No matter the circumstances, teachers show up each day ready to give their students every opportunity possible, and they never give up.

My colleagues and I were always having the same conversation in the teachers lunchroom about books we wanted our students to read, a field trip we knew would really bring a subject matter to life... And most of us would go into our own pockets to buy just paper and pencils.

Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit to violins for a school recital to microscope slides for a biology class.

Students can't dream big when classrooms lack books, microscopes, and robotics kits - or even paper, pencils, and paste.

Every day, teachers across the country excite their students with new opportunities and experiences.

DonorsChoose enables teachers not just to go public with learning needs in classrooms but also to unleash their imaginations about the best ideas to help students learn.

People not only want to support public schools, but people warm to this idea of being a philanthropist, even if they might have only have $5 to spare.

Donorschoose.org is the one place where somebody with $10 gets the same level of impact and feedback from the recipients that Bill Gates gets when he's making a million-dollar gift.

The most incredible businesses are started by entrepreneurs who relentlessly pursue their passion, but passion works best with a thoughtful, ambitious-yet-grounded business plan.