School supply rant! Too much $$$

[Teacher03]

My DD's school supply this year is even more ridiculous than in the past! The school secretary emailed it to me, and I cut and pasted the 4th grade list into Microsoft word. To get it to fit on one sheet of paper, I had to format it to single spaced (with a line between each item), size 12 font, two columns. If you are familiar with Word, you can probably imagine how many items this really is!

Now, I understand that maybe everyone is not able to purchase supplies at every school. But, I live in an affluent area and this is not the problem with our school district. Who knows what the problem is...and who knows why she needs 10 notebooks either...

I start student teaching this Fall, and hopefully will find a teaching job soon. Hopefully, I will be able to control the list of school supplies that I require children in my class to bring in. First of all, it is a hastle for all the children and their families to purchase and supply all the materials. Second, as a teacher in a small classroom, why on earth would I want 100 boxes of Kleenex and 100 things of baby wipes in the classroom? Seriously...

Believe it or not, my class went through 115 boxes of Kleenex last year. I had 17 students. My school does not supply them, and if I had to buy them myself, I would have spent over $100 on tissues alone. I ask each student to bring in 3 boxes at the beginning of the year, 3 boxes after Christmas, and when those run out, I put them on my wish list or buy them myself. I don't ask for baby wipes, but I do ask for the cleaning wipes. We probably go through 15 containers a year. If I have any left over, they go on with the class to the next teacher. Good luck with your student teaching, I hope it is a great experience for you. My cooperating teacher was excellent, I loved every minute of it !

 

[HLDisney]

I envy those of you who already have your lists. My DD won't get hers until the first week of school. All I can do now is buy some of the loss leader stuff I've been seeing at various stores and hoping the supply list will be similar to last year (she's going from pre-K to K so I'm guessing the supply list won't be too different)

Helen

 

[Aristomommy]

Our school gives out a grade specific supply list at the end of the year. With the Staples and Walmart deals, I was able to get everything for less than $20. But once school starts, each teacher will hand out their own list in addition to the grade list and who know what's on that list. DDs 2nd grade teacher had a huge list but I didn't mind as most stuff we had around the house. Bad thing about that is when teachers ask for more school supplies and the sales are over in September.....

 

[KadysMom]

I know the schools dont supply kleenex. I always sent DD5 with her own little kleenex pack so she could blow her nose. I know she could go through a box on her own quickly. I dont mind sending in kleenex. I know that some parents dont and their kid can go through a box no problem..... It is not up to the teachers to supply kleenex for your kid... Now I will go to Costco and send in a giant pack for the classroom.

 

[mom2jamie]

we are here in NH and YES My kids schools ALso require that *WE* supply the Supplies!!! Pens, markers, crayons, tissues , hand gel and more........I hear ya! OH and we have to keep these stocked all year ( ie the school does not provide these so if my kids run out/ run low, they send a note home telling me they need more such and such)
this is what I say: about all the money I spend....

Hey I live In Rochester....Considering what we pay for taxes here you should not have to pay for any supplies to the school system.

 

[WendyisDarling]

I may as well pile on...
Some things irk me and others I don't mind so much. When my kids first started school, I didn't like the idea of "pooling" supplies. But, when I saw how much easier it was for the teacher to just distribute supplies when needed, it made sense. It can be hard to manage everything in those desk cubbies, so it seems easier if there is a project that requires glue sticks (or whatever) for the teacher to just pass them out for the project and collect them again. Same with markers, etc.

Our school can no longer put tissues, ziplocks, wipes, etc. on the supply list. For the last couple of years it has read "optional" for those items. Maybe there were a lot of complaints. I don't care to send in some of this stuff. I know teachers spend a lot OOP. Although the pp who has to send in 8 boxes of tissues (wow). I think our school asks for one per child and as the year goes on the teacher will send home a note asking if parents mind sending in more.

My DS in MS isn't asked to bring in tissues (except one, one teacher gave extra credit--IMO, this is not appropriate). DS says the teachers put out rolls of TP (what the school supplies). He says he doesn't care, it works the same.

Hand Sanitizer -- my pet peeve. I think it is good for occassional use, but I don't know if my kids ever wash their hands at school anymore with soap and water. I am a bit of a germaphobe, but one that prefers soap and water especially before going to lunch. It makes me ill that they go to recess, wipe their hands with sanitizer and then eat lunch. I insist my kids wash their hands as soon as they get home from school. They always look dirty. (Someday they will complain to a therapist that their mom gave them OCD).

I'm sort of glad the school provides supply lists early (end of the previous school year) but get annoyed that they aren't updated and items no longer needed (or manufactured) are still on the list. Then, the teachers have their own new list when they go to class the first day.

My final school supply musings: I have one son who is in a self-contained special needs classroom most of the day. He still is asked to bring all the supplies for his reg ed class. Why? He is only in there for science and social studies, he doesn't need the extra folders. Since so many supplies are pooled, I decided on my own that I wouldn't donate 20 glue sticks, he isn't the one using them. I send in maybe half. I do the same with a lot of the items that are needed in multiples.
As far as his self-contained class goes, I am interested to know from other parents what your school does. DS doesn't get a list for that teacher. I don't know if the sp.ed. department supplies things or what. I send in typical supplies like markers, crayons, pencils and often they are sent home at the end of the year unusued. However, I know that sp.ed. teachers spend a lot of their own money on specialized supplies so I really try to help out as much as I can for them. They don't request wipes, tissues, ziplock bags etc. But, I bring in bags of them. I also send in reward items and lots of velcro (parents of autistic kids know how much velcro PECS and other teaching methods use).

 

[wtpntigger2]

As a teacher and a parent, I have to wonder how many of these teachers with very specialized lists are parents themselves. I know I am more concious in what I ask for for the classroom now that I am a parent who has to buy school supplies for my own child.

I teach middle school special education, and honestly, I supply most of what I need myself. The students are supposed to have looseleaf paper, but I think they eat it all before my class and therefore, it comes out of my stash. Same with pencils. I bought 15 of the 1 cent 12-packs at Staples. Those 180 pencils won't last me the entire school year.

My dd is going into K this year. I am a bit irritated by the specificity of some of the items such as washable Crayola markers. IMO the regular Crayolas wash off just fine and I was going to refuse to buy the washable ones as they are so much more expensive. Luckily those went on sale this week at Target for $1.50 however that is still almost twice what I paid for the regular ones ($0.88). We are also supposed to send in a dozen of the thick beginner pencils. Why????? My dd writes just fine with a normal pencil, so why should she regress and then have to relearn how to write with a normal pencil? I'll be chatting with the classroom teacher about that one. I also have issue with the number of dry erase markers. She wants a six pack (never seen that size) plus an additional two black ones plus eraser. Again, luckily, I found a large pack of them at Costco with the eraser and will send it what is requested and just keep the remainder for my own classroom, but I don't understand the need for so many. I still have most of the dry erase markers I bought last year for my own classroom.

Those are just some things that bug me because even from both points of view, I don't see the need for what is being requested. I also think teachers should supply their own ziploc baggies. From what has been said their purposes are, it sounds as if it is for the teacher's benefit, not the students. I would consider classroom organization supplies my expense not my students.

I love school supply shopping, but I love getting a baragin on them even better.

 

[Matt'sMom]

...so I'm looking at $100 for school supplies...It gets better in high school, right?

That's not all that bad, actually. I wish DS's school supplies were that inexpensive. We probably pay at least twice that or more. Our schools do a lot of hands-on type projects (building models, creating power points and printing reports using their home computers, etc.)... in addition to the basics necessities like binders, folders, backpacks, paper & pens, gym 'uniforms', etc.. And last year they spent a week away at an overnight camp for environmental studies as part of their regular school curriculum (which each student had to contribute c. $150 towards).

Any ways, just wait until college!!! Expect to pay $70-$100 or more just for a single book for some courses... not to mention the $$$ for 'supplies' for science labs &/or art classes.

 

[connab]

I am so tired of having to supply for other children, and those children have to 100 shoes and cloths and crap like that and also, they are of course getting FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH! I just dont understand why these parents get away with crap like that. I ate lunch with my son last year at school and 60% are getting free lunch, but yet they have ICE CREAM MONEY!!! Most of those kids arent even eating thier lunches, or they will just eat an apple or crackers out of it. Why not take the freakin shoes back and buy your kids own lunch!! Where are your priorities? The pooling supplies just really bothers me. I have 2 kids and we pay our own way I dont see why others dont feel obligated to help out too. For those who have medical issues and really have valid reason why you take advantage of others I have no problem helping but for the 99% of other that are just lazy and just expect others to provide for their children, I wish something could be done. We dont have just money laying around.

 

[mytwotinks]

I really don't mind sending in the things that my kid will use. It does bug me when I send in 10 dry erase markers and get a not that my kid is out of dry erase markers a couple of months later .

It also drives me crazy when I go all over town looking for the super specific items on the list and then my kid brings it home unused or gets to use it for play during the school year. There should be nothing on the list that is not absolutely necessary.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

ITA. Some of the teachers at DDs school collected all the supplies that were brought in, then handed them out randomly. Fortunately it wasn't her teacher, or I would have had a fit. Like you I don't want to start out the year fighting with the teacher, but if I buy my kid specific folders, I expect her to be able to use those folders.

This year the "basic" list (from the school, we will get a "specific" list from her teacher if she needs anything else... calls for 5 plain folders, some pens, paper and erasers. I'm not too worried about that stuff being pooled, and if I need to I will buy her more sturdy folders after I see what she ends up with. But I will put her name on the composition books, because she picked out the color covers she wanted and as far as I am concerned she owns them so nobody has the right to take them away.

I had this problem with my oldest in Kindergarten. I was sent the supply list before school started. She was very nervous about school and it made her feel better to by character items, folders, pencils etc. I didn't know that the teacher was going to pool all the items. My DD didn't get to use any of her items and she came home in tears that her kitty folder went to another kid.

 

[MrsPete]

I also think teachers should supply their own ziploc baggies. From what has been said their purposes are, it sounds as if it is for the teacher's benefit, not the students. I would consider classroom organization supplies my expense not my students.

What benefits the teacher ALSO benefits the student. I can't say that I use a great number of ziplocks, but I do use them to organize activities that I've put together for groupwork use. For example, I have hand-made laminated cards that we lay out on the floor when we're learning to put together an outline. I have "sets" so that the students can work in groups for the first couple outlines. If I put them into ziplocks, then they're all set to hand out next time -- they stay together with little effort on my part. If I simply toss them into a desk drawer, they're going to get lost, and I'll end up re-creating this very good lesson. That means less time for other things that the class needs.

Teachers get very little support from . . . well, anyone. If a bag of ziplocks makes the teacher's day a little easier, then it's also good for your child.

 

[MrsPete]

I really don't mind sending in the things that my kid will use. It does bug me when I send in 10 dry erase markers and get a not that my kid is out of dry erase markers a couple of months later .

It could be legitimate. Cheap dry erase markers like they sell at Walmart are gone in no time flat -- seriously, I've had some really bad markers that've dried up in only a day's use. The better markers last about two weeks; and that's two weeks of teacher-use, which is pretty constant.

 

[Terry36]

It could be legitimate. Cheap dry erase markers like they sell at Walmart are gone in no time flat -- seriously, I've had some really bad markers that've dried up in only a day's use. The better markers last about two weeks; and that's two weeks of teacher-use, which is pretty constant.

Thanks for this note....I did not realize this. My DD needs some this year and I only bought her 2 so I will go and purchase more while they are on sale at Wal-greens.

 

[MrsPete]

I am so tired of having to supply for other children, and those children have to 100 shoes and cloths and crap like that and also, they are of course getting FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH! I just dont understand why these parents get away with crap like that. I ate lunch with my son last year at school and 60% are getting free lunch, but yet they have ICE CREAM MONEY!!! Most of those kids arent even eating thier lunches, or they will just eat an apple or crackers out of it. Why not take the freakin shoes back and buy your kids own lunch!! Where are your priorities? The pooling supplies just really bothers me. I have 2 kids and we pay our own way I dont see why others dont feel obligated to help out too. For those who have medical issues and really have valid reason why you take advantage of others I have no problem helping but for the 99% of other that are just lazy and just expect others to provide for their children, I wish something could be done. We dont have just money laying around.

I was one of those kids whose parents couldn't afford supplies. Believe me, it was no picnic. Do you think I didn't know my parents weren't doing their part? I remember painfully the teacher pointing out, "You still don't have a protractor?" (or some other supply -- it happened frequently). As for having 100 pairs of shoes, that's a laugh. By spring, my tennis shoes always had holes; how could they not? They were the only pair I owned. At least they paired well with my too-short jeans. Do you think I enjoyed walking through the lunch line every day saying "free lunch" in front of everyone? Once I reached high school, I picked up on the trick of pretending I was dieting -- it was a good excuse to skip the lunch line. For four straight years I didn't eat lunch because I was so ashamed of that situation. Believe me, I wasn't laughing, "Ha-ha, I'm using your kid's glue stick! More money for my mutual fund!" Many of these kids are very much aware that they're living off charity. I was terribly ashamed of this, and I only wish we'd pooled supplies back when I was in school; perhaps for one moment of my school day I could've had something decent like the other kids. My parents didn't really have a "valid reason to take advantage of others", but I was the victim of the situation.

If it bothers you that much, just don't do it. You can "get away with that crap" too and save the $10 that the pooled supplies would've cost. The pooled supplies are always just crayons and glue sticks anyway, which are on sale everywhere for less than a quarter right now.

I'll be sending in my kids' share plus plenty more -- my priorities are in the right place.

 

[kathi29]

The pooled supplies are not always just crayons and glue sticks. Several of the teachers here pool folders, composition notebooks, spiral notebooks, etc. If I know ahead of time that they are going to pool that stuff, I will buy plain colored supplies. But if I buy my kid a puppy folder, she has the right to be able to use that folder.

This is not to say I think kids should do without, because I will gladly double my purchases so kids that need supplies will have them. But don't take away what my kid has and randomly hand it out. One of DDs friends had that happen to her in 1st grade and her mom went in to the teacher and made her search the stuff out and return it.

I just want to know in advance if they are pooling, so I can make sure DD isn't spending an hour in the school supply aisle carefully selecting things that she won't get to use.

 

[connab]

The people I was talking about is the kids that have $100.00 shoes and all the "name brand" cloths and all the bells and whistles. I am not talking about the kids that are truely in need. There is a big difference. These kids have more then most and we are flipping the bill for it. When I was growing up, the kids that had reduced or free lunch were VERY embarrased, but now when I go to my sons school, these kids dont give a crap. They have there free lunch(which they waist) and then they go and get Ice Cream. I graduated in '88 and kids were truley ashamed when they had to have there card stamped for Lunch, and those kids were NOT the kids that had the Nike Air shoes or the Sean Jean stuff.. Some parents work and still dont get ahead, but then there are others that CHOOSE not to do anything and WE ALL have to pay for it, and their kids grow up the same and the cycle repeats itself. There's kids in my sons class last year that had free lunch and he had were dressed to the 9's and my son has Target cloths not Macy's or all those expensive cloths from the mall because we cant afford that. Oh, and one more thing, the items that I have to by for my son for school I wish was only $10.00 so far I have spent well over $40.00 and I am not done yet.

 

[jcc0621]

But some of the things I just can't get that cheaply (kleenex, ziploc bags, hand sanitizer).

You can get these things at the dollar store too, some of them 2 for $1

Also, the taxes don't go to everyday supplies for the schools. They go to things like HEating, electricity, BOOKs, teacher salaries, and all the extras that if they didn't have parents would complain about (i.e sports, music, art, etc) So my argument to that would be pay the $70.00 for school supplies, or let them rais your taxes MORE to provide the supplies your child needs and most of which can be purchased at the $$ store.

 

[gemjoy]

it. When I was growing up, the kids that had reduced or free lunch were VERY embarrased, but now when I go to my sons school, these kids dont give a crap. They have there free lunch(which they waist) and then they go and get Ice Cream.

So... let me understand what you are saying. You think that if you're going to "take advantage of the system" you better at least be good and ashamed. Sorry, but IMHO these are still children we're talking about - let's be fair here. I'm sorry, but nobody should be made to feel second rate because they can't afford to pay full price for school lunch And if the parents are truley taking advantage, well then, shame on them - but don't blame the kids.

I always let my kids pick out the fancy folders and notebooks, pencils etc... My dd likes to "share" with some of the girls in her class - and I'm okay with that too... I think she's learning about generosity and realizes at a very young age that she's fortunate and that some kids don't have as much as others.

I happened to stock up on glue and pencils this year - those items will be donated to the class. And I always provide tissues (I don't expect the teacher to provide these to my dd and ds)

 

[mytwotinks]

It could be legitimate. Cheap dry erase markers like they sell at Walmart are gone in no time flat -- seriously, I've had some really bad markers that've dried up in only a day's use. The better markers last about two weeks; and that's two weeks of teacher-use, which is pretty constant.

Our list always says Expo and I have always gotten the Expo ($$$) brand so I don't think that was it. My dd told me that some of the kids brought colors (even though the list said black) so the kids with the black ones (out of the comunity pile) would throw theirs in the trash and take a colored marker. I thought it was pretty sad the my then 6 year old could figure out what the kids were doing, but the teacher was still allowing the waste. I don't mean to be a nag, but it is usually pretty obvious when a kid is just being deceptive to try to get something better. I would have made them prove to me that the marker was dry before I would let them take another.