When I was a high-school student in Dallas, my math teacher Mrs. Bauer went to a conference and saw a demonstration of one of the first personal computers. She thought, These are going to be big. She enrolled in a night class in computer science so she could teach us how to use computers, even though she had to pay the tuition herself. Her dedication to bringing innovation into our classroom changed my life and launched a career I could never have imagined. How many of us had a teacher like Mrs. Bauer? Wouldn’t it be great if we had a way to support the amazing educators who work so hard to expose their students to the world around them?

Well, we do, through DonorsChoose.org, which makes it easy to help teachers bring their ideas to life. DonorsChoose.org provides a simple way for people who want to lend a hand to help teachers meet their classroom needs.

Teaching is a very demanding job, and it’s even tougher if teachers don’t have a way to get the resources their students need. From kindergarten to high school, many public-school teachers routinely use their own money to buy materials for their classrooms, including basic items like pencils and books. If schools can’t provide more expensive supplies, such as those for a chemistry lab, students have to go without and their learning suffers.

Through DonorsChoose.org, anyone can be connected to a specific teacher in a specific school with a specific idea about a project for students. You can support teachers in your child’s school, in your community, or anywhere in the country. You can choose projects in particular subjects you find interesting, from math and science to the humanities.

When you browse some of the projects at DonorsChoose.org, I think you’ll be as impressed as I am by the creativity and resourcefulness of America’s teachers. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is proud to support teachers and students by donating to DonorsChoose.org, and we encourage others to do the same. You never know how big an impact even a small contribution can make.