By Natalie Eades
A loud knock broke the sound of the pouring rain on my front porch. I was seven years old, stuck at home recuperating from surgery, and that knock changed everything. My second-grade teacher, who didn’t own a car, had walked two miles in the rain to bring me a big brown teddy bear. I named him Bo-Bo, and decades later, I still hold the bear and that memory close. That small act of kindness from my teacher made an impact on me that I’ve carried for a lifetime. Now that I’m a teacher myself, I think about the example she set every day. Teachers don’t just teach inside a classroom — sometimes they show up in our lives, even during rainstorms, but who shows up for teachers?
The work of early child educators goes far beyond the walls of the classroom; we support the emotional and mental health of the children and families we serve, yet many teachers go home after a long day unable to make ends meet. We lack the financial resources to afford a reliable car, secure housing or fresh food. Some say that teachers go into the profession knowing they will make sacrifices, but statistics show that 78 percent of teachers have thoughts or plans of leaving the teaching profession. This is where guaranteed income can help to change lives.
For the past 18 months, I’ve been receiving $500 a month through a Guaranteed Income pilot program at the Gordon Early Literacy Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. That monthly support has changed my life dramatically. Before the payments began, I was constantly struggling to afford the rising costs of food and to help my adult daughter with her rent, and I was often unable to catch up on monthly bills. I’d go to the grocery store with a strict list and no flexibility. Fresh vegetables were a luxury, and we couldn’t afford to be creative in the kitchen.
The extra monthly income has tangibly altered our daily lives. It has allowed me more freedom to choose fresh vegetables over frozen, and to try interesting new dishes for dinner.
The extra income also helped my adult daughter. She works two jobs to pay for her rent and support herself in college. Over the past 18 months, I was able to help her a little more financially, which gave her the freedom to pick up fewer shifts at the restaurant so she could devote her time to a leadership role at her university. Taking on that new role led her to being chosen for a graduateship that covers half her tuition for the next year. This isn’t just a win for our family — she plans to work in education, so this is a win for our community, as well. When educators are supported, entire communities thrive.
Teachers change lives and improve community but are far too often expected to do this work while juggling food and housing insecurity, medical debt or having to get second jobs to make ends meet. We pour our energy into supporting children in our community while worrying if we can provide for our own. Guaranteed income isn’t a handout: It’s a recognition and appreciation for the invisible work that teachers do every day. It’s a tool that helps both the educator and the community that they serve, and Chester County would greatly benefit from more such pilot programs at HeadStart and other early learning centers.
I still think about the teacher who brought me Bo-Bo in the rain all those years ago. That teacher’s kindness transformed me not just as a student but actually helped to shape the person I’ve become. As a teacher myself, I want to spread kindness and make an impact, too. When a teacher’s basic needs are met, they can focus on their students and community even more. The guaranteed income gave me the breathing room to be a better teacher, and it helped my family to thrive, not just survive.
In addition to teaching, Natalie Eades of Coatesville is a student enrolled in a writing course taught by Dr. Dyan Neary at West Chester University. She submitted this essay as a class assignment.
This post was originally published on Basic Income Today.