Teachers Gather For First Annual Swap Meet

Teachers from all over the Sioux Falls region hit the convention center today for the First Annual Teacher Swap Meet. A variety of classroom gear on 70 full tables is up for grabs. 

Teachers like Amy Stoel, hoping to unload some educational trinkets, filled the Sioux Falls Convention Center today. 

"My husband told me to get the stuff out of the garage and clean up. Here I am," Stoel said. 

From the looks of it, she's not the only one trying to get rid of stacks upon stacks of stuff. John Harris educator Sarah Herbert is retiring soon after more than 30 years. She can't wait to hand over her things to the next generation of teachers.  

"It's kind of like an episode of hoarders sometimes," Herbert said. 

If you take your time, you can find just about anything in here, from books to shelves to even fun games. 

Holsen: Does it surprise you that teachers have so much stuff?

Stoel: Not really. We're teachers. That's what we do, we collect things. Because it's like, oh I might be able to use this sometime so you save everything and teachers have everything. That's for sure. 

While some teachers end up spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars on their classrooms over the years, this event gives educators a chance to find useful items on the cheap. 

Herbert: I'm making my things a dollar or a quarter. So that will give them a chance to equip their classrooms in a very financially prudent way.

Holsen: So you're not hoping to get rich?

Herbert: I'm not going to get rich but I am going to get cleaned out. I'm going to have a lot of students in my classroom this year so maybe this will make room for them. 

The challenge for some sellers? Trying not to accumulate more gear. 

"I might. We'll see. We'll see how the day goes. Hopefully I'm too busy here to leave my table," Stoel said. 

Organizers say if the event, hosted by the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation is a success, it will be back next year.