By Susan Winlow

Mallory Caruso was awash in a sea of books last week.

The 24-year-old first-grade teacher sat on the floor of Room 109 at Fairmont Charter School, a Vacaville School District charter school, sorting what looked like hundreds of children’s books into piles.

“I have been garage saling – a whole lot,” she said, with a smile. “If you don’t do it right your first year, you’ll go broke.”

Also amid the pile of books and other classroom decorations were borrowed and donated items, coming from a teacher who is on maternity leave. She’s also discovered TeachersPayTeachers.com – an open-networking marketplace for teachers, where she copiously hunts for the “free stuff.”

via First-year teacher taps into enthusiasm, empathy Daily Republic.