specific school supplies frustration

[MM27]

My DD is going into 7th grade. Her list had latex free pencils . She likes the mechanical ones so that's what we bought. No one else s/b using my child's pencil so I don't understand the point of that.

I've learned over the years to use the list as a guide and not the bible. One year they asked for a specific brand/color folder that the manufacturer didn't even make .

As for RoseArt stuff, it really is junk compared to Crayola.

Latex free erasers actually erase better than regular erasers. Perhaps that's why they wanted the latex free pencils.

In my class I don't allow mechanical pencils at all. They become more trouble than they are worth between the kids that argue over lead to the ones that are filling them or counting their lead pieces over and over. Nobody uses them.

We are not allowed to send supply lists, but I will usually ask for at least a box of tissues per student. I'm lucky if 5 kids bring them. For me, it's easier to get the things I want myself when they have the sales. Some kids will bring their own pencils, crayons, etc., but I supply those things as well as notebooks and folders for all of my students.

 

[swanmom]

Rose Art products are horrible! I still have nightmares about a Rose Art Play Dough incident over ten years ago.

OK. Who else besides me wants to hear the rest of THAT story???

 

[leight]

I just wish that the schools would put together packages of items they want for each grade and let the PTA sell them for a slight profit. I would certainly buy them to save the gas from having to hunt down the items. I imagine that they could order/buy in bulk as a non-profit and sell at a decent rate- this would take care of some of the fund raising and making sure they have the supplies that are needed.

 

[mamacatnv]

DD attends a public charter school. We pay an annual supplies fee which is by far cheaper than what I used to spend for the supply list and everyone has the same stuff, there is no having to pool good crayons with crappy ones etc.

 

[mamacatnv]

OK. Who else besides me wants to hear the rest of THAT story???

ME

 

[princessmom29]

From a teacher and a mom:
1. You cannot just say "good quality" and expect to actually get it. Most parents are going to buy the cheapest thing they can get thier hands on unless you specify EXACTLY what you want. If I need something specific I typically give several examples of what is acceptable.

2. Crayola is just better, and cheap pencils really do become a problem when 30 kids need to resharpen that pencil several times a day. It is disruptive.

3. I wish public schools could just do supply kits like DD's private school does, but we cannot. We have to hope parents buy supplies, and provide them, out of the teacher's own pocket, when they don't. I spend at least a few hundred dollars of my own money every year providing pencils, paper, pens, paper towels, soap, ect for my students.

 

[TiggerStac]

I just wish that the schools would put together packages of items they want for each grade and let the PTA sell them for a slight profit. I would certainly buy them to save the gas from having to hunt down the items. I imagine that they could order/buy in bulk as a non-profit and sell at a decent rate- this would take care of some of the fund raising and making sure they have the supplies that are needed.

We actually offered this at our school this year, thru staples. There were 2 different co's we looked at staples and one other (can't remember) we got the lists from teacher/principal and worked w/staples. The sets will be here in about 2 weeks.

Each child will get their own "box" it's sort of brief case size with all their supplies in it, including paper towels and sanitizer. I did not buy one because I knew I could get things cheaper on my own. PTO isn't making much profit on it, maybe $2ish on each case, but we could mark it up to what we wanted. it worked out well for the parents who don't want to shop around and be bothered. For me...so far I've gotten 5 single subject notebooks for .75. My son's box was $30. with some things that he already has at home that I can send in and the new things I'll probably end up $10ish out of pocket.

 

[Sugardimples]

NOT a bad idea except they chains buy the worst of the worst when it comes to crayons but then they are better then nothing.

I see a lot of Crayola around here.

 

[ilovemk76]

NOT a bad idea except they chains buy the worst of the worst when it comes to crayons but then they are better then nothing.

They usually only have 3 colors.

 

[princessmom29]

I see a lot of Crayola around here.

If we see crayola, it is a mom and pop place not a chain, and they re-use them.

 

[leight]

On another note, the list that came home from dd#2 in 2nd grade stunned me.

They wanted tennis balls(ok I get that for the chair bottoms) 1 6-pack Northern toilet paper, 3 pack brawny paper towels, 1 ream colored print paper, 1 ream white print paper, 6 3pks of glue sticks, 2 school glue, 2 blue gel glue, 3 pack Kleenex tissues, 2 each prong folders red, blue, white, purple, yellow & orange, 3 single subject wide ruled notebooks in each color above, 4 packs wide ruled liner paper, 4 marble notebooks black only, 2 fiskar scissors, 12- 12 packs of sharpened pencils, 2 12pks red pens, 4 black dry erase markers,2 wooden rulers, 6 boxes crayola 24 ct, 4 box crayola markers, 4 boxes crayola colored pencils. 4 2 pack pink erasers, 64oz hand sanitizer and 24oz hand soap, paper cups, plates, napkins-no print, 1 bx each ziploc brand(specified!) sandwich, quart and gallon bags, snacks for 30 (individually wrapped) juice boxes for 30, 10-pack computer disks, 2gb thumbdrive, 2 new books for the classroom, duct tape (hated to think what they were going to do with this!) The hardest thing to find were the two index card books- separate ones weren't allowed they had to be in preforated books.

Now this is what the teacher wanted- there was also a district list and then the 2nd grade list for all 2nd grade teachers in the school that was sent with the welcome pack. I had already bought the items on the list sent with the welcome pack so had to add on with the teacher's list. Now I buy staples and add as needed by using common sense. The teacher actually took all of the supplies- especially the 144 pencils - and kept them and would only allow each child to get two per day if they need to exchange broken ones for a sharpened pencil. She ranted at open school nite (3 wks into the school year) about how we needed to make sure that kids came in with pencils everyday. One parent stood up and said that they spent over $60 on her supply list what happened to the 12 packs I sent in? I was silently cheering. The teacher actually said that because 50% of the kids are on free lunches we have to send extra supplies to cover their supply needs and that she can't afford to. She was a horrible teacher and this was just the first of a litany of issues I had with her thru the year.

I now keep much of the supply at home to send throughout the year so that my daughter is never without. I don't need to supply the whole class!

 

[minniebeth]

I just wish that the schools would put together packages of items they want for each grade and let the PTA sell them for a slight profit. I would certainly buy them to save the gas from having to hunt down the items. I imagine that they could order/buy in bulk as a non-profit and sell at a decent rate- this would take care of some of the fund raising and making sure they have the supplies that are needed.

My DD's school does do this through Staples. It's an option~ like TiggerStac said, they make a very small profit on it. They had a lot of problems with the quality of several items in the boxes. Binders fell apart in days and there were issues with other items as well. The company replaced the items but it was a pain since it is a K-8 school. Many of the items didn't make it through the year and parents ended up re-buying stuff anyway. The kits are NOT cheap. It is convenient in the beginning of the year, but I choose to do our own for better quality and for a fraction of the price with sales.

 

[minniebeth]

I wanted to add, as a former teacher, I know how much $$ so many of you teachers put out for supplies. As a parent, it's easy to gripe about lists and costs, but you are appreciated for all you give to your classes.

 

[Ceila]

I wanted to add, as a former teacher, I know how much $$ so many of you teachers put out for supplies. As a parent, it's easy to gripe about lists and costs, but you are appreciated for all you give to your classes.

Absolutely! In elementary grades, I usually send in extras of whatever is on the list, plus some things that I think the teacher will use throughout the year. I buy a new reusable grocery bag, put everything in it, and drop it off at the school for their teacher before the school year starts.

 

[scrapquitler]

My dgd will be in the 4th grade this year and he recieved his school supply list. Among the request were 3 packs of 12 American made pencils and Crayola crayons. We priced the pencils and they were $14.95 for 12 and the package stated American made and what's wrong with Rose Art crayons?

The crayola crayons really ARE better quality. The pack of 16 is 40 cents at WalMart. I'll spring for that rather than the Roseart for 25 cents because the Crayola are way less likely to break.

As for the pencils, that's ridiculous. I'll buy the packs that cost $1. My goal is for my child to have a writing implement, not to make a political statement. If the school wants my child to use American Made Pencils they can provide them at more than $1 per pencil because I'm not paying that much.

My problem was my daughters 5th grade year. The teacher specified certain colored binders, notebooks and folders for each subject. That particular year, none of the stores HAD some of the colors that the teacher required. And why did my child's homework folder HAVE to be solid yellow, why couldn't she have the one with the cute kitten on? That was just dumb.

 

[ccgirl]

My dgd will be in the 4th grade this year and he recieved his school supply list. Among the request were 3 packs of 12 American made pencils and Crayola crayons. We priced the pencils and they were $14.95 for 12 and the package stated American made and what's wrong with Rose Art crayons?

If that's it, you should see my DD's list!

Do they mean American made as in "Made in the USA?" If so, there are a ton of them out there. I think I got some at the Dollar Tree for $1 a pack. As to the crayons....they are not created equal. Rose Art stinks compare to Crayola. I just got a pack for 75 cents though so I don't really see a big deal. They were only 25 cents more. I buy my list by getting some every few weeks. That way I'm not paying all at once.

 

[aprilgail2]

Latex free erasers actually erase better than regular erasers. Perhaps that's why they wanted the latex free pencils.

In my class I don't allow mechanical pencils at all. They become more trouble than they are worth between the kids that argue over lead to the ones that are filling them or counting their lead pieces over and over. Nobody uses them.

We are not allowed to send supply lists, but I will usually ask for at least a box of tissues per student. I'm lucky if 5 kids bring them. For me, it's easier to get the things I want myself when they have the sales. Some kids will bring their own pencils, crayons, etc., but I supply those things as well as notebooks and folders for all of my students.

My daughter only like mechanical pencils so thats what she uses most of the time. We are always one of the families that send in the tissues etc because the teachers give extra credit on tests for each box of tissues- 10 points on first test for two boxes of tissues etc.

 

[princessmom29]

As for the pencils, that's ridiculous. I'll buy the packs that cost $1. My goal is for my child to have a writing implement, not to make a political statement. If the school wants my child to use American Made Pencils they can provide them at more than $1 per pencil because I'm not paying that much.

.

the $1 a pack pencils are junk. Plain and simple. they constantly break. Asking for American made is not about politics at all, it is about getting a decent quality pencil so that 30 kids don't have to sharpen them 4-5 times a day. You can also get by with fewer pencils becuase they are not constantly being sharpened to a numb. One or two 12 packs of good pencils will get a kid through the year. With the chrap ones, you are using that many in a month a lot of the time.

I can also tell you whay they ask for specific colors. If all the homework folders are yellow, they are really easy for the kids to find. No one is spending 10 min looking for it becuase they cannot remebmer which one is which. It also keeps the kid whose parent cannot afford the "cutsey" folder form getting teased. It just makes the classroom run mroe smoothly to make everything uniform. I don't see why it is uch a big deal to get the colors asked for if it makes your child's day run more smoothly??

 

[lemondog]

Luckily the only brand specifications my kids have are Fiskars scissors and Elmers glue. Our problem this year has been finding white plastic 2-pocket folders with brads. Apparently they don't make these in white or if they do then nowhere in our area sells them because NONE of the parents have been able to find them.

 

[Ceila]

As for the pencils, that's ridiculous. I'll buy the packs that cost $1. My goal is for my child to have a writing implement, not to make a political statement. If the school wants my child to use American Made Pencils they can provide them at more than $1 per pencil because I'm not paying that much.

I don't think they're trying to make a political statement. As has been pointed out up-thread, American-made pencils are generally of a higher quality than others. The lead doesn't gall out, the erasers don't fall out, the kids aren't constantly sharpening them all day long, etc. I'd rather have my kids in their seats learning and not jumping up to sharpen their pencils because they keep breaking.

And American-made pencils are NOT $1 each. Go to Target or Walmart. There are PLENTY of good pencils at reasonable prices. I know, I was at both of them yesterday afternoon.