Our Bloggers Recommend: Why are LDS seminary teachers paying for their own printer paper?

As high school students in the United States return from winter break, many LDS students return to LDS seminary classes. For those outside of the jello belt where full-time, salaried teachers may teach seminary, these early-morning classes are taught by unpaid volunteers (through church “callings”). Guest writer Jenny Smith has shared that many teachers have to self-fund classroom supplies and treats, causing great discrepancies between the “haves” and “have-nots.” Smith is the admin of a large facebook group of seminary teachers and conducted a survey that revealed how much budget woes impact teachers and classroom experience. Smith also wrote about the issue for By Common Consent: “A Seminary Teacher’s Dirty Little Secret.”

Recently, Tamarra Kemsley at the Salt Lake Tribune wrote about the issue and Smith’s survey for the Salt Lake Tribune’s Mormon Land coverage. Check out her article, “LDS Church has billions of dollars. So why are some seminary teachers paying for their own printer paper?“

What do you think about seminary teachers having to pay out of pocket for supplies to teach as volunteers?