Teacher panhandles on side of road to pay for school supplies

OKLAHOMA -- An Oklahoma woman who has been a teacher for 21 years took to the streets to beg for money to help her pay for classroom supplies.

Teachers often pay for their classroom supplies, digging into their own savings to help their students.

Teresa Danks held a sing-along on the side of the road asking drivers to help fund her classroom, and some people gave her more than $100.

"People were just like, 'Oh my gosh, thank you for doing this. Thank you for teaching. Thank you, you know, just thank you, thank you, thank you," Danks said.

"And the one that got me so emotional, she said, 'It's teachers like you that are the reason I am alive today.' And that really choked me up."

Danks said she earns $35,000 a year, and often spends $2,000 or $3,000 on school supplies each year.

A GoFundMe page was created to help and has raised more than $14,000.

Danks plans to use that money to start a foundation to help other teachers with their classroom supplies.