Purpose of school supply lists?

[beaucoup]

No kids. What's the purpose of these crazy school supply lists schools put out these days. We all attended school back in the stone age & just bought what we needed? Why does it need to be a certain exact brand or color or quantity or product?

Someone explain this waste of $ to me please? I'm not a huge fan of ANYONE ever telling me what I need to spend my money on or to buy.

Just let them buy what they NEED and not what the teacher WANTS.

I understand some glue sticks work better than others, etc, and I would appreciated that RECOMMENDATION to buy that certain product instead of an inferior brand, but some items like a certain color folder, or type of paper, etc just doesn't make a difference in quality or function.

I read the other thread & how a lot of the supplies are never even used.

DH was deployed last year. I spent $50 on school supplies to ship to him to donate to Operation Outreach Afghanistan to help the schools there. They were grateful for ANYTHING they received. I know the schools here need $ and supplies too, but maybe just be grateful for the brands and colors you get and not so demanding about it.

 

[jackie101]

The only specifics our school asks for is colored and sized binders. The size reason so they can fit in the desks and the color reason to keep the kids organized. Say red is for math.

 

[Earstou]

Not a teacher, but I used to volunteer in the classroom. The problem is that some supplies don't work well. The teacher wants to teach, not deal with half the class needing help glueing simply because they have faulty school supplies.
So they specify the brands they know work well. This allows them to spend quality time teaching.
Of course, as in anything (or anyone) in life, I think some teachers go overboard.

 

[ilovepete]

I was talking about this with my DH as well. We homeschool, so I wasn't aware of all of this. The thread about all of the school supplies makes me glad I don't have to deal with all of that, I think it would drive me crazy! I was discussing it with him, and both of us just bought and brought what we needed. No supply lists or things we had to share. I know my parents would have been happy to buy or donate for those that couldn't afford the supplies as well. But this communal thing is totally new to me! I'm 30, by the way, just for age reference.

 

[addicted2dizney]

The only specifics our school asks for is colored and sized binders. The size reason so they can fit in the desks and the color reason to keep the kids organized. Say red is for math.

I agree also I know when my kids were little they teachers would rec specific products only to prevent frustration with the kids. for example, certain brands of glue sticks just don't work that well. If they knew brand "x" were tried and true with the type of projects they did they would say to get that brand.

It was quite a list but I do believe all was used during the course of the year.

 

[disny_luvr]

I can't speak for other districts, I only know how my district does it (I work and live in the same district). Last year was the first year a school supply list was sent home. Before last year I never even hear of a school supply list, both as a teacher and a parent. Our district started this last year because of budget issues. I think our district is very reasonable in their school supply list as compared to some other districts. Last year my sons, both kindergartens, had a very small list that didn't specify brands. Their lists consisted of 1 pack of crayons, 1 pack of pencils, 1 pack of colored construction paper, 1 pack of dry erase markers, 1 pack of glue sticks (2 pk.), 2 boxes of tissues. I expect the list to be similar, if not the same, this year. I'm pretty sure most of those supplies got used last year, and if they didn't, I'm sure the teacher will use them this year. The middle school list (where I teach) is actually smaller and only asks for 1 box of (each) blue, black and red pens, 1 pack of pencils, 1 ream of lined notebook paper, 1 three-ring binder (which students are required to carry to all classes).

I agree though, some of the lists I've seen (mostly on here) are outrageous. I also don't like that districts are being picky about brand. I do think some brands are better than others, but as a teacher I'm happy to have pencils regardless if they are Ticonderoga or another brand.

 

[3pletprincesses]

My girls school is ridiculous when it comes to school supplies. which kids need 3 sets of coloring crayons or even better, 6 boxes of kleenex. Well when they started kindergarden this past September, I was amazed to see the teacher picking up the supplies and putting everything in the same box for all to use in 2 of the class rooms. The thrid one got to keep her own stuff. At the end of the year, the one tha tkept her stuff came back with more then half not used while they others got nothing to take back except binders.

In school supplies last September for my 5 yo triplets, it cost me a little over $200 and that was buying everything on sale.

 

[luvmy3]

Just let them buy what they NEED and not what the teacher WANTS.

Isn't what the teacher wants the students to have, what they need?

 

[TanyaS]

In elementary schools, the teachers sometimes collect all the supplies and then have bins of pencils or crayons for groups of students to share, instead of each child having their own supplies. I imagine it helps keep the class moving along when the teacher knows that the students all have these supplies ready to use (and the less organized child doesn't fall behind while searching for a pencil or crayon in their desk).

Our teachers have also color coded folders so that each student has, for example, a red folder for social studies and a yellow folder for science. The teacher can then easily see that every student has out the appropriate folder and that when folders are collected only an incorrect folder isn't collected by mistake.

 

[Finding Gigi]

For the school district my husband and I work for teachers are not allowed to send home a list but my daughter's school sends home a list. CA ed. code strictly forbids schools from asking for supplies on a list but we still get one. I am typically a person for follows the rules so we will have to see what is on my daughter's list before I quote the ed. code. It really bothers me that some schools bend the rules.

 

[LilyWDW]

Just a note... I am 30 and we has supply lists. This is not really a new thing. Ours even had specifics on them.

 

[Texashokies]

Most of the school supplies we are asked to buy are for communal use: crayons, paper, pencils, glue, klennex, etc.

Why? Because the schools have been in a budget crunch for years and it keeps getting worse.

 

[kamik86]

I haven't been out of school that long (I graduated high school 8 years ago) and even then we didn't have specific supply lists. We did get some recommendations to be sure we had for the year on the first day but most of these were common sense and we already had them (a box of crayons, pencils, pens once we got to late elementary school, and some notebooks or loose leaf paper)

We did have some recommended brands but again most of us knew these things already (plain pencils sharpened ok in the school sharpeners but the fancy character pencils never did, rose art crayons don't color as nice as crayolas, etc). But they weren't required, just something preferred.

In high school we had a few teachers require that we have a separate notebook/binder for their class. (so not a 3 subject for other classes too) but that was always in our best interest (the teacher would collect notebooks periodically so having it separate meant you weren't going without your notes for other classes)

ones that require everyone have red for math and blue for reading are ridiculous in my opinion. Even in early middle school when we first started switching classes teachers just expected us to be organized enough to have the right notebook in class.

 

[kamik86]

Most of the school supplies we are asked to buy are for communal use: crayons, paper, pencils, glue, klennex, etc.

Why? Because the schools have been in a budget crunch for years and it keeps getting worse.

When I was in elementary school many of these items were provided but by middle school they were not. However on here even for middle school students I have seen posts about needing to bring kleenex or dry erase markers. In my schools the people who needed those things brought them. We carried the little packs of kleenex with us and many of the teachers carried their own box of dry erase markers, especially those that changed classrooms throughout the day so they didn't have to wonder if the class would have any that worked.

 

[MrsPete]

A couple things have changed, things that aren't evident at first glance:

Schools are forced to provide more these days . . . with less money. Today we expect schools to have multiple computer labs, access to iPads in the classroom, etc. Busses cost more. SmartBoards are expected in every classroom now. Special ed costs are through the roof. Gas for the driver's ed cars is more expensive. To put that into perspective, when I was a kid, we didn't even have a telephone in the classroom: Just one in the office. Those things cost money. Money that use to go to classroom supplies. With less money, schools need parents to provide certain necessities -- or the kids will go without.

We never really bought "whatever we wanted" when we were in school. Rather, the teacher said, "You need a 3" binder notebook", and we bought a 3" binder notebook. Yes, we chose the plain pink cheap version or the expensive notebook with a screen print puppy on the front, but it was the same thing. A month later the teacher said, "You need to make a poster", and we bought a piece of poster board or (as was more likely in my house) scrounged some cardboard. It didn't seem like all that much because we bought it bit by bit. Today, as it's all listed on one page, it looks like more.

Also, when I was in school, we didn't have the one-cent and twenty-five cent deals at back-to-school time. We didn't bother to follow the sales or to stock up on compsition notebooks while they were ten cents. Today we have that option, so it's a favor for the school to let us know what we'll need all year long -- while it's still on sale.

Certain products exist that didn't exist when I was in school. No one ever asked me to provide hand sanitizer -- it didn't exist. I had a TI-35 calculator, which I think was about $15. In contast, no one had to list name brands because Crayola was the only game in town. Likewise, all the pencils on the shelf were decent quality. Today, with more choices, teachers have experience with what really works, and they help parents choose those things (as opposed to dealing with inferior products all year long, or having to replace it, which is more expensive in the long run).

As for products not being used, I can't say that's been a big problem for us. The only thing I can think of is that we've bought big packs of graph paper, only to find that it's been needed for only one unit -- but then we have the lion's share of the paper left for the next year. And if your .07 folder isn't used, I don't see it as a reason to complain.

Since I have kids and you don't, I can give you the bottom line here: School supplies aren't expensive. We watch the sales every fall, keep a good stock of basics in a box on top of the file cabinet, and for my two girls it costs about $25 total per year. About the cost of taking your family to a fast-food restaurant once. The two things that "cost" are backpacks and calculators, items that don't need to be replaced every year. Compared to all the other costs incurred in raising a child, this isn't even a drop in the bucket.

 

[patsal]

From my experiences with my own children and while watching students as their teacher: Name brands perform better with less frustration. Ticonderoga is solid graphite and writes smoothly without tearing the paper and erases clearly so students don't get frustrated. Crayola are bright and colorful and give kids the effects they are looking for, crayola markers do not dry out as quickly as rose art. Mead paper is crisp and thicker than off brands that tear easily and do not erase cleanly. Fisker scissors are sharp, cut clean lines and do not hurt kids hands because they are formed to better fit a child's grip.

I do not demand anything; however, if asked I would share that these work better and why. It also prevents frustration in students as well as everyone borrowing from the kid who has these brands. As for Kindergarten,for many here it is their first encounter with many of these products and it is helpful to know what others have learned the hard way.

 

[NemoMOm]

We are in the same boat-down to a specific brand of erasers. Which are a dollar a piece and I have only found them at Staples. I have spent about $50 bucks this year for my second grader. The thing that really chaps me is that they ask for specific brands, but do not list where to find them. Last year I went to 5 stores looking for different brands.

Even better? My son does not get to keep the supplies I bought!! The teacher throws them together and randomly hands them out. It ticked me off cause last year, someone did not buy the right folders and he got one.

So, this year? I bought a sharpie and everything has his name on it, which they ask us not to do. But if they don't like it they can provide the supplies. I don't mind spending more for his supplies but it makes me angry when he gets someone's cheaper supplies.

Ok done venting

 

[mjkacmom]

We are in the same boat-down to a specific brand of erasers. Which are a dollar a piece and I have only found them at Staples. I have spent about $50 bucks this year for my second grader. The thing that really chaps me is that they ask for specific brands, but do not list where to find them. Last year I went to 5 stores looking for different brands.

Even better? My son does not get to keep the supplies I bought!! The teacher throws them together and randomly hands them out. It ticked me off cause last year, someone did not buy the right folders and he got one.

So, this year? I bought a sharpie and everything has his name on it, which they ask us not to do. But if they don't like it they can provide the supplies. I don't mind spending more for his supplies but it makes me angry when he gets someone's cheaper supplies.

Ok done venting

I'm sure that will make your ds very popular with the teacher and the other kids. Having 2 in high school now, I have learned there are real issues to call teachers out sometimes - sharing school supplies is not the hill to die on (and become THAT parent so so early in your ds's schooling).

 

[CdnCarrie]

I haven't been out of school that long (I graduated high school 8 years ago) and even then we didn't have specific supply lists.

I've been out of school for 25 years and we had supply lists. Probably depends on the school divisions or even the individual school or teacher. It's not new.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I like having the lists as a guideline, and I tend to buy the brands, cause yeah, they are better. I am happy that my kids supplies have never been "shared", that would have annoyed me to no end. I put my kids names on everything.

This year I have no list for DS going into sixth grade. I have no idea if he will need spirals or binders. I have both, and just bought some folders I know he will always need etc.... I will buy some more as it goes on sale at Target, since they have an awesome return policy!!

His teachers are going to have to deal with what I have, since by the time I get the school list nothing will be on sale let alone left at my Target. Our lists come with the teacher assignments which is the last week of August, when we will be on vacation. So I will have about 2 days to shop before school starts... it should be interesting... LOL.