By Sarah Light, staff writer

Halverson Elementary School teacher Kathie Lein started school on Tuesday just like any other day.

But close to 10 a.m., some surprise visitors came to her classroom.

That&8217;s when she found out she had been selected as one of 1,000 teachers across the nation to be honored for her dedication to teaching.

As part of &8220;A Day Made Better&8221; campaign put on by OfficeMax and its nonprofit partner, Adopt-A-Classroom, Lein won $1,200 in school supplies for her classroom. The supplies ranged from pencils and pens to a printer and a digital camera.

&8220;It was a huge surprise,&8221; Lein said. &8220;It&8217;s going to make a really big difference in our classroom.&8221;

According to National Education Association national studies, teachers spend nearly $1,200 out of their own pockets each year for basic classroom supplies &8212; adding up, nationally, to teachers spending about $4 billion a year.

&8220;We wanted to call attention to this issue &8212; that teachers are spending money out of their own pockets for their classrooms,&8221; said Jennifer Rook, OfficeMax spokesperson. &8220;Teaching is a profession that teaches all other professions.&8221;

Rook said this was the first year OfficeMax has gone to this extent to support teachers across the country on a grassroots level.

&8220;For a 1,000 teachers, we wanted to help make their day a little bit better,&8221; she said. &8220;Teachers sometimes seem to fall in the background.&8221;

And though there were 1,000 people recognized through this campaign, many more teachers in school should also be recognized for their hard work and dedication to their profession.

In Lein&8217;s nomination, specifically, it stated that she is the type of person who makes everyone she meets feel better.

&8220;Kathie is the type of teacher we all would want our children to have,&8221; the nomination stated. &8220;She is warm, caring and sympathetic to the challenges the children and families face.&8221;

Lein is an Albert Lea High School graduate who went on to get a bachelor&8217;s degree from Winona State University in 1991.

She worked two years at Alden-Conger School before moving on to Halverson Elementary School, where she has been teaching the past 15 years.

&8220;I always knew I was going to be a teacher,&8221; she said. &8220;I don&8217;t ever remember pursuing any other career.&8221;

Lein said she can&8217;t imagine teaching something other than special education, which allows her to teach 18 students at different times throughout the day.

&8220;I love my job,&8221; Lein said. &8220;I love my students and coming to see them.&8221;

Nationwide teaching statistics from Adopt-A-Classroom:

– 50 percent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years.

– Each time a teacher leaves the education system, the cost is about $11,500 for recruiting, hiring and providing orientation and professional development for the replacement.

– Teachers cite a lack of support as the top reason for leaving their profession.