Post your crazy school supply item here.

[MrsPete]

In Walton County, GA the teacher's work 10 days when students aren't present. The school day was lengthened by 20 minutes due to the elimination of the 20 days. The teachers are very happy.

Teacher Salaries by State

Georgia has made a lot of progress as far as teachers go. They are 3rd on the Teacher Salary Index, 14th highest on Starting Teacher Salary and 17th highest on Average Teacher Salary. Georgia has a very low cost of living (except inside the perimeter of Atlanta) and we are the next state from Walt Disney World.

I've seen that chart before, and I think the most interesting piece of information is the Comfort Level Index, which takes into account not only the salary but also the cost of living in the area.

However, I'm inclined to take it with a grain of salt because I see that the starting salary for teachers in my state is wrong (I checked it just to be sure), and I suspect the average salary is wrong too. At 20 years, I'm not earning as much as that chart shows. It could be that we're a state with a great number of people nearing retirement and few young workers -- that would bring the average salary up -- but that isn't what I see in my own county. In my own county, a few teachers have more "years in" than I do, but not all that many. I'm one of the oldest. I do agree, however, that we're pretty close to average on the Comfort Level Index. Our salaries are low, but so is our cost of living.

Even if you do take the chart for absolute fact, where are those 75K salaries that're being bandied about as if they're averages? This chart tops out at 59K. The real answer: While they may exist, they are earned by only a handful of the most experienced teachers in a very small geographic area.

I do agree with you that Georgia is a leader in education. Of all the states in our area, they seem to have things right in a number of ways.

 

[ekatiel]

I wish that I made $75,000 a year! Let's just say that in Texas our starting base pay is $27,000.

Goodness. Where in Texas do you live??!! In the Houston area, most districts start at $45,000 for teachers with bachelor's degrees and zero years of experience. I just checked out three districts nearby (HISD, Pearland ISD, and Clear Creek ISD-- our district, Friendswood, doesn't post salary schedules) and they were all around the $45K mark for STARTING base pay. Are you sure about your numbers? --Katie

 

[Racemom17]

Ok so I don't have a huge issue with the specific supplies requested....my two pet peeves:

Supplies requested that are not used. My Example of this is the graphing paper notebook my now -10th grader- just had to have for 7th grade. He "used" it in 7th and 8th grade and by used I mean it sat in his locker and collected dust. My rising 7th grader "used" it last year and will "use" it again this year. I think it will be a family heirloom by the time my youngest goes through middle school.


Waiting until the week school starts to give out lists. We live in an area where some counties go back mid-August, the rest go back after labor day. I have noticed now that the older boys are in middle and high school...they get the specific requests for binders, etc once they start school, meet teachers, etc....which means sometimes we don't know he is going to need a 3 inch green binder with 8 page dividers until the middle of September....do you think anyone has their school supplies out then....NOPE....last year I had to scour the seven seas to find a binder....this year I stocked up on binders in every color and size once they came out to save myself the headache.

 

[MM27]

I don't care if the teacher is making $100,000 or more. That is irrelevant. It is not the teacher's responsibility to supply children with school supplies. I do it because I see sales and get what I need for my classroom, knowing that many of my students will not come to school with what they need.

I also work with many teachers that refuse to buy anything because they say it's not their job. I've had kids from other classes come to my room with hand on nose asking for tissues because their teacher refuses to buy them for their class. One of the guys I work with puts a roll of hard school paper towels out for the kids to use.

 

[scrapbookmomma74]

When my daughter started Kindergarten, the teacher wanted a box of 8 Crayola Crayons...just the basics.
Well, the box of 24 was about 1/4 the price of the box of 8, so I just sent in the "basic 8" in a ziploc baggie and kept the other 16 colors at home. lol

 

[irishsharon]

I know that many teachers are reading this board and was hoping someone could help me out.My soon-to-be fifth grader needs black,blue and red pens I bought whatever was on sale for the class however my son's hand tires easily and I want to get him better pens for his own supply box,so I need some suggestions on brand. Thanks

 

[stm61]

We are moving up to High School this year and he's signed up for the Air Force JROTC program. I have no idea what to expect in regards to supplies. I'm actually dreading it. Hope to find out soon. His 8th grade supplies weren't that terrible, other than 3 of his teachers requiring 3" binders just for their class. It was just really cumbersome to lug these around every day. I guess we'll find out soon enough what he will need.

If it's JROTC costs that you're worried about, it may not be bad at all. My son's all did 3 years, but it's Navy here. The only cost was for optional summer camp, a small amount, like under $50, for the optional dress ball, and I'm not remembering anything else. They were given all their uniforms, including shoes. They turned them in at the end of the year, or kept them for the following year if they were taking the class again. They even gave them sweats to wear for PT, but we had to buy the sneakers. I totally agree about the binders!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Nothing crazy on either of my older kids lists this year, but I do remember the 2nd and 3rd grade school supply lists we had to get Prang watercolors. The list said NO OTHER BRAND ALLOWED!

My kids are 15 months apart and bc of birthdays, they are 1 year apart in school. So, a few years ago when my son was in 2nd, I FINALLY found those stupid watercolors an hour away from us. The crazy thing, HE NEVER USED THEM until the last week of school for art. Same ordeal the following year for my daughter when she was in 2nd grade, but that time I had remembered to pick up the watercolors when I was out somewhere else.

Her teacher then told me that any watercolors would be fine with her...ugh.

 

[perdidochas]

How the heck can any child use 72 pencils in a year? And where are the teachers going to store all those pencils? If there are 25 kids in the class, that is 1800 pencils!

72 pencils is two a week. When I was in school I probably used that many.

 

[saffsmom]

wow. i can not imagine having to buy all of that!

my dd starts grade one in september.
here is her list (no brands or #'s);
pencils
erasers
crayons
glue sticks
pencil case

*some teachers will allow a child to have their own sharpened pencil crayons
*if you choose, classrooms would appreciate boxes of kleenex for sharing

and of course a backpack, lunch bag and indoor shoes!!

 

[HayGan]

I had to laugh this afternoon when my son was working in his summer workbook and his pencil broke. It was the only Ticonderoga one we have

 

[KSBelle77]

My former kindergarten requires play-doh

 

[littlebit0863]

My youngest brother is in high school and he is telling me that one teacher gives them grades for bringing stuff to school. He has a list of stuff and if you bring something on that list, you get an extra daily grade of 100. (A+). He says you can bring up to three items per semester.

He says another teacher gives them coupons if they bring extra stuff. (Tissues, dry erase markers, paper towels, etc.) The coupons are "get out of detention", "drop lowest grade", "extra restroom pass"... things like that.

 

[JCH]

My youngest brother is in high school and he is telling me that one teacher gives them grades for bringing stuff to school. He has a list of stuff and if you bring something on that list, you get an extra daily grade of 100. (A+). He says you can bring up to three items per semester.

He says another teacher gives them coupons if they bring extra stuff. (Tissues, dry erase markers, paper towels, etc.) The coupons are "get out of detention", "drop lowest grade", "extra restroom pass"... things like that.

This is a big no no in my district. Nothing that could give an advantage to a child for buying anything is allowed. No homework passes, no dropping grades, no extra credit.

There are a lot of things we aren't allowed to do. Another is exchanging things in return for pencils as someone suggested. The kid forgets to give the pencil back, and then I am personally responsible for whatever they exchanged. Having kids take off their shoes is a safety hazard, and also not allowed not as it was when I was a kid.

 

[Friendly Frog]

... Do senior citizens no longer benefit from living in an educated society? Do they not need the services of doctors, accountants, store clerks, etc. who were educated in the public schools? Would they rather pay for people to be on public assistance? senior citizens are in dire straits because they didn't plan well...

I really don't want to get in a debate on how your grandmothers situation is probably much different that the seniors retiring today or tomorrow. Maybe she had a pension plan, maybe her husband did, maybe she is getting both! She probably had a job that had low or no cost medical insurance, or her husband did? Inheritance? Windfall? She did live in a time that interest on a just a cd could get you 14%! Do the math and tell me how a blue collar workers today with no real pension plans or matching 401k ( the NORMAL now) can pay medical costs and save enough to ever be able to retire? Some people planned and invested for retirement but due to no fault of their own still lost most or all of it. Sometimes the best of planning does not make the dollar stretch to where it is needed.

But back to the school tax issue.


The issue of the benefits of education to society is not as much at debate here as is the fair distribution of those costs. Taking your lead of cost/benefit, is it important enough to vote to Double your school taxes so that all children can attend a private school of their choice? Exactly how important is the social benefit when it involves YOUR paying more. Should the childless couple pay double in property tax too?

How about this, would you vote to eliminate the federal tax deductions for dependent children? That federal money could be directed to the school system ( and be a lot more money that what is currently collected from seniors.) Or.... do you prefer to keep your "discount" for having more children? letting the childless couple and senior citizens property taxes subsidize the bill for their education?

I know this is not a popular subject in a mostly young family thread, but it is still food for thought.

BTW, No teacher should have to pay for a childs school supplies. It is great that so many caring teachers do that, but it is their charity not obligation.

 

[Rayvnn]

My son starts school this year and here is his list. I find the number of glue sticks to be high.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN

12 large glue sticks

1 set watercolors (8 ct.)

1 set Crayola marker, Thick

1 set dry erase markers

2 box Kleenex tissue (200 ct.)

1 pair scissors (Fiskars or equal)

3 boxes Crayola crayons (24 ct.)

2 spiral notebook

1 box pencils - #2 (12 ct.)

1 ream of white copy paper

2 hard plastic folders with pockets (no brads)

1 pkg. of baby wipes Lg.

1 box Ziploc bags Quart size

Large backpack WITHOUT wheels

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Okay so I see this posted on here all the time and other places as well about the senior or the childless couple and how they should not be required to pay for a child's education, did these childless couples or seniors not receive an education when they were a child? Did they not personally benefit from the education system? Even if you have no children and never want to, it is highly likely that a person went through the school system at some point. As a adult they can look at it as paying for the next generation or they can look at it as paying for their own education once they are stable enough to pay into the system (property tax, income tax) it makes no difference really whether a person has a child or not.

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

My son starts school this year and here is his list. I find the number of glue sticks to be high.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN

12 large glue sticks

Trust me they will use all of them and probably need more! I student taught in the Spring and we replaced glue sticks more than anything.

Our crazy item is a white t shirt with the child's first and last name written in 2-3 inch block letters.

Apparently due to budget cuts specials ( pe, art, music) will only b for part of the year and the kids have to wear these shirts over their clothes. It really bothers me that the just can't make a seating chart like everyone else. The only reason we have been given is so the teachers can better identify the students.

 

[MrsPete]

I really don't want to get in a debate on how your grandmothers situation is probably much different that the seniors retiring today or tomorrow. Maybe she had a pension plan, maybe her husband did, maybe she is getting both! She probably had a job that had low or no cost medical insurance, or her husband did? Inheritance? Windfall? She did live in a time that interest on a just a cd could get you 14%! Do the math and tell me how a blue collar workers today with no real pension plans or matching 401k ( the NORMAL now) can pay medical costs and save enough to ever be able to retire? Some people planned and invested for retirement but due to no fault of their own still lost most or all of it. Sometimes the best of planning does not make the dollar stretch to where it is needed.

But back to the school tax issue.


The issue of the benefits of education to society is not as much at debate here as is the fair distribution of those costs. Taking your lead of cost/benefit, is it important enough to vote to Double your school taxes so that all children can attend a private school of their choice? Exactly how important is the social benefit when it involves YOUR paying more. Should the childless couple pay double in property tax too?

How about this, would you vote to eliminate the federal tax deductions for dependent children? That federal money could be directed to the school system ( and be a lot more money that what is currently collected from seniors.) Or.... do you prefer to keep your "discount" for having more children? letting the childless couple and senior citizens property taxes subsidize the bill for their education?

I know this is not a popular subject in a mostly young family thread, but it is still food for thought.

BTW, No teacher should have to pay for a childs school supplies. It is great that so many caring teachers do that, but it is their charity not obligation.

Your arguments are all over the place, and I can't really see how they come together, but in response:

Yes, it's tough to save for retirement. The less money you earn, the tougher it is. Yes, I think today's generations (me included) have it harder than my grandmother's generation. However, if anything you're arguing that the working poor shouldn't pay for school taxes.

I agree that my argument is cost/benefit. Everyone pays the cost of schools, that's a fair division of costs and we all benefit -- for our entire lives -- by being surrounded by people who can all read, who can all qualify for entry level jobs. But how does that equate to doubling taxes for kids to go to private schools? I don't see the connection. I am in favor of strengthening the public schools, not sending kids out to private schools.

The childless couple may never pay for their own children to attend school, but they themselves were educated -- statistically, they were probably educated in the public school system. Just like the senior citizen, they benefit from living in an educated society, and that isn't free.

You suggest removing the federal child deduction. How does a decrease in federal taxes help schools, which are funded mostly from state taxes? Again, I'm missing the connection.

If I were in charge of the world, I would fund schools in two ways: Partly through taxes, which spreads the lion's share of the costs across all citizens. And I would charge families a fee for every child. Why? Because people often don't value what doesn't cost them directly. Charging a fee would make people sit up and take notice, it would encourage more involvement in schools -- and that can only help improve education.

 

[LaurenM]

Goodness. Where in Texas do you live??!! In the Houston area, most districts start at $45,000 for teachers with bachelor's degrees and zero years of experience. I just checked out three districts nearby (HISD, Pearland ISD, and Clear Creek ISD-- our district, Friendswood, doesn't post salary schedules) and they were all around the $45K mark for STARTING base pay. Are you sure about your numbers? --Katie

We are in the Lubbock area. the pay around here is AWFUL!

And yes, I am sure. I started at State Base last year. $27,500.