Please explain school supply requirements

[sam_gordon]

My answers are in blue:

Just FYI, when you answer inside a quote, it's hard to quote you.

I don't get this statement. The beginning of school is roughly the same time every year, right? Maybe you should put a little aside throughout the year to pay for supplies.

Fortunately, our income is enough that we get by. I was simply commenting on the "it's 'x' amount over 180 days" remark. That's like saying a $20K car is affordable when you keep the car for 10 years.

I ask for four dry erase markers per student, because they use them multiple times per day. When they run out, and they always do, the replacements come out of my pocket.

As I've said before, if the KIDS are using the markers (and it may turn out they do), I can understand six for each kid.

The best thing I got out of the thread was the suggestion for the school to buy in bulk and have parents pay into a fund to cover that. I'm going to suggest that to our PTA for next year.

 

[luvmy3]

And now let the debates of why or why not the supplies should go into the pot begin, bring on the folks that label their kids items even though teacher requests them not too ... it is coming up in the next few posts. : )

PS I hate the $ tree pencils. I hate to sharpen a pencil and then the lead falls out immediately .

That will be me this year for my 4th grader. I don't care what the teacher request is, I'm buying what I want my ds to use. I don't want him coming home with the junk, like those $ pencils, that some other parent bought for their kid.

 

[torinsmom]

I had to laugh last year when I ran across a pack a crayons left over from another year. Each crayon was labeled with the child's name To just think of the time it took to put those tiny labels on, not to mention how much money the labels cost made me laugh. For a 50 cent box of crayons? We don't put out the junk supplies; they are donated, so the child used quality supplies, just not the ones labeled with his name.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

My two oldest boys have great LL Bean backpacks. Unfortunately, LL Bean isn't "cool".

 

[mjkacmom]

The best thing I got out of the thread was the suggestion for the school to buy in bulk and have parents pay into a fund to cover that. I'm going to suggest that to our PTA for next year.

I think it's a great idea. Unfortunately, public schools can't "make" parents buy stuff. We no longer have gym uniforms because parents complained about forking over $25, since it's illegal to make parents fork out money for public school.

I have 5 kids, and we get our school supply lists on the first day of school. Yes, it's horrible - stores are packed, there are no more sales, and half of the items have sold out. It is what it is.

However, do people really think that teachers just put items on the supply lists, and never intend to use them? Like there is this school supply black market out there? I assume teachers base their lists on previous years, and have a more accurate knowledge of what the kids will need for their classes, than the parents.

I usually spend a couple hundred in school supplies, and I get exactly what the teachers ask for - my kids are in THEIR classrooms. I run my home the way it works for me, and teachers run their classes as it works for them. My kids spend a lot of time there - I have no say in what they do. If they combine pencils, so be it - I'm sure they have their reasons.

 

[sweetb]

First grade teacher here. Anyone unsure of why kids need so many supplies only need to ask a teacher or spend a day in a classroom to know that supplies are used up very quickly, especially at the younger grades. First of all, kids LOVE sharpening pencils. Even when they don't need to sharpen them. That is why I had to create a pencil sharpening signal that involved having students hold their pencil in the air, pencil tip up before allowing them to sharpen. And even when they do need to sharpen they can turn a nice new long pencil into a tiny pencil in just a few seconds by holding it in there too long. Kids love to chew and snap their pencils in half too.

Crayons are another story. I have no idea where they go. I swear the children eat them. They also chew and break them. Glue sticks dry out like mad because the kids don't put the caps on them tight enough. They also use way too much and they run out like crazy.

Dry erase markers dry out super fast as well. The newest thing in the classroom today is the use of dry erase markers. Every child uses them at their own desks as well as in centers and in reading groups. They are interactive as kids can write their answers on them as you walk around the room checking who has it right and who has it wrong without having anyone call out. I could easily have my class go through one marker per child in a month and a half.

Plastic bags enable me to hand out sets of items that my students need. They also serve a purpose at class parties where kids who don't eat all of their food can take it home and eat it later instead of waisting it by throwing it away.

I would never ask for something that is not needed. At our school, anyone on the free and reduced lunch list is not sent home a supply list. The supplies are purchased for them. If you, as a parent are having a hard time, I encourage you to speak with the school. I am quite sure they will take care of it for you.

Schools are struggling right now just like everyone else. We are trying our best to give your kids the best education possible. Many schools are struggling to keep special classes like art, gym, library and music as well as sports programs on top of their regular educational priorities. We need parents to help out a bit too.

As a teacher I am always buying things for my students because I care about their education. Whether it's new books for their library corner or new games for their centers, I am always spending my own money. And I have children of my own. I honestly am at a loss as to why parents don't feel like they need to buy supplies for their own children.

Do people actually think teachers are hoarding pencils and crayons for themselves? As to the parents who people think just don't send in supplies at all...there may be one or two each year and trust that I usually get the stuff to make up for that myself. The reason things are put into a pot is to make things easier. Can you imagine Bobby losing a pencil and me having to go into the closet to look through all of the pencil boxes for Bobby's name? How silly. A pencil is a pencil. Telling a child to go get a pencil from the pencil box is simple and doesn't stop a lesson.

As the parent of two children myself, I am happy to help out my child's teacher and provide my children with the supplies they need.

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

I have a question for the teachers. I notice on some list that they ask for Clorox Wipes. What are they used for (no sarcasm required)? When my children were in Elementary school we had to send in "Barbasol" shave gel to clean the desk and other stuff because they could not clean anything with a "chemical" in it.

 

[Minnesota!]

Yes. There is a noticeable quality difference.

Definitely! One thing I will NOT cheap out on for my kids is crayons for school. Crayola all.the.way.

Here is the list for my boys: (3rd grade and kindergarten):

(Kindy)

2 2-pocket portfolio with 3 fasteners (one red, one your choice of color)
2 Folder, 2-pocket (any color)
4 No. 2 pencils (sharpened)
1 Good scissors with pointed tips (not plastic)
3 Bottles of glue
4 Glue sticks
1 Composition notebook
1 Spiral bound notebook (wide-ruled)
2 Boxes of Kleenex (family size)
1 Package napkins (for snacks)
2 Rolls of paper towels
1 Box Ziploc bags (gallon size)
1 Box Ziploc bags (quart size)
2 Boxes Crayola crayons (24 count)
2 Boxes Crayola classic color markers (10 count)
1 Crayola watercolors
2 Packages of page protectors
1 Bag/box of paper cups (9 oz.) if your child prefers to drink water
instead of milk with snack
1 Set of headphones for use with the iPad
$1.00 Plastic Take Home Folder (purchased at Back to School Night

3rd:
2 Folders, 2-pocket
1 Large eraser
6 No. 2 pencils (sharpened)
2 Red pencils (not pens)
1 Bottle of white glue (no glue sticks)
1 Box of crayons (24 count)
1 Scissors with pointed tips (Fiskars are good quality)
1 Set of 8 watercolor paints (Prang or Crayola)
1 Box Crayola wide classic color markers (10 count)
1 Calculator (basic functions)
4 Spiral bound notebooks (wide-ruled, 70 pages, not perforated)
1 Pencil pouch (cosmetic bags work nicely)
1 Roll of paper towels
1 Box of Kleenex (family size)
1 Box of Ziploc bags (quart size)
1 Multiplication fact cards (needed by December)
$1.00 Plastic take-home folder (purchased at Back to School Night)

We have everything purchased (at Target) except the headphones and we spent $49. Which, I think, was very reasonable...

 

[aprilgail2]

as far as why are parents asked to bring send in cotton balls, dry erase markers, etc? Because the districts do not supply them and the teachers use them to teach If you don't like it, complain to the district for not supplying what the teachers need to do their jobs well. I love it when the kids use dry erase markers for things like math--it saves paper and gets them in a good habit of doing the same at home when they are figuring out how to do the problem--my kids use the dry erase markers on the glass table and on the windows when helping each other learn math or grammar.

If MY child was using them I would not have a problem sending them in--but our kids do NOT use dry erase markers, the teachers do--on the first day of school they hand them to the teacher and the teacher uses them all year long on the board not the kids.

Do people really buy new backpacks and lunchboxes every year? My son used a backpack until it wore out and we got solid color lunchboxes he used for at least 2 years.

Lunch boxes get gross and I would not use it after a year- but luckily once they get to 4th grade here they wouldn't be caught dead carrying a lunch box LOL-its a brown paper bag for the lunches so been a long time with no lunch box here. And we do get a new back pack every year- just part of the fun of school shopping- new back pack for all the new supplies, different color etc each year. We use the old ones from that year over the summer for day trips/camp etc and toss them at the end of the year.



This year my daughters school supply list isn't that bad-

4 1.5” binders
Binder colors are subject specific
English – green, science – red, social studies – orange, math - purple

2 looseleaf paper
3 packages of dividers
1 pocket folder
1 highlighter
4 blue or black pens
12 #2 pencils

1 colored pencils (Earth Science only)
1 pocket dictionary (Pre-AP SS only)
1 9x12 sketchbook (art)
1 Ticonderoga pencils – box (art)
1 white eraser (art)
3 pocket folders (H&C, music, PE)

My only issue is the binder colors-what a pain to have to get =certain colors- last year we could not find orange or purple so my daughter just got all white ones and wrote in sharpie on the front "orange" "purple" "Green" "red" LOL---worked for us and no teacher ever made a comment about it!
She has used mechanical pencils for many years now though instead of regular pencils so in grade school we would send in the regular pencils if they wanted to "pool" them and she always had her own mechanical ones. Same in grade school with crayons, I would send in extra but my daughter would keep hers in her desk. Most kids had their own sets in their desk and the ones that didn't have any used the cans of crayons that were available.

I have sent in more than my share of supplies for kids, my daughter is a softy when it comes to kids not having supplies-when it came time they needed protractors I ended up buying four because my daughter said "mom, patryck, edwardo and jonnys parents never send in anything, they wont have protractors" so I told her to just give them to the teacher and let the teacher give them to the kids that needed them so the kids wouldn't be embarrassed by my daughter giving them to them.
Same went when they decided to have a grab bag for 4th grade at christmas. I KNEW kids wouldn't bring in gifts and the rule was that if you didn't bring in a gift to chance you couldn't pick one. I was class mom that year and felt terrible that come kids would be sitting there not picking out anything. I ended up bringing 8 extra things for the grab bag and my daughter class 2 kids didn't have anything, the other 4th grade classes did it to and some of them didn't have anything so I ended up using 7 out of the 8 things but at least every child had something. I felt bad when the teacher told the 2 kids to thank Miss S because she brought in things for you for the grab bag. I didn't do it so the poor kids would have to feel worse than I am sure they already did knowing their parents didn't do this for them.

 

[torinsmom]

I have a question for the teachers. I notice on some list that they ask for Clorox Wipes. What are they used for (no sarcasm required)? When my children were in Elementary school we had to send in "Barbasol" shave gel to clean the desk and other stuff because they could not clean anything with a "chemical" in it.

Our school allows us to use clorox wipes. We wipe the tables down every afternoon and also use them to wipe the toilet seat when someone has an accident. Between that and having the kids use hand sanitizer on arriving at school, we have really cut down on the amount of kids that are out sick. And, yes, we do have kids wash hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before lunch. The hand sanitizer is just easier to use as the kids come into the classroom.

 

[aprilgail2]

I have a question for the teachers. I notice on some list that they ask for Clorox Wipes. What are they used for (no sarcasm required)? When my children were in Elementary school we had to send in "Barbasol" shave gel to clean the desk and other stuff because they could not clean anything with a "chemical" in it.

We can't send in anything like that to school- all products used have to be "green" and on the approved list of green products

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I was a sub for 9 years in elementary school, and being in the classroom really opened my eyes to the supply question. If you're in doubt, volunteer for a day. In any class, there are at least three boxes of Kleenex opened at any time -- one by the door, one on the teacher's desk, one by the art supplies. The music/art/health/gym teachers don't get supplies from the kids, so the classroom teachers share kleenex, pencils, ziplocs, crayons, binders, folders. Pencils -- have you ever seen a 2nd grader sharpen a pencil? Nice new long pencil becomes 2" long in a matter of seconds. Crayons -- color both sides of your spelling paper because you finished early and the teacher is working with the slower students, and there goes all the red and blacks. Dry erase -- you need multiple colors to indicate consonants, vowels, things in (), spelling and grammar and math -- not all is in black, and they dry out really quick. Hand sanitizer -- every kid gets a blast on their way to lunch and after recess -- at least two bottles a week. Glue sticks -- tops get lost, the glue is dried out by morning, need another one.

Those of you who say "I only send in what I think my kid will actually use" -- you're the ones that cause everyone else to have to send in extra -- you think it's your neighbor who couldn't be bothered, but if you think your kid will only use 12 pencils and that's what you send in, you're making someone else subsidize your kid's pencil habit. Or if you send in 2 glue sticks or 2 pencils at a time, do you really think your kid is telling you when they need another one, or remembering that they borrowed one from their tablemate three days in a row?

Our family budget has been stretched more years than not, but I'm not going to ask a teacher to pay for supplies that I couldn't be bothered to send in for my kid because I don't believe that they really use all that stuff.

My wife actually works EVERY day at the school both of my children attend. I can assure you, we know exactly how much of their own supplies are required and how much are actually used by our kids. And the surest way to make certain a kid uses 72 pencils is to actually give the kid 72 pencils to take with them. Each of our kids gets a couple of spares of everything & it's their responsibility to go to get more from home when they need them. Our kids have never sponged off other kids, but we did have the opposite issue with DD7 & glue sticks for awhile. Once again, if she'd had more than the 1 "extra" at any given time, she'd have probably given out her entire year's supply to her friends who were "running low". Giving out an endless supply just encourages irresponsibility.

 

[luvmy3]

I had to laugh last year when I ran across a pack a crayons left over from another year. Each crayon was labeled with the child's name To just think of the time it took to put those tiny labels on, not to mention how much money the labels cost made me laugh. For a 50 cent box of crayons? We don't put out the junk supplies; they are donated, so the child used quality supplies, just not the ones labeled with his name.

What do you mean they are donated? Like if I sent in the "junk" supplies for my kid, what would you do with them? Do you not let him use them, and make him use what everyone else brought in?

And FTR, I'm not labeling every crayon, but his name will be on his box, and if he needs more, I'll send in more. He doesn't have to use what anyone else brought in. I do label the pencils, but I don't care if anyone else uses them. If the teacher, or another student has an issue using pencils with other kids names on them, then they shouldn't pool supplies.

 

[kirstenb1]

My two oldest boys have great LL Bean backpacks. Unfortunately, LL Bean isn't "cool".

Yep, just had our older dd who's starting ninth grade tell me the same thing. I went to 6pm.com and got her a North Face one for a little over 30.00. Whatever.

 

[torinsmom]

What do you mean they are donated? Like if I sent in the "junk" supplies for my kid, what would you do with them? Do you not let him use them, and make him use what everyone else brought in?

And FTR, I'm not labeling every crayon, but his name will be on his box, and if he needs more, I'll send in more. He doesn't have to use what anyone else brought in. I do label the pencils, but I don't care if anyone else uses them. If the teacher, or another student has an issue using pencils with other kids names on them, then they shouldn't pool supplies.

We have baskets of crayons and markers and pencils and colored pencils are in pencil cups for everyone to use as they need them. I buy plenty myself, so if the good stuff runs out, I replenish from my own supply or put the item on my wish list. I tried having every child have a pencil box with their own supplies, but it was a pain every day when someone was out of something and we had to stop and wait. When Tommy doesn't have a blue crayon, we can't wait for mom to send in another if we're using blue crayons right then. I sharpen pencils every day and make sure the baskets are replenished as needed.

I donate the substandard supplies to places such as the homeless shelter or other charities that collect school supplies. I don't know what else to do with them. Sometimes, I will save the cheap markers and the kids can use them at the end of the year.

 

[luvmy3]

We have baskets of crayons and markers and pencils and colored pencils are in pencil cups for everyone to use as they need them. I buy plenty myself, so if the good stuff runs out, I replenish from my own supply or put the item on my wish list. I tried having every child have a pencil box with their own supplies, but it was a pain every day when someone was out of something and we had to stop and wait. When Tommy doesn't have a blue crayon, we can't wait for mom to send in another if we're using blue crayons right then. I sharpen pencils every day and make sure the baskets are replenished as needed.

I donate the substandard supplies to places such as the homeless shelter or other charities that collect school supplies. I don't know what else to do with them. Sometimes, I will save the cheap markers and the kids can use them at the end of the year.

Honestly I don't know what to think about this system. On the one hand, I understand wanting the kids to have the best supplies, and I understand there is a need to pool supplies because not every parent can, or some don't care whether or not their child has their own supplies.
OTOH, I think a parent may be annoyed if what they purchased for their child to use was being donated to some place else. Maybe there was a reason that those parents sent in the substandard stuff, maybe they just couldn't afford all the name brand stuff. Maybe they trucked all around at the last minute and that was all that was left. They would have been better off not sending anything in at all, since either you would supply it or other parents will. Which brings it all back around to the above where some parents wouldn't care about sending in supplies. Its a real school supply catch-22

 

[Talking Hands]

Are the crayons being used to create works of art the school will raise for fundraising? Because otherwise I don't see where crayon quality is a big deal.

Rosecraft crayons and pencils are frequently already broken in the package. I have sharpened them only to have the newly sharpened area fall off or out. Crayola doesn't seem to have the same problems. They are better quallity and last longer.

Two years ago our church filled bookbags to be given to kids that couldn't afford them. It cost me close to $100 to buy all the needed supplies for a high school student and that was with going cheap on the scientific calculator. Didnt bat an eye to the asked for supplies. Why as a sub, I see what they use every day. Some need even more expensive items like a graphing calculator for calculus.

 

[torinsmom]

Honestly I don't know what to think about this system. On the one hand, I understand wanting the kids to have the best supplies, and I understand there is a need to pool supplies because not every parent can, or some don't care whether or not their child has their own supplies.
OTOH, I think a parent may be annoyed if what they purchased for their child to use was being donated to some place else. Maybe there was a reason that those parents sent in the substandard stuff, maybe they just couldn't afford all the name brand stuff. Maybe they trucked all around at the last minute and that was all that was left. They would have been better off not sending anything in at all, since either you would supply it or other parents will. Which brings it all back around to the above where some parents wouldn't care about sending in supplies. Its a real school supply catch-22

Parents wouldn't know unless I told them. I don't pool supplies because some kids don't bring things in, but because it just works better for our kids and our classroom. It's common knowledge among our PreK/K parents that supplies are pooled. Most parents send in the preferred brands. I rarely have more than one or two kids who don't bring in the things we ask for.

For some reason, the list used to ask for a 16 pack of crayons. The 24 packs are the ones usually on sale, so I suggested we just ask for a pack of Crayola crayons. I figure that saves parents some money.

 

[Talking Hands]

I guess it depends on the quality of the backpack. My son is rough on things, but he used his JanSport bag for 3 years before a zipper finally broke. I ran the lunchboxes through the dishwasher when they got gross, but cleaned them in soap and water every week, so I didn't have to do that much.

Bought my daughter a JanSport bag in 1991 and she is till using it. I am probably going to buy her one to use for her diaper bag. JanSport bags really last.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

What do you mean they are donated? Like if I sent in the "junk" supplies for my kid, what would you do with them? Do you not let him use them, and make him use what everyone else brought in?

And FTR, I'm not labeling every crayon, but his name will be on his box, and if he needs more, I'll send in more. He doesn't have to use what anyone else brought in. I do label the pencils, but I don't care if anyone else uses them. If the teacher, or another student has an issue using pencils with other kids names on them, then they shouldn't pool supplies.

Pooling supplies makes a huge difference in the efficiency of the classroom in the early grades. The idea that I'm supposed to slow down learning in my classroom so each kid can go to their cubby and get their own crayons before they work in the art center, and then put them back and go get their own dry erase marker when it's time to play the games at the math center, etc . . . so that parents can be confident that their child used their own $.50. box of crayons and not someone else's is baffling. Those minutes add up, if kids lose 2 minutes each center transition, and they transition 6 or so times a day, that's an hour of learning a week, 180 hours a year. Is that really what you want?

If I'm going to to pool supplies, then I can't ask some other child to suffer because you sent in worthless crayons, and they'll get stuck in the back of the closet. And then when I run out I'll either use my own money or my classroom budget to replace them. If I ask for something, and you can't afford it, I understand, but sending in something that isn't what I asked for -- like Roseart crayons, or plastic scissors, or college ruled composition notebooks won't help. On the other hand, if your child comes to school with things my child can't afford, and talking about their Disney trip, and you argue that you couldn't afford the extra $.50 for crayons then I'll silently judge you, nmot your child, just you.