This story originally appeared in the February 2025 issue of Texas Monthly as part of our public-education feature, “What Our Schools Actually Need.” I don’t remember how I stumbled upon DonorsChoose, a website that encourages giving to teachers who need additional resources for their classrooms. I do know that I got hooked because it easily allowed me, with the click of a link, to support not just public schools in my Houston neighborhood but teachers themselves, at the same schools my son attended decades back. Even small amounts can make a big and immediate difference—an appealing concept to someone whose name will never appear on a hospital or museum donor wall—while allowing me to support dying arts, like, say, the reading of books.What I’ve discovered is that…