Okay I am ticked!!!

[seashoreCM]

>>> teachers telling ppl they were gona force kids in this state to speak spanish
When I was in 5'th through 8'th grade everyone took French. (Other languages were offered in high school)

>>> drive all over town --- pay full price
I side with the parents regarding colored folders. Time for a parent-teacher conference, with several parents all at once. Yes, kids should learn responsibility at an early age but society should be imposing less regulation that costs money, not more, and school is a good place to start.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[momxx5]

School "A" kindergarten supply list:

2 glue sticks
Fiskar scissors
Crayons (box of 8)
2 Pencils (large or small)
Trifold rester mat
Small school box
Elmers glue (no colors or gels) 4 oz.
70 sheet spiral notebook (1 subject)
Bookbag (no wheels)





School "B" kindergarten supply list

2 Packs of Crayola Crayons
Fiskar Scissors
1 Pack of Pencils
Large Beach Towel (with name on it)
Small School Box
Elmer's Glue Sticks
Change of clothes in case of "accidents"
70 Sheet Notebook
2 Rolls of Paper Towels
Boxes of Tissues
Disposable Cameras
Bookbag (No Wheels)
Ziplock Bags (Gallon)
Ziplock Bags (Quart)
Foam Soap
** Individual Teachers may request additional items according to specific classroom needs

 

[formernyer]

I'm the first to admit that I'm always opinionated as heck about things and I'm not afraid to state my opinions (I tend to do it online, since it gets things off my chest without ticking off the "real" people in my life ).

Anyway, I have yet another point to make here. In general, the people who are read this forum are two things: (1) not hand-to-mouth poor...sure, you might not all be rich, but if you're on a DIsney board, you probably have a decent lifestyle. (2) somewhat price conscious, since you are reading a Budget Board.

When I shop for school supplies, I shop the sales and stock up. I have a closet jam packed with Crayola crayons, Fiskars scissors, Elmers glue, notebooks, filler paper, pencils, etc. Most people posting on this board seem to act similarly and stock up during sales. For most people, however, back-to-school shopping is somewhat of a hardship. It was one thing when parents needed to buy basic items for their kids, but many people just don't have room in their budgets to buy tennis balls, simply because the teachers don't want their classroom floors to scuff up.

In our school, the basic supply list for each grade is not at all unreasonable. The teacher add-ons, however, are generally longer than the district-provided list.

I find it hard to understand all the people here who are posting that these supplies are an "investment in our child's education." I'm sorry, but the best teachers are the ones who can teach and motivate children with no supplies whatsoever. Convenience items in the classrooms should be requested, not required.

It seems to me that the teachers need to be uniting before the school board to complain about having to provide their own copy paper, etc. Perhaps if they could get the schools to start providing the basic classroom staples that the teachers need, then the teachers can start applying their discretionary budgets to the convenience items like Lysol wipes and tennis balls.

And this is totally OT, but when I give gifts to the teachers I give them classroom items, rather than a mug, frame, etc. They seem to appreciate it a whole lot more. I've given things like a case of copy paper or a selection of board games for the classroom.

 

[hotwheels]

90 $ seems like an awful lot for each kid... but as for the handwipes,the school list here does not include them . i wish it DID . its well worth a few bucks to cut down on sick kids. think how much it will cost for doctor visits and daycare/ and takingg days off for those parents who need to do that when a child is home sick

 

[Jessd]

Between my two kids, I have probably bought about $200 worth of school supplies. We too, have to provide lysol wipes, reams and reams of colored and white copy paper, hand santiizer, ziplock bags, just tons of stuff that they do not use personally. I have no problems buying things that he will use, but I know that he doesn't use alot of stuff that we buy. They require 400 sheet protectors each! Those things are expensive. I think 100 of them are around $14 at Sam's Club. What really gets me is that at the end of the year, one of the teachers asked my son if they could keep the rest of them. My son said ok, so that means we are out about 150 of them. My kids start school tomororw and are packing their backpacks right now.

I mean come on, one of the boys has to take 6 boxes of tissue. I dont think we even go through that much at home for an entire year.

For my 5th and 7th grader, with uniforms, school supplies, gym uniforms, shoes, mandatory insurance, this school year has already cost me about $800so far. Next year will be even more because my 5th grader will be in 6th grade and the school uniforms are a different color for middle school so I will have to buy all new everything. At least my little one is 3 years old, I have a little while more with her at home, but not much.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i would never spend 200 dollers on school suplys not with my income im on ssi. I also will never put my son in a uniform let our kids have the freedom we had..heck no

 

[JadeDarkstar]

>>> teachers telling ppl they were gona force kids in this state to speak spanish
When I was in 5'th through 8'th grade everyone took French. (Other languages were offered in high school)

>>> drive all over town --- pay full price
I side with the parents regarding colored folders. Time for a parent-teacher conference, with several parents all at once. Yes, kids should learn responsibility at an early age but society should be imposing less regulation that costs money, not more, and school is a good place to start.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

well i learned german first i came from germany and was forced to learn english..i did it and for got my german..sad..but even sader now ppl come from mexico and are forceing our kids to learn spanish. They should learn english and i hated when a teacher told me they were gona force my son to learn it and i said NO

I learned english when came here so can every one else.

 

[Hannathy]

Wow some of your lists are crazy! There is no way I'd send in 6 boxes of tissues, no way. We get asked for 2 and I think that is a lot. Lysol wipes, purel, etc don't they have sinks? What are all the zip lock bags for? Disposable cameras I notice the plural how nuts, 400 protector sheets for what? I wouldn't be sending in those!

How did we learn with 2 tablets 8 crayons, 2 pencils and a borrowed ruler and scissors? That's what we got when I was in Elem. School.



PS at least in my state Teachers are not underpaid.

 

[formernyer]

Ok, I actually dug up the 5th grade supply list from my daughter's class last year. My son's 4th grade list was similar, but I couldn't find it posted online anywhere...

Backpack – No Rollers/Must fit in locker – no larger than 9” X 28”

At least 20 #2 Pencils or BIC Disposable pencils

2 inch, 3-Ring Binder – No Trapper Keepers Please

3 packages Wide Ruled Loose-Leaf Paper

1 Composition Book – 70 page - Bound for a writing journal/No Spiral Bound

8 - 3 Prong Pocket Folders (any colors)

Tab Dividers with Pockets

Glue/Glue Sticks

Pointed Fiskar student scissors

24 Count Crayons

8 Count Colored Pencils

Colored Ink Pens (Red/Orange/Yellow/Green/Blue/Purple)

Yellow Highlighter

Crayola Markers (Classic Colors)

EXPO Dry Erase Markers and Eraser

Red Pens

Webster Student Dictionary

Clipboard

Zippered Pencil Bag to go inside Binder

8 tennis balls (4 for desk, 4 for chair) - Please make a 1 inch cut in each tennis ball

3 blank CDs

1 Bag of Tootsie Rolls/StarBurst/Smarties/Suckers/similar candy

1 Large Hand Sanitizer

2 large boxes of Kleenex

1 container Clorox wipes



Wish List

Sharpies (all colors and sizes)
13-gallon size trash bags
Small face safety glasses (Home Depot carries these for $4.97)
Extra tennis balls
Additional bags of individually wrapped candy

All donations to our classroom account will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[spaceacewannabe]

It seems to me that the teachers need to be uniting before the school board to complain about having to provide their own copy paper, etc. Perhaps if they could get the schools to start providing the basic classroom staples that the teachers need, then the teachers can start applying their discretionary budgets to the convenience items like Lysol wipes and tennis balls.

And this is totally OT, but when I give gifts to the teachers I give them classroom items, rather than a mug, frame, etc. They seem to appreciate it a whole lot more. I've given things like a case of copy paper or a selection of board games for the classroom.

Formernyer,
It does sound like your lists are on the excessive end, although I would say tennis balls are a custodial staff request and not a teacher one---I for one couldn't care less what my floors look like. I do, however, work with one custodian that is downright nasty about scratched floors.
In regards to school boards, many don't care a lot about what teachers have to say---they care GREATLY about what parents have to say. So uniting parents to ask that materials be provided would be much more effective; we as teachers are sometimes just perceived as self-serving when we ask for such things, as I think we've seen here today!

And totally OT---I HATE HAND SANITIZER! It is so high in alcohol that it BURNED a WHOLE through the top layer of our floor. As I said, don't care much about the floor, but is that something you want on your skin? ICK. In one of the rooms I teach in (at the junior high), I hid the bottle because it was another thing to request to be out of one's seat for. I hate that stuff. And it feels like a never-ending supply of it, too---I would check if they actually want it, because my answer would be an emphatic NO!

 

[staceyfe]

I find it hard to understand all the people here who are posting that these supplies are an "investment in our child's education." I'm sorry, but the best teachers are the ones who can teach and motivate children with no supplies whatsoever. Convenience items in the classrooms should be requested, not required.

Absolutely!

 

[Lisa_M]

well i learned german first i came from germany and was forced to learn english..i did it and for got my german..sad..but even sader now ppl come from mexico and are forceing our kids to learn spanish. They should learn english and i hated when a teacher told me they were gona force my son to learn it and i said NO

I learned english when came here so can every one else.

I mean no disrespect to you, but your posts hardly make sense. Your spelling is atrocious. There are very few schools that are teaching in Spanish to native speakers, let alone kids that do not know the language. It makes no sense that they would attempt to force your son to learn and be instructed in Spanish. Are you sure they weren't requiring him to learn Spanish as a foreign language elective? I took Spanish class in middle and high school. I did have the option of learning Spanish or French.

 

[patsal]

I get angry at the certain colors also! After Kindergarten I don't understand them. I can accomplish the same thing by writing READING on any color with a sharpie! If they can read mark them and who gives a flying fig what color they are. My DS got grief last yr when we ran out of yellow notebooks toward the end of the yr and he used a heaven forbid a different color notebook! I wasn't going to pay full price when I still had some 10 cent ones left over just so it could be yellow. How crazy. They should be happy the kids have supplies not act like spoiled children that they don't have the "color" they want.

Do what my son does write the word Yellow on the top of the notebook!!
I have purchased only white notebooks and white folders for this reason. I have also taped construction paper of the necessary color over the real cover--I too will not pay $2.50 for a ten cent spiral.

As a teacher I supply everything at my own expense, I understand that by color coding the kids become conditioned that yellow=math or whatever, but overall I agree that the supplies list has gotten out of hand.
I spent more time at office max last week getting 1 cent folders 10 at a time so I could be sure each kid had a folder--I have HS kids so that meant I needed 180 folders! Next onto 10 cent notebooks and again enough for 180 kids. Finally pencils and pens--I do ask that to be considered prepared for class the kids bring in something to write with--that happens about 75% of the time so do I not teach because they are unprepared or do I give them what they need? Crayons/scissors/glue/markers/tape/paperclips/staples are in a community bin and I have to take inventory before the kids leave to be sure nothing walks.

I have been told by my children's teachers that the list is more a wish list than a reality and they hope that the kids will bring in the items listed.

 

[formernyer]

Formernyer,

And totally OT---I HATE HAND SANITIZER! It is so high in alcohol that it BURNED a WHOLE through the top layer of our floor. As I said, don't care much about the floor, but is that something you want on your skin? ICK. In one of the rooms I teach in (at the junior high), I hid the bottle because it was another thing to request to be out of one's seat for. I hate that stuff. And it feels like a never-ending supply of it, too---I would check if they actually want it, because my answer would be an emphatic NO!

Funny you mention the hand sanitizer. My kids go back to school this Thursday (just for two hours to get supply lists and meet teachers, then they are off until the following Monday). I don't expect to see hand sanitizer on the lists this year. Last April, there was a little problem with it...four of the 5th graders were caught sniffing it, because they heard it would make them high. The entire fifth grade was given remedial drug/alcohol training that week (they'd already had it, but clearly it wasn't enough for some kids...). For the rest of the year, the sanitizer needed to be in the teachers' locked desks and only the teacher could dispense it.

I'm guessing that we won't be asked to provide it this year and the kids can start using soap again.

 

[annakris1973]

I find it hard to understand all the people here who are posting that these supplies are an "investment in our child's education." I'm sorry, but the best teachers are the ones who can teach and motivate children with no supplies whatsoever. Convenience items in the classrooms should be requested, not required.

It seems to me that the teachers need to be uniting before the school board to complain about having to provide their own copy paper, etc. Perhaps if they could get the schools to start providing the basic classroom staples that the teachers need, then the teachers can start applying their discretionary budgets to the convenience items like Lysol wipes and tennis balls.

I for one, feel like the use of copy paper has totally gotten out of hand. Sadly, the more copy paper that our county or PTO provided, the more worksheets and really unneccessary copies the teachers made. When they were given an allowance of copies per month, they resorted to (gasp) using textbooks, workbooks and the white board!!! And trust me, I know...I worked as a volunteer and came in once a week and spent ALL DAY just making copies for teachers.

 

[ENSOCK]

While I agree that that is an outrageous amount of supplies ($90 worth??), I'm just wondering why you specifically asked if there were any additional supplies if you did not want to buy anything else?

Just got back from Walmart. After the first list which had everything from colors, hand cleaner, ziploc and wipes, I wanted to make sure that she did not need a specific color of folder. Yesterday, I brought my sister (a fourth grade teacher) to 5 stores because she wanted to purchase green folders for her class. It is a requirement in the school she teaches at that the kids only have green, orange and blue folders. My kids go to a small private school of only 1500 kids from 3yrs old through 12 grade. We pay oop for everything. We just got a lunchroom 3 years ago. So trust me I do not mind purchaseing any school supplies, I just get really upset that a teacher would come in a request different supplies than what was already requested. She requested a zipper binder, binder diverders (8), construction paper, a sketch pad, a pack of dryerase markers and a dry erase board to be used at their desks. I was happy that the prices were not as high as I thought. The binder I took from my oldest since I had purchased one for him to keep him organzied. I just switched to a 10cent notebook. I just wish that she would have let us know in the letter we rec'd last week so that I could purchase when we had tax free days. Our school starts Thursday, trust me it is slim pickings at the stores. Everything is picked over and I had to go to 2 stores to get just the addons.
I do support my teachers and school. I paid for the supplies and if she needs anything else after Christmas I will be the first mom to send them in. I just needed to vent, and after reading this so apparantly so do alot of other people.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Funny you mention the hand sanitizer. My kids go back to school this Thursday (just for two hours to get supply lists and meet teachers, then they are off until the following Monday). I don't expect to see hand sanitizer on the lists this year. Last April, there was a little problem with it...four of the 5th graders were caught sniffing it, because they heard it would make them high. The entire fifth grade was given remedial drug/alcohol training that week (they'd already had it, but clearly it wasn't enough for some kids...). For the rest of the year, the sanitizer needed to be in the teachers' locked desks and only the teacher could dispense it.

I'm guessing that we won't be asked to provide it this year and the kids can start using soap again.

Add that to my list of reasons I HATE sanitizer (and reasons I'll give when my colleague asks why I moved it again). Toxic in so many ways, and not very effective either. It dries out skin so much that I think you're actually at greater risk for allowing germs in.

I've noticed that quite of few of the posters with unreasonable lists here seem to be from the south, and from experiences my father has relayed from my stepsiblings...I think there are some big differences in schools there as opposed to here. I know rate of pay for teachers is much lower (although the school year is also shorter), and teacher preparation programs and certification requirements are a lot different, and I think in a lot of districts in the south, teachers don't have as much prep time. I don't know if that's part of it, but I was struck by all the copying, because I don't know a lot of teachers here who use many worksheets. I don't know; just a thought. I copy off a lot of graphic organizers, personally, but we don't have a book at all for that course.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Just got back from Walmart. After the first list which had everything from colors, hand cleaner, ziploc and wipes, I wanted to make sure that she did not need a specific color of folder. Yesterday, I brought my sister (a fourth grade teacher) to 5 stores because she wanted to purchase green folders for her class. It is a requirement in the school she teaches at that the kids only have green, orange and blue folders. My kids go to a small private school of only 1500 kids from 3yrs old through 12 grade. We pay oop for everything. We just got a lunchroom 3 years ago. So trust me I do not mind purchaseing any school supplies, I just get really upset that a teacher would come in a request different supplies than what was already requested. She requested a zipper binder, binder diverders (8), construction paper, a sketch pad, a pack of dryerase markers and a dry erase board to be used at their desks. I was happy that the prices were not as high as I thought. The binder I took from my oldest since I had purchased one for him to keep him organzied. I just switched to a 10cent notebook. I just wish that she would have let us know in the letter we rec'd last week so that I could purchase when we had tax free days. Our school starts Thursday, trust me it is slim pickings at the stores. Everything is picked over and I had to go to 2 stores to get just the addons.
I do support my teachers and school. I paid for the supplies and if she needs anything else after Christmas I will be the first mom to send them in. I just needed to vent, and after reading this so apparantly so do alot of other people.

Did she completely scrap most of the original list or is this in addition? What was the plan if you hadn't asked?

To defend a little (although I do think it would have been a good thing to put in the letter), if she's fresh out of college, she's probably completely overwhelmed getting ready herself.

 

[formernyer]

I've noticed that quite of few of the posters with unreasonable lists here seem to be from the south, and from experiences my father has relayed from my stepsiblings...I think there are some big differences in schools there as opposed to here. I know rate of pay for teachers is much lower (although the school year is also shorter), and teacher preparation programs and certification requirements are a lot different, and I think in a lot of districts in the south, teachers don't have as much prep time. I don't know if that's part of it, but I was struck by all the copying, because I don't know a lot of teachers here who use many worksheets. I don't know; just a thought. I copy off a lot of graphic organizers, personally, but we don't have a book at all for that course.

I grew up in NY (Long Island) and lived there until I was 27. We had very short lists there. We also did most of our work in workbooks. Each textbook had a corresponding workbook. The kids here get few, if any, workbooks each year. From what I understand, most workbooks are not covered by the budget in this area. Rather than charge the parents for workbooks, the teachers just make copies of everything.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

I grew up in NY (Long Island) and lived there until I was 27. We had very short lists there. We also did most of our work in workbooks. Each textbook had a corresponding workbook. The kids here get few, if any, workbooks each year. From what I understand, most workbooks are not covered by the budget in this area. Rather than charge the parents for workbooks, the teachers just make copies of everything.

Yup, that was kind of my impression. We don't ask for copy paper here...that's a bit odd to me, also.