the National Education Association, spend an average of $1,200 yearly on classroom supplies. Each principal chooses one teacher to receive the prize.

"It's astounding that teachers have to reach into their own wallets to buy billions of dollars worth of basic school supplies," said Bob Thacker, senior vice president of marketing for Office Max.

To make up for such costs, Buchewicz and Nieto each got a surprise delivery of supplies including books, posters, educational DVDs and a new leather office chair.

"I'm speechless," Buchewicz said as her pupils tore into boxes of new supplies and tested her new seat.

Buchewicz, in her third year teaching a transitional class for bilingual students, "always goes above and beyond," Meadowdale Principal Rita Janus said.

"She pays great attention to the needs of the students, and she maintains a good relationship with all the families," Janus said.

Nieto, in her fourth year at Golfview Elementary, receives similar praise from her colleagues.

"She's just a wonderful, wonderful person, along with being a great teacher," Golfview Principal Trish Whitecotton said.