Anyone else get annoyed.. (School Supplies)

[wdwmaw]

One of the reasons that people don't think of for the communal supplies is the "play" factor. Kids have special personal supplies and they mess with them constantly and it creates a disruption. If all the crayons and scissors and glue are in the cupboard rather than in 30 desks they are less distracting. I cannot count the special pencils, funny erasers and digital gizmos that the teacher and I confiscated because the owners just couldn't stop fooling with them in class. There was very nearly an across the board ban on "Smencils". Keeping the individual stuff streamlined helps younger kids focus.

This is exactly my class !! I do put each students supply stuff in a small basket that they can grab as they go to there seat from the carpet. When task is finished they return the basket before they can go back to carpert. I has gotton so that I have to completely tape (with the clear book binding tape) name tags down. Within a week of starting school the tags have been rubbed so that they are coming loose on the edges and starting to roll up.

Thank you for volunteering in your childs class and for his school. You will never regret the time spent and nor will he.Here is a hug for being a wonderful mom and thank you for all you do. Being in there sure gives you a different perspective on things.

 

[DevilDuckie]

I do think that these kids need to have a good place to play. Kids are leaving high school with injuries that will stay with them for the rest of there life and in most part the D average to go with it.

Well yes, in a perfect world there would have been money for both and all our athletes would go to college on academic merit. Given the reality, however, I prefer the money go to the academics. It was just nice to see education win out over athletics for once.

 

[DevilDuckie]

Thank you for volunteering in your childs class and for his school. You will never regret the time spent and nor will he.Here is a hug for being a wonderful mom and thank you for all you do. Being in there sure gives you a different perspective on things.

No kidding on the perspective! I had the best time. It was really wonderful getting to be with this group of kids (and it was an amazing group) all year and watch them grow and learn and to be a part of that experience. Being a full time teacher is not part of my life path at this point but I got to do some hands on stuff with the kids and I loved it.

 

[Minnie_me]

I have been reading this and I really do not think you have read all of the post. I hope you go back and read some of mine. The small stuff !!!! The small stuff in my opion in my childs education. I am being burdened with this cost because school districts here can not spend there money wisely.

Um......I very clearly quoted the OP in my post --- I was speaking directly to her (him?). Her main beef was the SHARING OF SUPPLIES.

Your post makes me tired.

 

[wdwmaw]

Um......I very clearly quoted the OP in my post --- I was speaking directly to her (him?). Her main beef was the SHARING OF SUPPLIES.

Your post makes me tired.

Sorry

 

[Matt'nMeg'sMom]

In Douglas County Colorado, this is standard procedure. It's up to the student body to fill the supply closets.

Our "school supply lists" include paper towels, ziploc bags, handiwipes, dozens of glue sticks, rolls of tape, tissues, red grading markers, dry erase markers and post it notes. Sometimes the list is split by gender (e.g. all the girls bring baggies, all the boys bring handiwipes.)

On the first day of school, the kids spend a few hours separating their school supplies into communal bins (all glue sticks in this box... all crayons in that box... etc.)

One feature I particularly like is the "tool box" option. you write a check for about $40, and a company provides each kid with a cardboard suitcase with exactly the supplies the teacher ordered. No annoying shopping trips, and my kid gets exactly the same supplies as everyone else (no whining about what color binder, stickers, or whatever)

Personally, I really like the system.

 

[Kimmumum]

For our school supplies we are told we HAVE to label everything. Every crayon (not just the box), every pencil, every colored pencil etc. It gets so crazy that I make labels because my hand hurts from labelling everying.

You would think that somewhere there would be a happy medium...I guess at least I know I'm getting my stuff back at the end of the year

 

[newtowdw1]

In your office you do not go to a community box each morning to get your pen or have to share your keyboard with 3 other people. Do you sit and wait your turn for the white out? Do you buy post its only for all of them to be gone before the days end ?

Yes!! But then I'm a teacher (high school) and my students never have everything they need and I'm a 'sharer!'

Each student received 3 sharpened pencils every morning of there testing in a bag along with hard candies, tissues, erasers, baggie of cereal and sometimes a small treat.That adds up!!
[/QUOTE]
Personally, I think this is ridiculous. No wonder they have test anxiety by the time I get them. They've been convinced tests are 'experiences' for which you need extra support and 'provisions.' Heavens, it's just a test!

OTOH, I do agree about communal supplies. I don't mind some, but when DD picked out her folders very carefully, and we shopped for them for EVER in the aisles of Kmart, Walmart and Target to get just the right ones, she should be able to use them. When I sent in 'Jesus Loves Me' pencils just for her, I didn't expect them to end up in the community basket.
That's okay though, Jesus loves them too!

Poor DD is a sharer too. Even without a community pencil basket, I supply pencils to at least a 1/3 of the class.

Good luck with your frustration. It won't get better soon!

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

What is not used is placed in our community room and is grouped together for students that show up first day without anything.

*I just quoted your last sentance since the rest was long*

But my question was about NON consumable things, not consumable things like pencils and tissues.

Every year each grade has to bring in a pair of scissors. That means in just 5 years the Kindergarten department alone will have over 500 pairs of scissors laying around. Where are they going? Rulers, where are they going? I'm not overly concerned with it. It just makes more sense to reuse them rather than buying new ones each year.

 

[Aristomommy]

A story from my youth to make you happy.

My high school had a terrible football field. I mean, this thing was in such poor shape that the players were not allowed by their coach to practice on it because it was a hazard. All games were played "away" and practice was at the University half a mile away.

So my Freshman year, money was found in the budget. There were initial plans to resurface the field. Foo'ball! Yay! Go team! (Go lose. They were 0 for 13.)

Then the debate team won regionals. They were invited to go to Washington DC and compete at a national level. This is expensive. It costs, in fact, roughly what resodding a football field costs...

I wonder if they ever *did* get around to fixing that field? I lost track. I was distracted by one of my best friends and her debate team's win at Nationals.

I think your school made the right choice. The debate team was going to a NATIONAL event and surely the school could get their name out in papers if they did well. Why should a football team be more important? There is nothing wrong with sports, but it can be done outside of school also. My children play sports that are not school funded. I don't expect the school to contribute, they are there to educate and focus on academics. I am all for pay to play.

 

[mjkacmom]

*I just quoted your last sentance since the rest was long*

But my question was about NON consumable things, not consumable things like pencils and tissues.

Every year each grade has to bring in a pair of scissors. That means in just 5 years the Kindergarten department alone will have over 500 pairs of scissors laying around. Where are they going? Rulers, where are they going? I'm not overly concerned with it. It just makes more sense to reuse them rather than buying new ones each year.

I don't know about the schools, but I buy scissors left and right, and can NEVER find them when I need them. There must be 500 scissors in my house somewhere!

 

[livie1205]

You write as if you're texting, and it does make your posts very difficult to read. It also makes you come across as ignorant and/or unintelligent. Just MHO.

THAT was very rude and it makes YOU sound unintelligent....IMO

 

[noodleknitter]

THAT was very rude and it makes YOU sound unintelligent....IMO

Even if it is accurate? That poster never includes punctuation, and never seems to write a complete sentence. I was the one who originally said something about it, and that was rude of me. And, I do apologize to Saratoga. But my perception of someone who writes in that manner is that they are either ignorant, or young.

 

[livie1205]

Even if it is accurate? That poster never includes punctuation, and never seems to write a complete sentence. I was the one who originally said something about it, and that was rude of me. And, I do apologize to Saratoga. But my perception of someone who writes in that manner is that they are either ignorant, or young.

well I am ignorant or young lol but I do type like I text why? because I want to...I am not trying to be correct all the time,I am relaxed at home and thats how I do it but people should not judge someone because of how they write on a online board.....it is kind of silly

 

[Grendalynn]

Do you ever plan on owning property?

Not trying to start the flames here, but I am so sick and tired of people playing the "property tax" card! You act like every penny of that property tax goes to the schools........well, it doesn't. It pays for other things too like the roads you drive on. Where I live the people want us to give their kids everything and build nice new schools, yet they won't even approve a quarter percent sales tax hike in order to pay for it! And yes, those who do pay property tax, do in part, pay for their child's education, but from my experience, the ones who complain the most about buying school supplies or don't even send them, live in government housing or apartments and don't pay property tax anyway!!!

Wow, public school is now equated to "free child care"?

If this was the list I had to shop for, then no, I would not complain. The list I had to shop for contained 23 REQUIRED items. And very few of those items went on sale. I feel that $100 in supplies for a 1st grader is too much.

As far as brand specific items, what works for one may not work for another.

I'm not "playing this card", but our tax bill every shows exactly how much of our property taxes goes to support our public schools. It's about 1/3 of the amount we pay each year to send our DS to private school.

Take a different view of the community supplies idea. Think about the child who's parents just don't have the money to buy the supplies their child or children need for school. Think about that child sitting there without the crayons or pencils needed to participate in the class for the day. Imagine how they feel.

I was one of those kids. My grandmother took custody of myself and my two younger brothers the summer before I started kindergarten and we lived with her until my youngest brother graduated high school. We just didn't have any money period. My grandmother was disabled and since my parents only intended this to be a "temporary" she couldn't get any type of financial assistance for us. Heck, half the time we didn't even have indoor plumbing or electricity in our houses (this was the late '70's/early 80's).

You have to remember that is not the child's fault in any way if they don't have the supplies they need. They (the child) have no control over whether or not their parents could and didn't buy the supplies or couldn't afford it and that is why they don't have what they need. The point is they are made the outsider and often teased by the other children when they don't have what they need.

While there are several organizations and individuals that could help those that can't afford the needed supplies, most of the time you have to be referred to them and a lot of times parents are too proud to admit they need help or just fall under the radar. I think you would all be surprised by how many families are living in "hidden" poverty these days. Everything looks great on the outside (nice house, nice clothes, ect) but are just plain broke. And, once again it's the children that are the ones who suffer from the embarrassment of not having the supplies they need when they need them.

Ok, I’ll stop preaching now

You went to a school that cost $10,000 a year, but you never punctuate are write a complete sentence. They had bigger concerns than $35 for supplies.

sorry. i'm not unintelligent though, i went to BC on a educational schloarship.

My one remark to the 2 above quotes: If I could afford to send my children to private school, I would, most of us would. I feel that you can get a great education no matter where you are, and what school you are in, as long as you are an engaged parent and know whats going on within the school and their social lives. Being that I cannot afford private school itdoes not make my child any less of a student or academic stand out - he is in the school n the district that is not considered the best - but guess what: He is in the top 10% of the state in both Math and Reading. Not to shabby for public school...

------ moving right along...

Ok, so I just skimmed through the last 5 pages from where i left off the other day.... all the above quotes I added I had a comment or rebuttel on... this whole thread is getting just plain crazy!! Everyone is arguing over crayones, pencils, football, proper puncuation and property tax!!

Nuts and Bolts: Yes, it stinks that some schools, be it public or private, request such lists from their parents. I agree - every time you turn around the school are requesting something esle - fundraisers, PTO fees, field trip $$...

I believe in being an active part of my child's school and from a family of teachers - If i have a problem I see the teacher... Go see your teachers if the list seems long, ask questions, be involved in the classroom and in the school board and budget commitees.

Moaning and groaning doesnt solve anything and we have wasted time worring about whose red crayon is on the floor or what type of pencils are given out and to who!?

I mean all of this in the most loving way.... but what happend to share and share alike??? I am unsunscribing to this post - we are all talking in circles.... beating a dead horse.. being redunat.... however everyone wants to say it.

 

[DevilDuckie]

But my perception of someone who writes in that manner is that they are either ignorant, or young.

Your perception is one that is held by most of the educated people I know. The fact is that whether it is due to lack of knowledge or is deliberate and willful, if someone writes in a manner that ignores basic spelling and grammar, people will think less of their intellectual abilities.

If I choose to wear stripes with plaids and white socks with black shoes people will look at me funny and think I don't know how dumb/dorky I look. The way one expresses oneself in writing is much like dressing one's mind up for people to see. You can ignore punctuation and spelling but educated people will notice.

 

[wdwmaw]

*I just quoted your last sentance since the rest was long*

But my question was about NON consumable things, not consumable things like pencils and tissues.

Every year each grade has to bring in a pair of scissors. That means in just 5 years the Kindergarten department alone will have over 500 pairs of scissors laying around. Where are they going? Rulers, where are they going? I'm not overly concerned with it. It just makes more sense to reuse them rather than buying new ones each year.

I am sorry, what I meant is everything is sent there that is extra. Here in Ky. we have a family resourse center within each school. Kids that come to school with no shoes on can go to the this community room and get a pair of shoes, a jacket, clothes, back pack or any other type of school supply. During the year we can take class list and fill a back pack with what we have and the family resource director finds the rest. I am all for this and we donate all of our outgrown clothes, books and even food items here. The down fall is that families know about this and they depend on it or expect it. No one is turned away and questions are never asked. Usually, the parents don't ask or request they just send kids to school without supplies and we take care of the rest. We are allways in need of supplies and usually around April everything is wipped out.

 

[swald91]

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.

You must have bought them at Walmart right?!?! Me too!!
My daughter is going into 7th & I don't even think she needs them but I bought a few extras too!!!! Didn't finish reading all the posts here. I think I'd be upset if I bought certain things & my kids ended up not being able to use them too. Just wanted to respond to the $.22 crayola crayons!!!!!!!

 

[C.Ann]

In DGD's school, her supplies are "her" supplies and can be labeled accordingly.. Then there is a second list of items to be shared - or passed out to other children for whatever reason..

 

[imthatgirl]

idk...my daughters school has always supplied everything. the only thing ive had to buy is pencils and crayons.