Back to school *vent*

[torinsmom]

I don’t mind the school lists WHEN they are for learning purposes. But the year when DD was in 3rd grade we had to buy 3 boxes of bandages, a large bottle of hand soap, 4 rolls of paper towels, and pool in money for a gold fish …. I almost lost it.

Kids go through band aids--let me tell you! And we asked for hand soap because our little kids cannot reach the dispenser on the wall. I guess the school should provide these things, but they don't. We asked for clorox wipes and hand sanitizer too, because it helps with germs, especially during flu season.

I'm a pencil snob and the only brand we buy are Ticonderoga's. They write the best without as much waste to them. They lower cost one's take too long to sharpen to get a decent point to them.

My Staples had Ticeronda's at the 1 cent sale. As a teacher, I can get 25 of those items, and I went three days in a row!


DS15 is in 11th grade. I usually buy the necessities(looseleaf paper, composition books, pens, pencils and highlighters) and then wait and see what he feels like he needs. He doesn't do well with a binder for each subject, so I get a bigger one with dividers.

For whoever was talking about page protectors, they are probably just suggested. When DS was in middle school, they had to save all their work for each 6 weeks. Tests, homework, papers, classwork, etc. At the end of the six weeks, they were checked off and if they were missing anything, they had to find it or redo it. I found that the page protectors helped because the pages could not rip out of the notebook. We took out his papers and reused them for other six weeks until they wore out.

 

[threecrazykids]

I am freaked out every year by our school supply list because (1) it contains supplies my kids never use and bring home at the end of the year and (2) it contains supplies for the teacher to use, not my kids. For example, this year I will be buying:

Paper Towels
Kleenex tissue
12 red med stick pens
1 pkg Expo dry erase markers
1 9x12 Manila Paper 50 ct

I agree with you on this one. The dry erase markers and the red pens (I'm assuming for correcting) are the schools/teachers responsibility. I don't buy for one second that a teacher needs 24 kids to each bring in 12 red pens. Nor do they need 24 sets of dry erase markers.

I also get frustrated by the amounts of "parent information" stuff that gets sent home on all the colored paper. The school has my email address and so do the teachers. Go green and send me the bulletins, weekly menu, etc over email...then if I want to print it out I can. Then I'm sure I'll hear "that's too much to manage who should have the paper sent home and who shouldn't". I certainly am not able to solve all of the schools budget issues but I can surely offer up some budget cutting suggestions. Sometimes taking on small hassles can save BIG $...trust me, I've learned this lesson the hard way.

 

[Avery&Todd]

holy cow!! I just went school supply shopping over the weekend and spent $120 with a $15 off coupon AND using a lot of their BOGO sale items!!

and I didnt even buy loose leaf paper yet....

I have 2 boys, in 3rd and 6th and my 6th grader is starting at a Charter school, not a public school, so his list was a little longer and more detailed..

but I have to agree with those Ticeronda's being the bomb! they are AWESOME!! and they were part of the BOGO sale..so I got enough to carry us through the entire year..

and I also like to buy extra supplies for the classroon - like pencils, dry erase markers, etc..Im on our school's PTA Board, and I know how much the "budget cuts" effect the school, and it wont kill me to buy an extra package of markers for the teachers..

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I started ignoring the supply lists a couple of years ago. I will buy the things DS needs for his own personal use. I might throw in a box of tissues or a roll of paper towels if a teacher specifically asks for them.

If I know DS GENUINELY needs an item for a class I will buy it. But we have a LONG track record of buying supplies and sending them to school, never to be seen again. Or buying supplies, having them sit in DS's locker or backpack all year, only to come back at the end of the year completely unused but also completely ruined from being in the backpack all year. We have a massive stockpile of "required" supplies that I kept at home to be used as needed, but they were never needed.

Last year the 8th grade science teacher asked for a package of construction paper FROM EACH STUDENT. Staples had some buy 1 get 2 free or something so I sent a pack to her. I never saw anything that DS made with construction paper. Not one thing.

DS is starting high school so I do imagine there will be some high dollar items. Those graphing calculators run about $100 each! I will wait and see what he actually NEEDS before I buy anything this year. He already has plenty of notebooks and pens and folders to get him started.

As far as name brand supplies...
When DS was in first grade the supply list came home with a specific brand of colored pencils. I had to buy them at an art supply store! I asked if each student was going to be allowed to retain ownership of their pencils, or if they were going to be thrown into a big "community" bin to be shared. When I was told they would be shared I was NOT PLEASED. In the end they changed the policy to allow each student to keep their pencils in their cubby. If other parents want to buy cheap pencils that's entirely up to them. But my child isn't going to get stuck using the cheap ones while some other kid uses the expensive ones that I paid for!

 

[mum4jenn]

Most of the time the cute kitty or puppy folders do not have the prongs for one thing and they are also a little larger and slicker than the ones the teachers request. If the teacher has to carry them home or takes them to another part of the school it makes it easier to carry them if they are all the same size and aren't slipping and sliding all over the place. Also the colors are so that each subject has its own color and much easier to keep together if all the math is in yellow and all the science is in green.

Also if a teacher teaches where they change classes they can have a certain color for 1st period, 2nd period, etc.

I have always purchased my Dd the cutsie folders for to use at HOME. That was she still has a really cute folder and at school she is following the rules.

For instance this year I bought several of the regular composition books for a quarter and then I spotted some with Alice in Wonderland on them. These were around $2.50 I think but I bought them for Dd to use at home because when she was in 4th grade she was The Queen of Hearts in the school play and it is something she can use to keep a journal or sort of diary in at HOME. That way..she gets what she wants...and she isn't making anyone jealous at school.



The Middle school here even has a connections class on Organizational Skills that they have to take. They have inspections on their notebooks, lockers and backpacks. I have noticed a huge difference in the way my Dd keeps up with stuff now.

Many of the cute pencils also are horrible!! They are really cute but they are horrible to sharpen. They do not sharpen straight and the leads break VERY easily. I remember I bought some with Dd's name on them so no one could steal them.....those were the worst pencils ever and Dd was embarrased to have them since she never could get one to either sharpen straight or as soon as she got it almost even the lead would break. We now use the Bic mechanical pencils which are allowed but if they were not allowed I would buy the ones requested.

 

[musclemouse]

Wow this is amazing. I am stunned that all these schools are sending home lists for all this stuff. As long as my boys have been going to school they never have lists sent home. Though a "letter" will come home from each of my boys teachers requesting some items like wipes, highlighters, dry erase markers, tissues and glue sticks.

I don't deprive my children, however. I do end up buying them a few things that I know they need. Back packs, lunch packs, a pad of paper, pencils and crayons.

 

[mum4jenn]

This is the list for 7th grade. I did not need to buy too much this year because I stocked up last year on all the great sales.





Seventh Grade Supply List
Beginning of the year
No. 2 Pencils (mechanical pencils are allowed)
Colored Pencils
Pencil Pouch
Blue or Black Pens (No red, green, purple pens or gel pens)
Washable Markers(regular and fine tip). NO PERMANENT MARKERS/SHARPIES
Highlighters
Notebook Paper (wide rule)
3 Different Colored Notebooks (3-ring binder 1” to 11/2”) Students can combine
work into one (2”-3”) binder instead of three with dividers.
1 Pack Graph Paper (quad pad 5 squares each)
2 Packs of Dividers
Ruler (in/cm) with holes to fit in binder
Needed Throughout the Year
Assorted Sizes of Sticky Notes (LOTS!)
2 Classyear Composition Books (to be used as source books)
Construction Paper (multicolored)
Poster Board
Hand-held Pencil Sharpener with Cover
Cap Erasers
Fisar Student Scissors
3X5 Index Cards
Supplies for Homeroom Teacher
Kleenex
Hand Sanitizer
1 Roll of Paper Towels
Dry Erase Markers
Seventh Grade Wish List
Clorox or Lysol Wipes
Tape (cellophane/masking)
Box of Gallon Ziploc
Dry Erase Markers
Glue Sticks
Flash Drive

 

[prncess674]

I am freaked out every year by our school supply list because (1) it contains supplies my kids never use and bring home at the end of the year and (2) it contains supplies for the teacher to use, not my kids. For example, this year I will be buying:

Paper Towels
Kleenex tissue

Wow your child must be perfect, never making a spill or sneezing!

12 red med stick pens

Many times students trade papers and grade each other, or they may be asked to underline verbs or some other such thing in a paper. Red pens aren't just used for grading by the teacher.

1 pkg Expo dry erase markers

My sister has small dry erase boards that she made and paid for out of her own pocket and then has the students sit at their desks copy down a problem and has the student solve it and each child holds up their answer. Also many times the teacher will have several students at the board solving problems. Markers get lost, points crushed and caps accidentally lost.

1 9x12 Manila Paper 50 ct

I don't know what this is for, but perhaps you could ask the teacher. If you feel it is not needed after asking, by all means don't supply it.

 

[luvthemouse71]

What would drive me nuts are the things like toilet paper, tissues and paper towels. And are the kids expected to share the things like pencils, crayons and notebooks? That's shady, if they are. Ylou know there are going to be some who don't or can't buy stuff, so others should take the hit?

I thinks these lists are out of control,frankly. How come we all got by as kids without them-they have to make a project out of everything

 

[luvthemouse71]

I started ignoring the supply lists a couple of years ago. I will buy the things DS needs for his own personal use. I might throw in a box of tissues or a roll of paper towels if a teacher specifically asks for them.

If I know DS GENUINELY needs an item for a class I will buy it. But we have a LONG track record of buying supplies and sending them to school, never to be seen again. Or buying supplies, having them sit in DS's locker or backpack all year, only to come back at the end of the year completely unused but also completely ruined from being in the backpack all year. We have a massive stockpile of "required" supplies that I kept at home to be used as needed, but they were never needed.

Last year the 8th grade science teacher asked for a package of construction paper FROM EACH STUDENT. Staples had some buy 1 get 2 free or something so I sent a pack to her. I never saw anything that DS made with constructpaper. Not one thing.

DS is starting high school so I do imagine there will be some high do Those graphing calculators run about $100 each! I will wait and see what he actually NEEDS before I buy anything this year. He already has plenty of notebooks and pens and folders to get him started.

As far as name brand supplies...
When DS was in first grade the supply list came home with a specific brand of colored pencils. I had to buy them at an art supply store! I asked if each student was going to be allowed to retain ownership of their pencils, or if they were going to be thrown into a big "community" bin to be shared. When I was told they would be shared I was NOT PLEASED. In the end they changed the policy to allow each student to keep their pencils in their cubbIf other parents want to buy cheap pencils that's entirely up to them. But my child isn't going to get stuck using the cheap ones while some other kid uses the expensive ones that I paid for!

you're all right in my book

 

[JENOS]

In a way this topic seems silly; even I responded with frustration. But ultimately I think;
1)it is for your kid’s education, even though some items seem ridiculous.

2)We are on a Disney forum, in which all of us have been to Disney or are
planning on going and understand that despite what we spend on school supplies, we have or will spend more on tickets just to get into Disney.

I think fairness does not exist, there will always be people paying for others to enjoy what we work hard for.

 

[gina2000]

Luckily, my school district provides crayons, scissors, construction paper, glue, etc., etc. I ask my students to bring in one notebook for reading....the district provides a writer's notebook.

I go through pencils like Grant took Richmond. I sharpen 20 each week and kids borrow, return, lose, remove pencils from my pencil holder every day. These kids all have pencils when they start school but they eat them...lose them....snap them...toss them...break them...use them....a box of one dozen doesn't last long in a sixth grader's life.

I buy all tissue and paper towels. When allergy season rolls around, I can go through a box every 2/3 days. And yes, I have asked those students with severe allergies to consider bringing in their own tissues. Never do. So I can go through 30/40 boxes of tissue a year.

Same with band-aids. I supply my classroom with band aids because if kids head for the nurse every time they need a band-aid, they lose too much class time.

People don't realize how much paper their kids use/lose/abuse/throw out/discard/etc., etc. I go through reams for classwork. And there's always a small but significant group of classroom artists who draw when they think I'm not looking. More paper disappears than you can imagine.

What a child brings to school quickly disappears. Students loan, give, lose, clip supplies all the time. I pick up discarded/lost pencils in the hall each day and put them in my pencil holder for the next day. And I find SEVERAL each day.

Kids aren't adults. They're delightfully, unabashedly kids with all the quirks that come with their particular age. And losing a pencil is one of them.

 

[aprilgail2]

I have no problem with buying the supplies my child needs. And I spend the money to get the better brands on stuff so I know they will have good supplies that will last. Then we show up at school with the supplies and the teachers say "just put it all over there, we share supplies." I spent the money so my kids would be ready to go, not so all the supplies could be thrown into a communal bin.

I do not participate in the "shared supplies" garbage! My daughters name was on every single item she brought in- the pencils had her name inprinted on them, every single crayon had a p-touch label on them with her name...every notebook had her name in big black letters on the front. I do NOT buy my daughter school supplies to have them tossed in a pile with others for everyones use. I have NO problem buying extra supplies and giving them to the teacher for her to give to any child that needs them but I want what I buy for my kid left with my kid. I can't tell you how many times she will come home saying "mommy Johnny doesn't have any crayons" or "Suzy doesn't have a protractor and we need it for math" and I will buy extra so they could havetheir own things-I have no problem helping out a kid who's parents can't or won't buy what they need....I just don't want the community supply bin thing!

 

[richmond282]

Last year my son needed 100 sheet protectors - cost was $25.00 i refused to buy it!! i figured they could alwyas send me a note...he came home w/extras (not mine) i'm sure they ask kfor this everyyear and have way more than needed..

WHERE are you buying sheet protectors? I use a ton of these each year for my own personal use. You can get a pack of 50 at Walmart for $5 or less.

 

[AristocatFan]

I don't let school lists bother me, but then I work in an elementary school and see how it's all needed. Enjoy it all now though. Just wait until college and you're having to buy; bedding, fridge, microwave, futon, storage units, laptop, printer, TV, etc. as well as school supplies.

 

[mum4jenn]

WHERE are you buying sheet protectors? I use a ton of these each year for my own personal use. You can get a pack of 50 at Walmart for $5 or less.

Walgreens has them on sale with coupon 50 pack for $1.99 THIS WEEK!!

 

[Leajess99]

I take it from the religious class that your child is going to a non-public school. From my experience, you pay a supply fee at the beginning of every year. Why in the world would a whole class need to by a three hole punch? And memory sticks?

For me the kicker was one class needing not one or replacements but a binder AND technically FIVE notebooks.

I don't want to sound like I think we have it worst than others. By the fact that I have a 7th and 9th grader, I am not new to the whole supply list. A few years back, a neighboring town put toilet paper and paper towels on their list. But it is wasteful. Year after year my kids come home with notebooks with not even half used. Halfway through the year we end up re-organizing our youngest and using a Trapper Keeper.

From my experience with my older kids (1 in 12th grade and 1 in 7th grade) the 3 hole punch meant is the type you can place in the binder that the child can punch holes in worksheets to save them. I have bought these for my kids without being asked as it makes it easier for them to stay organized and not have to get up and try to use the teacher's.

I honestly don't find it ridiculous as kids in all grades do use crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc. Shoot it works well to use crayons or colored pencils to color in the maps or other handouts for some classes. As for the glue sticks, again understandable as it is easier to carry that around than a bottle of glue that can break open and spill all over the place especially in a backpack.

As for the memory sticks, computers at many schools are not equipped to save a child's work on them and the memory stick is to save assignments they kids are working on. The discs that many of us used years ago is no longer an option as most computers now do not have disc drives. I know that my kids have had to use the memory sticks and they really are not all that expensive but a total lifesaver when an assignmnet is not complete.

I can understand about 1 class wanting a ton of notebooks being outrageous though. For some classes I see 1 or 2 notebooks (math class being one as one for notes and the other for assignments) but 5 is ridiculous.

 

[mum4jenn]

I do not participate in the "shared supplies" garbage! My daughters name was on every single item she brought in- the pencils had her name inprinted on them, every single crayon had a p-touch label on them with her name...every notebook had her name in big black letters on the front. I do NOT buy my daughter school supplies to have them tossed in a pile with others for everyones use. I have NO problem buying extra supplies and giving them to the teacher for her to give to any child that needs them but I want what I buy for my kid left with my kid. I can't tell you how many times she will come home saying "mommy Johnny doesn't have any crayons" or "Suzy doesn't have a protractor and we need it for math" and I will buy extra so they could havetheir own things-I have no problem helping out a kid who's parents can't or won't buy what they need....I just don't want the community supply bin thing!

WOW...So I guess if one day at school the item your child needs breaks or gets lost (and it is needed right then) you want you child to sit there and not participate in something that is graded? Let's say they need a protractor for a test but hers/his is broken or left at home.....Would you be opposed to him/her BORROWING the item from the community chest??????? THat is a mighty selfish attitude I am reading in your post.

 

[mum4jenn]

LOL!!

Some of these posts remind me of the Seagulls in Finding Nemo....mine!mine!mine!mine!mine!mine!mine!

 

[monsterkitty]

I think the frustration is in that SOME teachers ask for items that seem unnecessary to parents (hence, three boxes of bandages). Maybe you are the exception, and as a parent I appreciate teachers who go out of their way to supply their classroom. But not all teachers are created alike.

This has nothing to do with teachers being "created alike". Maybe I am reading that statement incorrectly, I don't know.

My husband and I are both teachers so we buy a lot for our classrooms because we can. Not all teachers can afford to spend money out their own pockets. We do it because we can. I know many teachers who are trying to make ends meet in their families as well as the recession has hit them as well. It has nothing to do with how great a teacher is if they supply items from the classroom.

A note on the bandaids:

Kids won't work if they have a boo-boo until they get a bandaid. I may not even be able to see the boo-boo, but the child cannot work until he or she has a bandaid. I would rather give them a bandaid instead of sending them to the office as they then miss instruction time. If it is more than a boo-boo, I of course will send them to the office. But a paper cut, they are staying with me. Do I ask for the bandaids? No because I buy them myself because I can, not because I'm a better teacher.