Copy Rights For All!

I am a second grade teacher at an impoverished elementary school in South Bronx, New York. My students have limited resources and materials to enhance their education. There is a very limited supply of consumable materials, such as crayons, paper, notebooks, pencils, and workbooks. However, the demand for these supplies is very high. My students use photocopied materials on a daily basis in order to learn some of the curriculum, especially in social studies and science, and to complete written tasks and extension activities. Photocopies are necessary for test prep, homework, home/school communication, assessment materials, math and literacy games, holiday homework packets, learning resources, and projects -- just to name a few. It is problematic for me to get the necessary copies for my students in a timely manner; sometimes my students do not get the copies at all. As a result, they miss out on some very important parts of the lesson. Often times, my students miss out on the practice exercises that are part of the lessons being taught. Other times, they miss out on the exercises that should have been a part of their homework and/or other extension activities. The school aides work hard to make copies for all the teachers, support staff, and administrators in the school, but it is very difficult for them to meet the photocopying needs of all the students, teachers, and administrators in the building. At the same time, it is very important for my students to get the necessary copies in a timely manner. Sometimes I get the copies too late or not at all because they have been misplaced or there are other "more important" copying jobs to be completed. The teacher copy machine has been broken beyond repair since September. Copies at Kinko's and Staples are very costly and that would require me to take the workbooks and textbooks to the centers with me to be copied. I think my students deserve to have everything they need. I know this is not possible, but I would at least like to have the necessary photocopies for homework and classwork readily available for them. It is both frustrating for me and for them not to have the materials. I would like to have a desktop copier readily available for all their photocopying needs. This should help to bridge the educational gap somewhat by helping to bring them that much closer to not being left behind. Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope that you will help my students to meet their educational goals.