Anyone else get annoyed.. (School Supplies)

[gaelic grace]

Since I work pt in education and my husband is a former teacher turned administrator I will admit my bias right now but I can't believe what I'm reading. School supply lists are requests not demands as some people have stated. I don't know of one public school that pats little Johnny down before he enters the school building and demands his supplies before he can attend. If anyone has ever had that happen contact the ACLU you have a lawsuit.

As for communal vs individual there are good reasons for both as have been stated here. Individual does foster responsibility but there is a wide range of maturity in lower elementary. For those of you upset that crayons are being shared I bet some of you would think it was harsh if the teacher wouldn't accept your childs paper because they lost, broke or smashed their red crayon. I would too! I also don't want teachers having to spend the time to go through 22 or more supply boxes each day and then write notes home as to which supplies might be lost. Communal has it's issues as well. It may not be as sanitary, responsibility might set in a few grades later, etc., Look at all the varying opinions on this subject and just think -is it possible a teacher could ever make an entire classroom of parents happy? Just as students have individual learning styles teachers have different teaching styles. Maybe they will teach responsibility in other areas or sharing in other areas.

There may be a few teachers who are taking supplies home, selling, stockpiling etc., but they are few and far between. For every "I knew a teacher who..." story you can tell who wasted, or didn't use something I can tell you 100 stories of the generosity of spirit shown by the rest. (BTW how do you feel about medical staff who make alot more than teachers stockpiling samples at their homes)

If the worst thing that happens to my child is that they bring home the "crappy" colored pencils- color me happy. If a teacher might get to re-use an overhead marker or only use 365 of the 500 sheets of paper I send in so be it. I consider it a slight offset to the hundreds of dollars of personal money I know are spent in most classrooms not to mention an advance on all the free hugs, kind words, nudges in the right direction, and firm correction they give all year.
I come from a family of teachers and I hope none of them see this post. Teaching is a job that is hard enough without having to worry about boxing up half used pencils and kleenex to send home in May.

 

[Arcadius]

I don't see whats wrong with a kid bringing in their own supplies and using their own items. Why do the teachers tell the students to put their items in a stock pile and then give the items out. Ok, a teacher is not going to pat down kids to get the items but do you not teach your kid to obey adults? If a teacher tells a kid to put their items in the stockpile, would your adult obeying kid say no? Would they have the ability to say no to the teacher, and say I want to use the items my parents gave them and not someone elses?

And what is with the list of items teachers are giving the students?
I don't know about the rest of you, but here is the list of items I used for school:
notebook
pencil
colored pencils

Not:
a 5 subject notebook in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
a 4 gigabite USB drive in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (oh yeah, that wasn't a teacher's wish list)
30 pencils.. Even with losing them, I only used around 5 a year AT MOST

The cost doesn't bother me, like alot of people are pointing out its not alot, but NOT being able to use what the student brought in?

If a parent decided to buy their kid a 10 dollar notebook, which 5 star notebooks cost around that now, why should the teacher sieze it... And yes, asking the adult obeying kid for their notebook is siezing since most kids won't know to say no...

My parents would buy me the big boxes of crayons, (64 and 100 something) and I would never have though to giving the box to a community supplies and being stuck with a 12 crayon box some other kid's parents gave.

And telling the parents they need to give their student a snack pack for test? Come on now, aren't you going a bit far now... We had a daily snack time in school, but it didn't include a list of certain ridicious items. Of coarse there was a plan B for the students who would forget their snack. The teacher would write a note to the parents requesting they bring in extra items for a stock pile, but nothing happened to the students who didn't come in with extra items, and they WERE NOT pointed out in class.

Ok, long post... Summery needed.

Let the kids use their own items! And teachers should not be giving students their wish list. Parents should buy items for their kid and their kid only. Of coarse some parents would give extra items if the teachers asked for it, in case someone forgets to bring theirs. But demanded it? Specially in certain brands and certain numbers? Come on now...

The End.

I'll should point out I'm 18 about to start my second year of college. So this post is in my point of view, and what I personally believe.

Arr! Give me your school supplies!

 

[jillybeene71]

try 14 1 subject notebooks...2nd grade. then we have to buy 20 different colored folders (and specificly said DO NOT LABEL) 100 pencils (sharpened) 2 boxes of baby wipes.

This is not even a fraction of what my son needs to bring. 22 items on the school supplies list.
Then they have the nerve to ask for 3.00 for supplies for their math/reading colored plastic folders and other supplies they see fit. What are the 20 colored folders im buying for?

Then for my senior high kids, they have class fees. You cannot get their 1st report card until those fees are paid...a fee for each class. Wether it be 2.00 or 25.00 they are holding your report card ransom until they get it.

What ever happened to "every person is entitled to a FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION" Free public school is no more people.

sorry for the vent...

 

[rt2dz]

I stated before, while the kids might not be refused entrance to class if they don't have the EXACT, SPECIFIC list, they are refused recess until it is all brought in.

I don't care if the crayons are communal, but when I'm sending in 14 boxes of crayons, and I know my child is using 2 boxes, I want to know why he isn't bringing home 12 boxes for our use at the end of the year. *I* bought them. If my child was using 14 boxes of crayons and needed more, I better be notified; there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Another child does not, should not, have to give him a box of crayons. And yes, they do keep the boxes of crayons at their desks. And these supplies are required every year! We're not talking about a few sheets of paper out of an extra ream. We're talking about two extra reams of paper per every child in every class. That's AT LEAST 50 extra reams of paper. Sorry, in our house, we're not that irresponsible. Money is limited and we don't waste. I also think that's horrible for the environment. There is not enough room at our school for the keep it for another year thing to go over. Cut the list down and make usable for one year.

Now, if the teacher or administration personnel want to keep supplies that Crayola or someone send in--much like doctors who keep the samples that pharmaceutical reps (not patients) give them--fine. But I'm not a company rep; they are taking something away from me to have something personal in their home. I'll give to the class, but not to a teacher's home.

 

[jillybeene71]

get this...my kids 1st grade teacher sold the "left over" supplies for .50 each at the end of the school year. i know this because my son came home asking for money...I asked what for and he told me straight out. I called the school and they told me they were selling the supplies to buy the kids treats for the last day of school.
now I know why were not supposed to label the items.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

About the usb drives:

just wanted to add that i have seen some elementary schools where they request a usb drive drive for the students...the students use them to save their reports, powerpoint presentations, etc. I've seen it being done a few times. LOL I really don't think if they ask for those from every student, that it is just the teacher who wants them!

However, if they have to ask for those from every kid, I think the district needs to work on updating their computer networks so students are able to save their work in other ways.

 

[averysmom]

Every place is different. Here in Ky where I am at we don't have book fees, we just don't have books. We copy information that is needed and children look at overhead when being taught from the book. I spend most of Friday mornings making copies of workbooks to make packets for the next weeks learning. One workbook is over $50. We do buy the one workbook for each classroom and make over heads of the text book. Here in Ky we pay alot of taxes but our tax base is not what it is in other parts of the county.That really affects our schools. Our funding is very little percentage wise and Ky has been trying to get teacher's saleries and insurance up to compete with some in other states.

Yes, agree to disagree but know that every state, district and school is different and feel for some of the situations this has put families in.

Don't post this on a message board This is SO against copyright laws!

 

[perkinsrose]

Don't post this on a message board This is SO against copyright laws!

Many teachers/professors have exclusions from copyright laws okayed for classroom limited use.

 

[gaelic grace]

Many teachers/professors have exclusions from copyright laws okayed for classroom limited use.

You do have exclusions for certain things but if a district is only buying one workbook and having teachers copy out of it instead of purchasing a workbook for every student this is against copyright law. I'm not sure but that sounded like what was happening. The poster is just doing what her district told her to do but the district should be purchasing a workbook for each user. Even college professors are limited to percentages of the book for reproduction. It used to be 10% but I'm not sure if it still is. I know their was a big lawsuit 10 years ago or so against Kinko's for making class sets of books for faculty members. Publishing companies aren't likely to sue individual teachers but they will go after companies like Kinko's or others.

 

[gaelic grace]

[
Now, if the teacher or administration personnel want to keep supplies that Crayola or someone send in--much like doctors who keep the samples that pharmaceutical reps (not patients) give them--fine. But I'm not a company rep; they are taking something away from me to have something personal in their home. I'll give to the class, but not to a teacher's home.[/QUOTE]

You aren't a company rep but pharmaceutical company isn't giving those samples for Dr's to take home they are to give out to patients to expand the use of their product. This problem is probably far more widespread than the occasional teacher taking something home. Again, a teacher shouldn't be taking things home but I think very few probably are and if they are it is probably small recompense for what they have already brought from home.

There are probably a few bad apples -there are in every profession but I think more than likely most people just don't have an accurate view of what their child might use in a school year. We might think a glue stick will last several months at home so why do they need 15 at school? At home you are probably monitoring just your child or several and it's easier to remind them not to push hard or roll it up too high or just to use a little. That's hard to do in bigger groups. They may not be wasteful at school but over- excited trying to do something faster than their table mate which wouldn't happen at home or variables we aren't thinking of. I can't tell you how many times at home when I'm sitting at the table a glue stick has gotten broken or smashed accidentally and I'm right there.

We do need to teach kids not to waste but we also need to remember that small children make mistakes and many times that's how they learn. I don't want to have to make a huge deal out of each time those things happen. In Kindergarten we glued an average of two sheets a day times 180 school days- that doesn't include art projects just worksheets. That's a minimum of 360 times for a child to break or smash a glue stick. It may seem that doing that 10 times in a year is alot but out of 360 not so much- sometimes we just need to change our thinking from the family room to the classroom and realize that there are often good reasons for things. Your child may not use 10 gluesticks or 5 boxes of crayons but many will -a teacher works off averages and past years experiences.

 

[mchames]

About the usb drives:

just wanted to add that i have seen some elementary schools where they request a usb drive drive for the students...the students use them to save their reports, powerpoint presentations, etc. I've seen it being done a few times. LOL I really don't think if they ask for those from every student, that it is just the teacher who wants them!

However, if they have to ask for those from every kid, I think the district needs to work on updating their computer networks so students are able to save their work in other ways.

I just wanted to comment on the USB drives. My DD10 who will be starting fifth grade is required to have one this year. They are supposed to either wear it around their necks or attach it to their binders. The reason each student has one is so that they can work on an assignment at school, download it to the USB and then work on it at at home if necessary, not because there is not enough storage space on the school's computer network.

Mary

 

[perkinsrose]

I saw a bumper sticker once. "Won't it be a great day when the schools get all the money they need and the airforce has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber?"

 

[Karlzmom]

I would rather have another child use what I bought my son then to have another child be left out because they didn't have something.

I would have no problem with my son sharing this stuff with other children and I would encourage him to do so.

Which is a terrific virtue for him to learn. IF the school lets him learn it! Its one thing for your son to choose to "share" what he has. Its another thing to deny your son from "having anything" because what you buy all goes to a community pot. All he's learning in this lesson is that there are entities that have the ability to take what ever you have, and they will decide how to distribute it and whom to give it to. Sounds like Marxism to me I guess if the government schools start them out with the you-provide-we-take-and-give-out-as-we-deem-fit lesson early our children will be completely used to it by the time they are adults. Sadly, they won't have experienced the joy of individual charity for this scheme.

 

[Karlzmom]

I saw a bumper sticker once. "Won't it be a great day when the schools get all the money they need and the airforce has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber?"

Did you ever see the experiment that was done in St. Louis where they built the supposedly "best" school. Gave it everything the educational brain-trust said it needed, biggest most advanced classrooms, computers all around, etc. etc. etc. ? The scores went down! Its not about the money, its how it gets spent. Look at the local district's administration office, nice eh? So it goes down the line. Further, that bomber makes it possible for us to even discuss the education of our children in something that we recognize as a school....

 

[perkinsrose]

Did you ever see the experiment that was done in St. Louis where they built the supposedly "best" school. Gave it everything the educational brain-trust said it needed, biggest most advanced classrooms, computers all around, etc. etc. etc. ? The scores went down! Its not about the money, its how it gets spent. Look at the local district's administration office, nice eh? So it goes down the line. Further, that bomber makes it possible for us to even discuss the education of our children in something that we recognize as a school....

I'm going to have to bite my tongue on that one, considering the direction it would lead this thread.

 

[Minnie_me]

Well, this whole post just makes me sad. I'm glad that I haven't run across any parents IRL like some of the ones posting here, with so much ANGER and energy devoted to something as basic as crayons. I can't even begin to address all of the things that made me shake my head in disbelief, but here's one I'll tackle:

One of the reasons that teachers need more crayons than you think are necessary is that they will keep a couple of baskets of crayons (and markers) at their Art Center. And another couple of baskets at the Writing Center. And another for the parent volunteers who work with the kids. These baskets will need replenishing a few times during the year. (this theory also applies to glue sticks!)

So here's my bottom line: if you're so incredibly annoyed by your school's policies regarding supplies, GET INVOLVED. Run for the BOE, join the PTA, become active in the school. Chances are, you'll soon realize how little you actually know about how schools work these days. But who knows? Maybe you'll be able to help the schools better utilize their money and supplies! Maybe they're in need of someone JUST LIKE YOU to help them do a better job!

And - -last but not least -- I am a teacher who has taken home tissue boxes from school! HORRORS!!!! I did it because we had mice in the classroom that were eating (?) and nesting in the tissue boxes, and I just couldn't leave them there all summer long without coming back to a huge mess. So I took home about 6 boxes. Go ahead and dock my pay.

 

[carj]

Well, this whole post just makes me sad. I'm glad that I haven't run across any parents IRL like some of the ones posting here, with so much ANGER and energy devoted to something as basic as crayons. I can't even begin to address all of the things that made me shake my head in disbelief, but here's one I'll tackle:

One of the reasons that teachers need more crayons than you think are necessary is that they will keep a couple of baskets of crayons (and markers) at their Art Center. And another couple of baskets at the Writing Center. And another for the parent volunteers who work with the kids. These baskets will need replenishing a few times during the year. (this theory also applies to glue sticks!)

So here's my bottom line: if you're so incredibly annoyed by your school's policies regarding supplies, GET INVOLVED. Run for the BOE, join the PTA, become active in the school. Chances are, you'll soon realize how little you actually know about how schools work these days. But who knows? Maybe you'll be able to help the schools better utilize their money and supplies! Maybe they're in need of someone JUST LIKE YOU to help them do a better job!

And - -last but not least -- I am a teacher who has taken home tissue boxes from school! HORRORS!!!! I did it because we had mice in the classroom that were eating (?) and nesting in the tissue boxes, and I just couldn't leave them there all summer long without coming back to a huge mess. So I took home about 6 boxes. Go ahead and dock my pay.

I agree. This whole thread is disturbing. If people are so incredibly angry about these things, I would say that I would prefer that they NOT volunteer, but that is just me!

Teachers are not out to scam you for free school supplies. If you really think that you have some isolated issue, then speak to the administration.

 

[design_mom]

I don't think they pass them out to other kids, I know ours use them as a group. When the kids were really young, they would put all the red crayons in a single container, all the blue markers in a single container ... Once they got older, they would just put a basket of supplies out on different tables to use at group time.

This is how it works at my son's school, too. They're not giving our supplies to other kids, so much as using from a classroom "pool" of supplies.

The school supply list is *very* specific (certain brands required, etc. -- 48 ct. Crayola crayons, classic colors) so everyone has the same thing. The first year it was kind of tough to do the shopping (we had the worst time finding Prang watercolors that year). However, the PTO has started a fundraiser. You pay a certain fee and the PTO does all your shopping for you. Totally worth it IMHO.

The only "problem" I have with the community use of supplies is that my son is left-handed and needs special left-handed scissors. But, so far his teachers have been really good about allowing him to have a special non-community pair of scissors.

ETA: I posted after only reading the first page of this thread. It appears to have gotten heated.

 

[gaelic grace]

Did you ever see the experiment that was done in St. Louis where they built the supposedly "best" school. Gave it everything the educational brain-trust said it needed, biggest most advanced classrooms, computers all around, etc. etc. etc. ? The scores went down! Its not about the money, its how it gets spent. Look at the local district's administration office, nice eh? So it goes down the line. Further, that bomber makes it possible for us to even discuss the education of our children in something that we recognize as a school....

Do you know anything about the charter school Andre Agassi started in Nevada? He started a school and now funds it each year with the same amount of money the state of Nevada provides per child. Mainly because he knew otherwise people would say it's about money. That school and those children have thrived. It's not always about money but it is always about high standards, equal opportunity, participation, and alot of love and encouragement.

 

[mom2mizmous]

I buy each of my students a new box ( 12-16 in a box) of crayons, several folders of diff. colors (for each of the subjects I require them to have a folder for), a couple diff. colored pencils (one for editing, one for revising their writing), a glue stick, pencil box (for the crayons , glue stick and scissors I provide them with which they keep in "cubbies"). I also buy small baskets to keep in desks for pencils , erasers, pens, highlighers, stickies (which we use for reading and writing). Except for the pencils and highlighters, I buy everything with my own money ( the rest school pays for) I never ask my students to bring in supplies (in fact I discourage those mega- crayon boxes and fancy binders which take up too much room and distract my 3rd grade kiddos! ) Most of the supplies (if they survive the year,) are sent home , (with the exception of basket and scissors which I reuse for next year's class). Our district does not ALLOW us to require students buy supplies, so if I want certain things I need to get them myself-lol!