A biography for Charles Besthasn’t been written yet.
“We make friends with people we admire, including those you might consider competitors, like charity: water, Kiva, and Global Giving. We get on a call with them and exchange ideas.”
“It just felt wrong that the kids I was teaching didn't have the same access to materials that I did when I was a student.”
“Donorschoose.org is the one place where somebody with $10 gets the same level of impact and feedback from the recipients that Bill Gates gets when he's making a million-dollar gift.”
“Acknowledging someone is an act of altruism in the first place, so converting that act of altruism into a pizza party or company fleece jacket or a gift card is fine, but it's not in keeping with spirit in which it all began.”
“If we can show the world that there are students in all sorts of communities who don't have the material they need for a great education, that will be the first major step to doing something about it.”
“We love that our platform allows people to give.”
“I was a social studies teacher at a high school in the Bronx for five years.”
“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.”
“It's hard to enlist the support of people you don't know, but it's critical to growing your career, finding new customers, and building out your team.”
“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.”
“Teachers are heroes.”
“I think there are really are some public schools, incredibly successful public schools, that are inculcating a real educational ethic in their students.”
“Whenever there are changes to school budgets, we know teachers feel it first.”
“To take on the jobs of tomorrow, students must become more than good test takers. They need to become makers who design, sketch, build, and prototype. And their classrooms will need more than a chalkboard and a set of textbooks.”
“If you just believe in our democracy, and you want an informed electorate, public schools are in your interest, and I think our country is dependent on public schools, whether or not you personally have a kid in the public school system.”
“Well, just as in the quality of public schools, there is massive disparity and the compensation given to the public school teachers.”
“An art project, a hands-on science experiment, or a special field trip can transcend textbooks and flash cards. No one knows this better than those teaching students with autism.”
“At DonorsChoose.org, we believe that teachers are unsung heroes.”
“When I began teaching, my colleagues and I quickly realized that our students didn't have access to the same resources we had growing up. We knew there were supplies and resources that could help our students, but our school district simply couldn't afford them.”
“I believe if we can crowdsource educational solutions to teachers on the front lines, who often know their kids better than anyone, we will unearth and generate better-targeted, smarter ideas.”