Anyone else get annoyed.. (School Supplies)

[dvcnewgirl]

OP here, I get that some people think I am "greedy" over crayons, Oh well, I am a National Board Certified Teacher ( although I stay home with my children now) so I know what being in a school is like. I always had a giving tree where parents could pick off and donate to my class, but I never demanded it like my daughters classroom is. Oh well, like I said it annoys me but it is not like it is the end of the world. Everyone needs to vent once and a while..

 

[Grendalynn]

That is ridiculous! I spend about $25-$40 on my children's supplies each. (I'm also a teacher.) I am not against pooling the supplies for everyone to use because it is more convenient.

What on earth was on that supply list that was $100?? When we submit our list, the principal makes sure that it is not "over-the-top".

I guess with 10 boxes of tissues per kid, then they would need to store them somewhere other than the classroom huh? Wow!

Wow! i was thinking the same thing -$100 yikes!! DS5 is heading into Kindergarten this fall and I hope he doesnt get that kind of list!

 

[Doc CW]

I always edited the list they sent out for me and bought less than half the stuff on the list and I made it just fine through school, but thats just me

 

[waltskids]

I teach middle school now, but when I taught 3rd grade, all of my students labeled each of their items. We would suggest a list of supplies and then if any parents brought extra items, they would be used for the class. I would never hand out someone's personal items to another student. I usually bought them for the students myself.

 

[livie1205]

I get mad at the lists too BUT I try to get the 1 cent stuff from staples...on the other hand THIS IS MY SUPPLY LIST


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30.00 fee for history,science and locker rental
10.00 fee for t shirt
40.00 for art
5.00 for p.e.
20.00 for p.e. uniform (yes this is public school)
10.00 for spanish
and 40.00 for teen challenges (dont know what this even is)

AND i HAVE TWO KIDS!

 

[EthansMom]

Our PTO buys most all of our school supplies for our grade school (K-5). They spend less than $10 per student. However, our teachers don't ask for any of the supplies that are more expensive. For instance, all students get the 24-count Crayolas that are on sale for 22 cents a box... not a box of 16 crayons that is over $1 each. Because supplies are bought by the PTO, some teachers do keep them in community boxes... especially things like scissors and glue. At the end of the year, crayons and markers are sent home, but scissors, rulers and protractors stay at school to be used the next year. I think it's a great system!

I don't know that I would like sending in supplies to have them go into a community pile, but if that's the way our school did things, then that's what I would do. Although, I might question large ticket purchases, especially for younger grades. I can see needing expensive calculators for older kids, but school supplies shouldn't run more than $20-$25 for younger kids, IMO.

Our teachers do occasionally ask for "extras" like craft supplies, tissues, paper cups for getting drinks of water from sinks, etc.. I'm always more than happy to send that kind of stuff in to the classroom.

Count me as another one who stocked up on the cheap crayons. I plan to give them to the kids in DS's and DD's classes for a holiday gift.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

I also teach we should give to others. We actually just went to wall mart on Saturday. We bought everything on her list and the total came to $86, this did not include anything else, no backpack or lunchbox. We did buy enough for one other complete child and that was in addition to my DD things. I am not being pickey over a crayon but this is getting I too have a classroom and I am allways out a couple hundred dollars to just get started (highlighters, post it notes, pens, pencils). I think every school system is different and this is becoming a real problem in some areas. In order for my daughter to start school we will be out and we havent bought clothes, shoes or any neccessity in these amounts
~$ 86 school supplies (only what is on the list, can not change brands)
~$40 PTA dues $10 for each person in our family
~$25 room fee, fee will get mandatory agenda that she will get credit for when I sign every day
~$20 shirt fee (2 shirts that the whole school wears on Fri.)
~$10 per week for school provided music lessons, required to be in band, we do not know how much her instrument rental for this year will be, we are being told due to gas the company we rent from is raising there amounts.
~$12.25 lunch for week (2.45 per day for 5 days so we pack lunch alot)
opt $1200 for me and her for a 3 day 5th grade field trip (we did not do, we are doing Disney instead. They did offer 2 fundraisers but all money raised went into a community pot for scholorships for kids that could not pay and we did not qualify for this so we would have been out for the whole amount.

I am not being greedy, just broke

I get mad at the lists too BUT I try to get the 1 cent stuff from staples...on the other hand THIS IS MY SUPPLY LIST


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BLACK AND BLUE PENS
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GRAPH PAPER
METRIC RULER
6 3 RING BINDERS
4 SETS 5 ACADEMIC DIVIDERS
1 BOX TISSUE
1 ROLL PAPER TOWELS

30.00 fee for history,science and locker rental
10.00 fee for t shirt
40.00 for art
5.00 for p.e.
20.00 for p.e. uniform (yes this is public school)
10.00 for spanish
and 40.00 for teen challenges (dont know what this even is)

AND i HAVE TWO KIDS!

Why are people having to pay all this out of pocket for a FREE education. I am a teacher, I now stay home and homeschool, and I thought it was more expensive, but after seeing all these fees, I think I get away cheaper! We had a "mandatoy" fee where I taught, but I had a hard time trying to get parents to send it in. I wouldn't force parents to send it in. If they sent it in, great, if not, oh well. I don't agree with it. No one should have to pay for public school. Children are entitled to a free public education. The list for my classroom would have cost the students less than $10. Maybe less than $5 if they did the good sales!

 

[Luckymomoftwo]

My most aggravating thing was that when I registered DS for Kindergarten I was given a list of supplies that he needed. So, I went out and bought all the supplies on the list. When school started, the teacher sent back half of what I bought because it wasn't specifically what she wanted. I bought the wrong kind of crayons, the wrong size glue stick, the wrong kind of pencils, they supposedly required the kids to have clear backpacks, so I bought one of those which was a piece of junk so I had to fork out money a few weeks later for another backpack!

The things that they are asking not to be labeled are kleenex boxes, pencils, dry erase markers. The only one that really aggravates me is the dry erase markers...because I beleive these are for the teacher and he/she should purchase his/her own markers. And they are asking that each kid bring FOUR BLACK dry erase markers...I can't find a package of all black markers, they all come in multi-color.

 

[firstfamilytrip]

I am annoyed by this as well. Our school system is county wide and I compared the lists last year. I was stunned that some schools were asking for 1/3 of the amount of supplies that our elementary was asking for. This was just for supplies for the student. Then we had Kleenexes, Clorox wipes, post it notes, 2 packs of low odor 4 ct. expo markers, gallon, quart and sandwich Ziploc baggies, bottles of Purell, Bounty paper towels and disposable cameras. Multiply that x 2 kids and I thought it was completely out of line. We were also told we had to buy the brands listed, we could not send in any other ones.

I contacted the super and the principal actually called me back to see what the deal was. I told her there was no way my 1st grader was going to go through 6 boxes of crayons, 12 pink erasers, 3 pr. of scissors and 144 pencils(presharpened ones were the ones mandated on the list--really expensive). She told me that 6 yr. olds were notoriously flighty and they would go through that stuff. My son sees himself as an artist and he has always taken pride in his supplies. I told her so and she said I would still need to send it all in because some students don't and we didn't qualify to be one of those who don't. She said if it was a temporary money thing then she could tell me of some groups that would give my kids supplies, but she doubted we would qualify for that either. I bought everything on the list and labeled each pencil and crayon and everything else individually. I did send in a couple of extra unlabeled boxes of crayons and pencils.

At the end of the year my son brought home all but one box of crayons and all his glue except one bottle.

This year the list is way smaller. The numbers make much more sense. When we were out shopping the other day my 4th grader kept trying to buy composition notebooks. They aren't on his list this year, last year he needed 4. Finally I asked why he wanted them so badly. He said what am I going to draw in during free time? I told him to use a piece of scrap paper. He told me I was wrong and at this school they use those books when they finish work early so they can draw. I asked him if they ever used them for anything in the class. No, they were just drawing books. I bought him a 5 cent spiral notebook for that.

 

[dzorn]

I went to buy DS's school supplies and was shocked that crayons were only $.22 a box! So I bought a few more to send along with him in case other kids needed them, too.

I bought over 100 boxes thats what I sent in for Halloween and Valentines Day for both DD's.

Denise in MI

 

[mjkacmom]

I have no problem with it - in the younger grades, kids are going to lose supplies, or not tell mom when the glue stick has run out. At our school, community supplies for the lower grades, but they do need to keep track of their supplies for the higher grades - it's gradual. I think it's a good system.

 

[HerdOHuds]

Never once in 12 years of teaching did we NOT run out of kleenex well before the end of the year. We only asked for 2 boxes per child and once we hit cold and flu season those boxes disappeared fast. Mostly due to runny noses, but occasionally due to a child 'playing' with the tissues.

And at the first year in a new building, we used the district list of supplies which didn't match up with the list our group of first grade teachers wanted. That year we did have to modify what was brought to school. I didn't like changing it up on the parents, but having the right tools for the job made everything run more smoothly. I do know it is a hassle for parents.

I never used community supplies after working in a Kindergarten room and seeing the kids that never brought in supplies breaking all the supplies that someone else had been kind enough to bring. I agree it was frustrating. But every teacher has their own way of doing things.

As far as dry erase markers, we had 'slates' in each child's desk that I had bought out of my pocket. 4 dry erase markers were held by me and distributed new each quarter so that the kids could follow along with whatever was happening at the front board. I used supplies that were bought out of the school budget for the markers at the front, unless I wanted fun colors, which I bought myself.

On a cheap year I would save my receipts and usually spend nearly $2500 on things for special projects, storage containers (that were never paid for by the school at all), center games, colorful copy paper for notes home or art projects, all craft supplies except glue, good scissors when the student scissors were lost or broken, bookshelf for a library center, carpet, bulletin board decorations, and on and on.

If you come from a family of educators then you probably already know the expense that teachers go to in order to provide a quality learning experience for every child. Of course there are teachers out there that do less and some that do way above. Just like any other job, there are good and bad.

I know that I will be feeling the crunch when my 4 start Kindergarten and will probably be complaining about the school supply cost. I just know that the other side is not that much fun to do either.--Not that I didn't love teaching, just that it was a difficult balance to find what you needed and try to keep the cost at a minimum.

 

[livie1205]

I get mad at the lists too BUT I try to get the 1 cent stuff from staples...on the other hand THIS IS MY SUPPLY LIST


LOOSE LEAF PAPER ( 6)

PENCIL SHARPENER

CALCULATER

USB FLASH DRIVE

PENCIL POUCH

COLORED PENCILS

#2 PENCILS(4)

BLACK AND BLUE PENS
HIGHLIGHTERS
PROTRACTER
SCISSORS
GRAPH PAPER
METRIC RULER
6 3 RING BINDERS
4 SETS 5 ACADEMIC DIVIDERS
1 BOX TISSUE
1 ROLL PAPER TOWELS

30.00 fee for history,science and locker rental
10.00 fee for t shirt
40.00 for art
5.00 for p.e.
20.00 for p.e. uniform (yes this is public school)
10.00 for spanish
and 40.00 for teen challenges (dont know what this even is)

AND i HAVE TWO KIDS!

the only issue I really have with the list is why ALL the fees? This is a public school.I do not live having to send in 155.00 in fees for each child! this is not even with lunch fees which they say I should give 3.00-5.00 a day for them to eat lunch.I have thought about packing lunch but they will throw most of it away...

 

[zoie101]

our school would never tell someone not to give to others
thats why we choose a private school!

 

[iheartdisney]

This is my first school year come September, so you experienced moms are giving me things to chew on here.
I don't mind that they are combining all the supplies. What I DO mind is that the list is worded that we have the bring in Ziploc bags, Crayola Crayons, Elmers glue, Fiskars scissors, Kleenex tissues, etc.
Why should the classroom get better baggies than I do? There is nothing wrong with store-brand tissues and such.

 

[mjkacmom]

This is my first school year come September, so you experienced moms are giving me things to chew on here.
I don't mind that they are combining all the supplies. What I DO mind is that the list is worded that we have the bring in Ziploc bags, Crayola Crayons, Elmers glue, Fiskars scissors, Kleenex tissues, etc.
Why should the classroom get better baggies than I do? There is nothing wrong with store-brand tissues and such.

The reason they give a brand is so that all of the children have the same supplies, not because teachers are brand loyal.

 

[DisneyKT]

Wow my DD is going into 4th grade, and not one of her teachers cared what brand was bought. I always buy extras especially during the good sales.

 

[mommytoone]

I get annoyed as well. I purchase everything on my DD list and send it in. Then I find out it goes for the Whole Class. Well, I am not against shareing but would like to know before I spend my money on Special pencils, folders, etc. and find out that DD is not getting to use them. I label everything. My money was spent for it so my DD should use it. Last year we were in a workworm the last week of school and it was filled from ceiling to floor with Kleenex, why are the kids not able to use it? And the same with the hand sanitizer, I asked my daughter when she was in K to use the sanitizer and she said she didn't know where it was and had never seen it, so I sent in one for her to keep in her pencil box, and never seen the large ones we sent in. And again this year we are required to send it in again, where is the kleenex that was in the workworm? On top off all the supplies I buy, we have to pay fees last year was $52 and it goes up each year.She is only in 2nd year so she has no books, just work books. Lunch is $2.40/day or $12/week, I try to pack alot because I have seen the quantity of food they get, and it is not much. We then are fund raised to death, I mean every time I turn around she is selling something, and it is not useful stuff either. Just my 2cents worth!!

 

[mjantz]

I love the crayon idea. I teach preschool & that's a great idea for my class.

AFA school supply lists, my kids are at a charter so what I buy is for their use. I pay a fee so the school can buy Kleenex, hand sanitizer & other bulk supplies.

My kids school does have some very specific items they want (poly folders as opposed to paper & plastic pocketed dividers for binders) but they do use every single thing they ask for so I don't mind too much.

 

[sherreis]

I dont' mind sending in some of the community things such as kleenex. In our school, the children can't keep too much in their desks due to switching classes, even in elementary school. The community things we need to send are kleenex, ziplock bags, and yellow stickies (i just love when they tell exactly what size it needs to be and you can't find that size). I used to mind until I saw how much $$ DS's 1st grade teacher was spending of her own money for classroom things.

My problem right now is that all of the school supplies are on sale and DS12 won't be getting his "team" assignment until August some time and that's when we find out a lot of what he'll need. I can buy paper, pencils, pens, etc. now, but I have to wait until then to find out that he needs a blue color binder for one subject or a red color notebook for another. I just wish they could tell us sooner so we can shop the sales NOW!

I'm very lucky in that DH's company will buy a lot of the school supplies and gives us an allowance per child. We found out this morning they want the list by the end of next week.