Grasshopper Goods wasn’t created just because I felt like it was a good business opportunity. I had a dream of building my own shop, a dream that manifested itself through a mobile boutique, and, later a brick and mortar location, but the dream didn’t start and end with an open/closed sign or a business bank account.

I’ve been an educator my entire life, and I knew that this facet of my personality needed to be ingrained in the Grasshopper Goods mission in order for it to feel authentic. Our shop’s purpose is to support makers, artists, and dreamers. When I dig deeper into that statement, it becomes clear that it essentially represents the connection between my work as an educator and as an entrepreneur. After all, who supports dreamers more than teachers?

However, I knew that I needed to make that connection a bit more tangible, to go beyond the abstract bridge between my two passions and make it obvious to anyone who was interested that Grasshopper Goods supports educators as well. That’s why we decided to implement a 10% discount for educators in shop.

Why We Offer a Discount for Teachers

You might be thinking - how does a discount actually help teachers do their jobs? Does it help them manage the stress, pressure, and long days that an educator entails? How does the Grasshopper Goods product offering serve teachers any way?

My vision for the teacher discount is that it simply makes life a little easier, a little more enjoyable for educators. I know that, at the end of the day, there is much to be done in the education field, large-scale problems that need to be tackled by a coalition of experts. I see the discount as something that I, personally, can do to help educators even if it’s small.

Even 10% off of a purchase puts some money back in teachers’ pockets. Teachers are regularly asked to furnish supplies and materials for their classrooms, paying for these “extras” with their own money. In a country that doesn’t pay its teachers adequately for the work they do (that’s a whole other conversation), we’re asking teachers to take on a financial burden in addition to the emotional and physical stress they retain from their jobs. If Grasshopper Goods’ 10% discount gives teachers a little more wiggle room in their monthly budget, while still letting them enjoy themselves through a bit of retail therapy, then I’m happy to be a part of their joy.