Vidya Bhat graduated from the University of Virginia in 2001, and at the time of this writing is a first-year teacher in the New York City public schools.

I am a second-grade teacher in New York City, and as a first year teacher, I find that my expectations of teaching and the realities that I experience are worlds apart.

In September, I imagined a bright cheery classroom filled with beautiful students, as well as a plethora of books, paper, and other necessary educational supplies. Instead, I received an overcrowded classroom, barren of any sort of teaching materials. Much to my chagrin, my situation still remains the same, and it is now April. Although I have some curriculum materials for math, I still do not possess any textbooks for science, social studies or language arts. More importantly, I have very little quality children's literature to spark my students' interest in reading.

I, like the majority of the teachers in my school, purchase everything from loose-leaf paper to chalk. Because my school does not permit the faculty to use the Office's one and only copy machine, I have to pay for all of my own photocopies. While it is a known fact that no one goes into teaching for the money, it is surely disheartening to think that my administration believes it to be okay that teachers have to forgo parts of their salaries toward getting the basics for their classrooms.

The "reason" why I do not have books or supplies, as explained to me by a school staff developer, is simply that there were no school aides hired to unpack and distribute the books and supplies that reside in the supply room. Now, I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to get into that supply room! However, my attempts have been all but successful. The staff developer further explained that according to our union, teachers and administrators cannot unpack and distribute supplies because it isn't part of our contract, and theoretically, it would be taking away a position from a school aide that would potentially be hired to do that job.

On the bright side, I have a wonderful group of students who are eager to learn. I truly believe in the power of the self-fulfilling prophecy, which is why I do not let my teaching situation depress me. I need to maintain my fresh and positive outlook on the profession so I can make sure that I give my students all the tools they need to succeed. When my older colleagues tell me that I should circulate my résumé in elementary schools outside New York City, I often think about what it would be like to teach in the suburbs. More money, more supplies, more support...seems like a teacher's dream. Then I come back to reality and remember my students, who have a classroom with very few books and supplies, and then it finally dawns on me. If all the young teachers leave the urban schools flocking to the comforts of the suburbs, then who will teach New York City's kids?