Can I gripe about School Supplies?

[torinsmom]

I'm a teacher and I hate some of the items our team insists be put on the list. 1---Scissors--the good ones I request last for years and years. 2---Ziploc bags--I don't need the snack ones, but other classes do. 3---Big crayons--I'd rather have the regular size ones. 4---Face wipes--WHAT do some classes use these for?

I wish, wish, wish, I could get my personal supply list to my parents mid-summer so they wouldn't waste money on things we don't need. At my old school, we each had our own list and we also allowed parents to play a supply fee that was less than what the list would cost(teacher run, not PTA) The $ went in an account for our classroom and we ordered what we needed throughout the year in bulk. Have you ever tried to store 40 boxes of kleenex?

 

[AZMermaid]

At my old school, we each had our own list and we also allowed parents to play a supply fee that was less than what the list would cost(teacher run, not PTA) The $ went in an account for our classroom and we ordered what we needed throughout the year in bulk. Have you ever tried to store 40 boxes of kleenex?

Yes. Horrible! I love that idea! And the last few years my students must not have been too snotty, because I have 20+ left at the end of the year! I give them to the art, ELL, special ed teachers, etc since they are never given any and they are SO appreciative. I moved rooms this year and I am unsure where I am going to put all these Kleenex boxes I am going to get tomorrow!

 

[aprilgail2]

. But I do collect the majority of the glue sticks (we ask for 24... which seems crazy, but yes, we use most of them). I feel like our list is pretty fair and we do use everything on it. But, it is a grade level list, so it might not be my ideal list. .

In kindergarten our supply list included 144 pencils and 24 glue sticks per child- at open school night I asked if they were constructing their own classroom made from all the pencils and glue sticks!! I would never ever send all that in at once anyway- I packed a few pencils and a couple glue sticks in her backpack and when those were used I would replace them and send in a few more. She ended up using less than 20 pencils and 4 glue sticks!!

 

[Honeybell]

We had an interesting situation back when my kids were in elementary school. The grade teams made up the lists so they were what the group wanted, not the individual teacher. I smartened up and on Open House (day before first day) would take the list to the teacher and ask them what they would really use. I would also send in the tissues and things after winter break. That way they didn't have to deal with storing all of them.

We also had a situation where some of the grades were asking for ridiculous numbers of things, the principal had no idea! The lead teacher for the grade would turn in the list and the secretary would fax it to local stores. Once the principal became aware of the problem the lists were changed to on pack of markers, etc. with the warning that if these ran out parents would need to get more during the year.

I feel bad for the high school and middle school teachers. Around here they will ask for students to have certain notebooks or supplies but they rarely request and even more rarely receive supplies for the room. Once I realized this I started stocking up on things like Expo markers, pens and pencils when they were on sale at the beginning of the school year. Then in January, at the start of the new semester I get some of the reusable grocery bags and make up gift bags for the teachers with the supplies and things like tissues and a ream of paper. I usually write the teacher a thank you note for their work in the first half of the year and to tell them we're looking forward to the new semester. This doesn't wind up costing me tons because I plan ahead and shop sales over a few months and it means a lot to the teachers.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Years back our schools had the kids buy scientific calculators that they needed for class until they were sued and now the school is required to provide them to each student. If they lose them they have to pay 89.00.

Yeah that is how it should work and that is how at least the schools I went to worked and I went to several on the west coast because we moved a lot. If you break it or damage it you buy it. Makes sense. Free education that is no where close to free not so much. Also the fundraisers aye! Our township school love their fund raisers.

I love teachers and really respect what they do but I do not like that some states do things a bit on the shady side since they seem to suspect no one will be any wiser.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[honeybunches]

This post makes me so grateful for the parents who send their kids with the supplies they need and never complain about it. Many of my students walk in without a pencil EVER, or without paper/dividers/binder/backpack and I personally buy those supplies for them. Our school systems provide a little bit of classroom supply money but it is enough for maybe one or two projects (I have 100+ students per year in middle school). I often pay off my students' library books that they lost or charged lunches they've racked up because their parents won't take care of it, which means the child cannot check out a book or cannot purchase lunch. I've had students raid my supply closet for packs of paper, coloring pencils, etc because their parents gave them a hard time about purchasing their own. All of these expenses mean that my own family sacrifices. Because I'm a teacher and don't get to help in my own kids' classrooms, their teachers know that I will do my part by sending in extra snacks or supplies whenever she needs it. Nothing in the world is truly free....it costs a lot to educate and prepare children for adulthood. Considering the state of our country's economy, I'm surprised more schools don't charge fees (including ours....we aren't allowed to ask for ANYTHING for our classrooms.)

 

[aprilgail2]

. I would also send in the tissues and things after winter break. That way they didn't have to deal with storing all of them.

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Tissues here get you two extra points on a test grade! They limit it to 3 boxes so you can get 2 extra point on three test grades by bringing in tissues. I don't mind sending in extra supplies if someone doesn't have something but don't put 24 glue sticks on every single list- I will send in an extra few if they want to put it in the a general pool but I am not sending in 24, I will send in for my own child as she needs them. My daughter was the kid who would come home and said "johnny doesn't have crayons" and I would send in some. When it came time in 3rd grade when they needed a protractor mid year I sent in three because I knew at least two of the kids in her class had parents that would not go out and buy it for their child.

 

[luvmy3]

I'm a teacher and I hate some of the items our team insists be put on the list. 1---Scissors--the good ones I request last for years and years. 2---Ziploc bags--I don't need the snack ones, but other classes do. 3---Big crayons--I'd rather have the regular size ones. 4---Face wipes--WHAT do some classes use these for?

The lower grades and art classes use face wipes to clean the desks. There are no harsh chemicals in them so the little ones can touch them, clean up and not have to wash their hands after.
My kids are older, so we send in clorox wipes, but the art teachers request baby wipes 2 times a year from all grades.

 

[torinsmom]

The lower grades and art classes use face wipes to clean the desks. There are no harsh chemicals in them so the little ones can touch them, clean up and not have to wash their hands after.
My kids are older, so we send in clorox wipes, but the art teachers request baby wipes 2 times a year from all grades.

Do they really clean? We clean the tables ourselves and use clorox wipes, but at my old school we used a spray bottle with soapy water and the kids cleaned the tables first, then we sanitized with clorox water afterwards. Daycare regulations here actually requires that two step process.

 

[luvmy3]

Do they really clean? We clean the tables ourselves and use clorox wipes, but at my old school we used a spray bottle with soapy water and the kids cleaned the tables first, then we sanitized with clorox water afterwards. Daycare regulations here actually requires that two step process.

The kids are responsible for cleaning their desks, at least all mine have been in the past. My kids are older now and I do send in the clorox wipes when asked, but they don't really do messy projects anymore so I dont know the procedure for cleaning.
I suppose it depends on the individual teacher though. I assume its a time thing, when you have 25+ desks it takes too much time for the teacher to go around and wipe each desk or spray it themselves during class.
I'm also not sure about the regulations here, but I have never heard of a teacher having to sanitize with clorox. If there is a reason, I assume they would call maintenance.

 

[torinsmom]

The kids are responsible for cleaning their desks, at least all mine have been in the past. My kids are older now and I do send in the clorox wipes when asked, but they don't really do messy projects anymore so I dont know the procedure for cleaning.
I suppose it depends on the individual teacher though. I assume its a time thing, when you have 25+ desks it takes too much time for the teacher to go around and wipe each desk or spray it themselves during class.
I'm also not sure about the regulations here, but I have never heard of a teacher having to sanitize with clorox. If there is a reason, I assume they would call maintenance.

It was a daycare regulation for children 3 and under. My class was a 3-6 year old classroom there, so we had to sanitize regularly. Just wiping with a wet cloth will only move the germs around. We wipe the tables now, because it does seem to cut down on sickness in the classroom.

 

[pfp258]

In my humble opinion a teacher (or school) should NOT be giving "extra credit" for bringing in boxes of tissues. You are essentially paying for a better grade. I understand that it is just a few points, but if you want students to earn extra credit let them use their brains not their parents money!

 

[lauradis]

in my humble opinion a teacher (or school) should not be giving "extra credit" for bringing in boxes of tissues. You are essentially paying for a better grade. I understand that it is just a few points, but if you want students to earn extra credit let them use their brains not their parents money!

amen

 

[Alexle2007]

Ok, this thread inspired me to buy extra supplies. I have a big box full of spiral notebooks, composition books, Crayola crayons and markers, scissors, glue sticks, dry erase markers, etc. the school said loose supplies were better than getting all of the items from the checklist and packaging together. The guidance counselor will ensure the supplies get to those who need them. And then I have a container full of items for our teacher shopping day later in the year. Best find- Crayola sidewalk chalk 15 ct for$.73 at the Office Depot. That will go into the teachers gifts for the 1st day of school. Thank you for the inspiration!

 

[HsvTeacher]

In my humble opinion a teacher (or school) should NOT be giving "extra credit" for bringing in boxes of tissues. You are essentially paying for a better grade. I understand that it is just a few points, but if you want students to earn extra credit let them use their brains not their parents money!

I agree! It's unethical, and I wonder what happens when a student's family cannot afford to send in extra items.

 

[NotUrsula]

This post makes me so grateful for the parents who send their kids with the supplies they need and never complain about it. Many of my students walk in without a pencil EVER, or without paper/dividers/binder/backpack and I personally buy those supplies for them. Our school systems provide a little bit of classroom supply money but it is enough for maybe one or two projects (I have 100+ students per year in middle school). I often pay off my students' library books that they lost or charged lunches they've racked up because their parents won't take care of it, which means the child cannot check out a book or cannot purchase lunch. I've had students raid my supply closet for packs of paper, coloring pencils, etc because their parents gave them a hard time about purchasing their own. All of these expenses mean that my own family sacrifices. Because I'm a teacher and don't get to help in my own kids' classrooms, their teachers know that I will do my part by sending in extra snacks or supplies whenever she needs it. Nothing in the world is truly free....it costs a lot to educate and prepare children for adulthood. Considering the state of our country's economy, I'm surprised more schools don't charge fees (including ours....we aren't allowed to ask for ANYTHING for our classrooms.)

Just FYI, my DS16 volunteers at an organization that we have locally that chooses to address this directly with public school classroom teachers, bypassing the concept of direct charity to children and families entirely. They have a warehouse and retail store (that essentially looks very like an Office Depot sort of store), but they are only open to teachers, and only by appt so that they can verify that you are who you say you are. The "store" lets teachers "shop" at no cost, directly for supplies that they can use. The organization is called KidSmart. http://www.kidsmartstl.org/ Many teachers drive away from the "store" with an entire SUV full of no-cost supplies every semester.

I personally feel that it is a wonderful idea to directly supply classrooms this way, as opposed to doing the "backpack giveaway fair" kind of thing that gives the supplies to the kids. Much more dignified, and teachers get only what they really can use. (The organization DOES get supply donations that they cannot use for classroom distribution, but they usually give those to other charities, or in the case of letterhead paper, recycle it by the lb. for cash that can be used to purchase items that are in high demand.)

 

[NotUrsula]

Wow. Do parents complain this much about the cost of their kids' sports team fees and equipment, or is it just school supplies? For those who do not participate in school fundraisers - do you also refuse to support fundraisers for sports teams and activities like cheerleading? I'm curious.

I can't answer for everyone, but yes, I do. It isn't that I don't pay for the kids to play; I do pay, but I don't support third-party sales campaigns. I refuse to importune my neighbors and friends to buy that stuff, and I'm not buying it myself, either.

At my DS' [private] HS, the primary fundraiser for the sports teams and band is having the kids staff downtown parking garages before professional sporting events in our city. The team gets a percentage of the parking revenue, so the kids bust their butts to try to fill every space in "their" garages, waving signs, doing cheer routines on the sidewalk, you name it.
(Obviously, this won't work in a place where such teams don't play, but we are lucky enough to have three of them.)

For kids that are too young to raise the needed funds by direct labor, I do a donation to the school or team. What I do is ask the organizer what the minimum sales target is, and what percentage of sales the school gets to keep. Then I double that amount and send a check. So, if each kid is asked to sell $100 and the school gets 45% of sales, I send a check for $90. I have *never* had any school or team official refuse that offer in lieu of my child participating by selling.

As to my own kid's sport supplies, it's not bad. He swims, so I have to buy goggles and a pr. of decent jammers; it normally comes to about $50 a season, plus a $75 participation fee. The school owns all of the add'l training equipment that they need.

 

[honeybunches]

Just FYI, my DS16 volunteers at an organization that we have locally that chooses to address this directly with public school classroom teachers, bypassing the concept of direct charity to children and families entirely. They have a warehouse and retail store (that essentially looks very like an Office Depot sort of store), but they are only open to teachers, and only by appt so that they can verify that you are who you say you are. The "store" lets teachers "shop" at no cost, directly for supplies that they can use. The organization is called KidSmart. http://www.kidsmartstl.org/ Many teachers drive away from the "store" with an entire SUV full of no-cost supplies every semester.

I personally feel that it is a wonderful idea to directly supply classrooms this way, as opposed to doing the "backpack giveaway fair" kind of thing that gives the supplies to the kids. Much more dignified, and teachers get only what they really can use. (The organization DOES get supply donations that they cannot use for classroom distribution, but they usually give those to other charities, or in the case of letterhead paper, recycle it by the lb. for cash that can be used to purchase items that are in high demand.)

That is really great!! It also helps to ensure that the children are getting the supplies they need. In the past, when we've purchased clothes and supplies for students, their parents sometimes return them to get the money. So sad.

 

[SEA333]

I'm a teacher, and I'll tell you why we request name-brands. Thanks to Wal*Mart and the Dollar Stores, ridiculously cheap school supplies are now everywhere. Parents were sending in no-name, or RoseArt supplies, and they are usually terribly inferior.

I won't even use RoseArt supplies, if they're sent in. We do community supplies, so the kids don't know that I'm not using what they brought in, believe me. I donate them to the Playground/Lunchroom monitors. The RoseArt markers dry out within a day of opening them. RoseArt crayons are nothing more than wax. No-name glue sticks don't stick, and the children's art projects fall apart while hanging in the hallway. Fancy, cheap pencils ruin our pencil sharpeners, and they don't sharpen evenly.

What usually ended up happening, is that I would purchase the brand name items myself. And it was just another added expense on top of all of the other things I buy for my classroom.

We still have some parents send in off-brand items, but not as many now that we specify.

First of all, that is SOOOOO untrue! I am a firm believer in a LOT of generic brands. And, I am an account manager for a global high-end brand Pen, permanent marker, Fine Art, Dry Erase, and Pencil company (I won't say which one, but you can probably guess what the #1 most popular permanent marker brand in the world is....

I get pretty much all of the above supplies for free, and donate them to the school. But I still buy Target brand markers, crayons, and colored pencils BECAUSE of the fact that you pool the supplies together. My daughter, who is an artist, uses Prismacolor pencils at home, but there is NO way I will send these to school. Why should I buy my kid top of the line supplies when the 3 kids sitting around them are buying roseart, and my kid will have to use the roseart supplies anyway, in the "community" pile? (for those classrooms whose teachers who do not weed out the generics like you do....)


I taught preschool and latchkey/summer camp for many years when my kids were little, and roseart and target brand glue sticks were just fine. I spent a LOT of my own money during those years, but I was never to good to turn my nose down at free supplies.

I will NEVER buy a specific brand just because it says so on a list.

 

[torinsmom]

I end up buying good markers, crayons and colored pencils for my classroom, because some parents send in Dollar Tree and other cheap stuff. As a matter of fact, I just bought 20 boxes of markers and a bunch of glue sticks when I was at Walmart today. They are on sale, but when I run short in December, they won't be.

The cheap markers run dry in a few days, and the crayons are waxy and don't color well. The colored pencils are made of some crap that ruins my pencil sharpeners. We do pool supplies, because it makes sense in a PreK/K classroom. We have a basket with pencils that are sharpened every day and replaced as needed. We have a colored pencil holder for each color and the kids take them and then put them back when they are done. Markers are in baskets to use as needed. The cheap stuff gets sent home with kids who I know don't have ANY of that stuff at home, so the pooled stuff is the good stuff.

I request Crayola crayons and colored pencils and Crayola or CraZart markers. They can be found as cheap as RoseArt when they are on sale, so I don't see what the big deal is. Same for pencils. I am not as picky about them, but some brands seem to always have broken lead inside and they need sharpening constantly. The Dixon and Ticonderoga brands are my favorites, so we go through those first.