Ask and You Shall Receive

I used to be a teacher, and the principal once told me to meet him after school. I didn't have the courage to ask him why, so I spent the entire day fretting. During the meeting, he informed me there was no budget for textbooks or supplies for my departments at a time when my students couldn't afford pencils. I knew what I was getting into when I applied to work at the poorest district in the state. But as a new teacher, what I needed in that moment was guidance from another teacher or from him regarding how to handle not having funding, whom to turn to for help, and why the support systems weren't clear. However, I didn't know how to ask, nor did the culture encourage it.