Why does my first grader need 20 LARGE glue sticks?

[Daxx]

No I wasnt offended, just wanted to point out that I do have several kids so I have some idea of what they do use and how they use it. I know kids are messy, thats pretty much a given.

Another item I thought was excessive was pencils. I have been asked to send 48 before. To me thats a lot. I believe another parent on the thread stated they were ask for 96 (I need to go back and look for that post to be sure).

That's b/c in 1st grade, they are pencil sharpener obsessed! I swear to you!!! They have to use that dang thing every 10 seconds!!! I don't know what it is about the pencil sharpener, but I swear it calls out to them, beckons them and only they can hear it call their name. They'll purposely break their tip just to use the thing over and over. While 48 may seem excessive, I would be willing to guess that by the time Winter Break rolls around, you might need to supply them w/more.

Kids drop their pencils, leave them heaven knows where and then there's the pencil sharpener that magically eats them!!!! Of course, when they're on the floor, they belong to "Not Mine" (he's a v. popular student, btw). At the end of the day, you'd be amazed at how many pencils belonging to "Not Mine" were in the pencil box in front of the classroom.

 

[Becky2005]

One of my sons had on his list one year 48 pencils. Thats more than 1 a week. How could you go through that many?

Oh, I don't know....my kids pencils disappear into thin air. The 20 glue sticks is a bit much but I've now learned to just buy a HUGE amount of pencils because before the year is over, we will probably even run out of the ones I bought.

Markers, pens, glue sticks, crayons those all last...but pencils -- who knows what they do with them.

We always have a rather large school supply list. I was floored when a USB (flash drive) was listed on my DD's Middle School list last year. It was listed as optional but as much as she used it, I really think it was more a requirement. The new one this year for her is "heart monitor strap" that they are required....my hunch on that is some company got a sweet contract with the school (since they have to be bought through the PTO). It's so they learn to keep a target heart rate but as my DH says "what's wrong with taking your pulse?" *sigh*

Edited to add: I went and looked at our supply list to check out how many Glue sticks -- 1st graders aren't allowed to have glue sticks!!!! Literally -- that's the only grade that says "2 No gel, glitter or stick" (under the Elmer's School Glue -- 4 oz white only). Even Kindergarten they were to have 1 glue & 2 glue sticks. Other grades vary between 2 or 1 glue stick plus glue. Then 5th grade is 2 Glue Sticks.

 

[aprilgail2]

That's b/c in 1st grade, they are pencil sharpener obsessed! I swear to you!!! They have to use that dang Of course, when they're on the floor, they belong to "Not Mine" (he's a v. popular student, btw). At the end of the day, you'd be amazed at how many pencils belonging to "Not Mine" were in the pencil box in front of the classroom.

I buy the pencils with my daughters name printed on them, this way she always knows which ones are hers and they are not for sharing with anyone that doesn't bring in their own supplies. I send in a plain box of yellow pencils to the teacher for sharing, my daughters supplies are not for sharing.

 

[Daxx]

I buy the pencils with my daughters name printed on them, this way she always knows which ones are hers and they are not for sharing with anyone that doesn't bring in their own supplies. I send in a plain box of yellow pencils to the teacher for sharing, my daughters supplies are not for sharing.

That's great. However, in the inner city where I teach, the kids barely have money for plain pencils let alone pricier name pencils! Anyway, I doubt you will find the following names on name pencils: Shaneequiah, Yosiah, Nassan, Esperance, Angeliyah, Jaxin, Jahmiela and Octavius. Yep -- just a few of my students this fall. And, heaven forbid you label your kids things.

Bringing extras for the teacher for sharing?! Hahahahahaha!!!! Not in my school! Wow -- that's something I'd love to see!!

 

[Jenn Lynn]

That's great. However, in the inner city where I teach, the kids barely have money for plain pencils let alone pricier name pencils! Anyway, I doubt you will find the following names on name pencils: Shaneequiah, Yosiah, Nassan, Esperance, Angeliyah, Jaxin, Jahmiela and Octavius. Yep -- just a few of my students this fall. And, heaven forbid you label your kids things.

Bringing extras for the teacher for sharing?! Hahahahahaha!!!! Not in my school! Wow -- that's something I'd love to see!!

I can't even find Avery.

 

[aprilgail2]

That's great. However, in the inner city where I teach, the kids barely have money for plain pencils let alone pricier name pencils! Anyway, I doubt you will find the following names on name pencils: Shaneequiah, Yosiah, Nassan, Esperance, Angeliyah, Jaxin, Jahmiela and Octavius. Yep -- just a few of my students this fall. And, heaven forbid you label your kids things.

Bringing extras for the teacher for sharing?! Hahahahahaha!!!! Not in my school! Wow -- that's something I'd love to see!!

You won't find my daughters name on a pencil either, I have to mail away and have them done that way. Some of the parents send in extras to share and the PTA gives each teacher a set amount of money for them to spend on what they need for the classroom each year. I just do not like being forced to bring in extras to share,. One year they decided to "pool" all the crayons together in the classroom and that really ticked me off, I buy my daughter Crayola and she gets to use some dollar tree crap crayons while the kid that brings inthe crap gets the crayolas...no thanks to that-now I label every single crayon with a label with her name on it.

 

[Daxx]

You won't find my daughters name on a pencil either, I have to mail away and have them done that way. Some of the parents send in extras to share and the PTA gives each teacher a set amount of money for them to spend on what they need for the classroom each year. I just do not like being forced to bring in extras to share,. One year they decided to "pool" all the crayons together in the classroom and that really ticked me off, I buy my daughter Crayola and she gets to use some dollar tree crap crayons while the kid that brings inthe crap gets the crayolas...no thanks to that-now I label every single crayon with a label with her name on it.

You're v. lucky that you can afford the best crayons, special order name pencils, extras for the teacher, etc.

Sadly, my students are v. happy (and v. lucky) to have brand new Dollar Tree crap crayons. They'd rather have new crap crayons instead of no crayons or the broken remnants of stuff they've had or what's recycled from their older siblings. I have a community crayon box that I personally supply b/c I know that half my students won't have the supplies they need.

The school gives us next to nothing as far as supplies go (I buy chalk, markers, paper, etc.), so it comes out of my pocket. I'm the one going to XPEDX asking if they have damaged boxes of paper that they can donate to our school.

Sure, it's a private school -- their parents all get Bison Funding (which is scholarship funding based on income) and struggle to pay tuition. Their parents pay tuition and have little left b/c our private school is far better than the zoo's that they call public school in the area.

Home School Association helping us out -- heck, they have no cash! They can barely run fundraisers b/c parents don't have the money to spend on them.

Welcome to the 'hood. Consider yourself fortunate to be able to afford the best school supplies and to live in a neighborhood w/decent schools. The publics in the inner city tend to be hellholes!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

It's to clean up all the glue

HEY! I just spit diet coke out my nose when I read this......

(as a side note -- I guess the verb in that sentence shouldn't be spit......what would the correct word be?)

 

[Katnmouse]

Do you have any idea how much glue it takes to get those 6 year olds to stay seated!

 

[Daxx]

Do you have any idea how much glue it takes to get those 6 year olds to stay seated!

Now, THAT is hysterical!!!!!!!!!

 

[lovetoscrap]

HEY! I just spit diet coke out my nose when I read this......

(as a side note -- I guess the verb in that sentence shouldn't be spit......what would the correct word be?)

spew?

Actually where I am from we called that "snizzleing" soda if it came out of your nose. Hope that helps!

Back to the great school supply debate

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

wait until Walmart or Kmart or Target has the end of season clearnace on school supplies -- you know the sale -- where you can buy things for a nickel or a dime.

Then, spend $10. You can get A BUNCH OF STUFF for $10 at a sale like this.

Then, take it to the least financially stable school in your town and leave it with the receptionist. Pick a grade......any grade......and ask for it to be delivered to the first grade teacher. Put a note inside to ask her/him to share as they wish.

MAKE A TEACHER'S DAY!

 

[momm2four]

20 LARGE glue sticks is a HUGE expense. I can see asking for 20 small glue sticks. You could get 20 for around $4 of so, but the large ones are around $1.30 each. That's crazy! I wouldn't buy that many of the big glue sticks. I'd just send in a bunch of small ones.

When my team made our supply list at the end of the school year, we tried to keep it down. It's a little overwhelming getting these lists as long as your arm, especially when you have several children as I do.

I don't mind sending in items for my sons, but there is one thing that I have seen mentioned on others' lists that I have always said I will never buy for a supply list....air freshener plug ins!

I buy those for my classroom, but that is my choice. I will NOT ask a parent to supply something because I want my class to smell pretty (and believe me, with some of those 7th graders after PE, you NEED something to help it smell better). Guess what was on my 2nd graders list this year...yep, you guessed it. I'll buy everything else, but I will stand firm on that one, lol.

Lori P.

 

[Daxx]

wait until Walmart or Kmart or Target has the end of season clearnace on school supplies -- you know the sale -- where you can buy things for a nickel or a dime.

Then, spend $10. You can get A BUNCH OF STUFF for $10 at a sale like this.

Then, take it to the least financially stable school in your town and leave it with the receptionist. Pick a grade......any grade......and ask for it to be delivered to the first grade teacher. Put a note inside to ask her/him to share as they wish.

MAKE A TEACHER'S DAY!

OMG -- that would be a godsend to many schools/teachers!!!! And, I can tell you that there are many schools and teachers who would be so grateful for something like this to happen to them/their school. Such a great idea, Grumpy's Gal! You totally rock!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

for a supply list....air freshener plug ins!

hope they don't have too many asthmatic kids in their class....

 

[dreamcometrue]

that does seem like a bit much! On my DD's supply list (she'll be in 3rd), it says 1 glue stick, and in the past years, the most they have ever asked for is 2. I would not send 20 of them with him! Buy a few, maybe 5, and that's it! I mean, if there are 20 kids in the class, and everyone brought 20 gluestick..that's a heck of a lot of glue!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

OMG -- that would be a godsend to many schools/teachers!!!! And, I can tell you that there are many schools and teachers who would be so grateful for something like this to happen to them/their school. Such a great idea, Grumpy's Gal! You totally rock!

Seriously, would you please tell my kids that "I rock" ? !?!

 

[Daxx]

20 LARGE glue sticks is a HUGE expense. I can see asking for 20 small glue sticks. You could get 20 for around $4 of so, but the large ones are around $1.30 each. That's crazy! I wouldn't buy that many of the big glue sticks. I'd just send in a bunch of small ones.

This is general and not "just" to Momm2four!

Exactly -- send in a bunch of small glue sticks and stash extras to send in more if necessary. Lots of kids come in w/o supplies, w/the wrong supplies, w/v. few supplies. It's not like the teacher's going to kick them out of the classroom for having small glue sticks and not large ones. Heck, I'm a teacher and I know that I get what I get when the supplies come in. I can ask for Fiskars scissors and Crayola crayons b/c they perform the best but that doesn't mean I expect them or insist that they bring those brands in. I'm happy if they bring in anything on the list!!!! I have kids that don't bring in anything. There's nothing I can do about it. I can't force the parents to bring the stuff esp. if they don't have the money for it. If I ask for 2 glue sticks and they bring in half of a used one, I figure "hey, better than nothing"! I can send home reminders until I'm blue in the face, but I can't make a parent go out and buy the stuff.

I don't know of any teachers who "hold you" to their list or go ballistic if you don't bring exactly what's on there as far as glue sticks, crayons, brand names go. Sure, you might need a particular calculator in HS ... but the type of glue sticks you bring in really won't matter in the long run!

ETA -- re. the plug-ins air freshner. Sorry, but that's one item I would refrain from sending in. If the teacher wants a fresh smelling room, then she can invest in that. I would never ask for that!

 

[Daxx]

Seriously, would you please tell my kids that "I rock" ? !?!

Sure I will!!!! Just show them this and if they don't believe it, PM me and I'll send you a PM back stating it!

Anyway, they KNOW you rock, they just don't want to admit it!

 

[daisyduck123]

Seriously? Have you ever seen a Kdg. or 1st grader w/a glue stick!? I'm a teacher and currently teach Kdg. but have taught 1st grade in the past. OMG -- they could go through one entire jumbo glue stick just gluing 4 small (3x5") pictures onto a page. I kid you not!!! They have to cover every inch of surface w/glue ... even though I tell them a million times to trace around the edge and draw an X in the middle. They think NOTHING will stick unless it is entirely coated in glue. It amazes me the amount of glue sticks kids go through in a week, more or less a month!

ITA!!

I teach 1st grade.

Every student in my class goes thru at least 20 gluesticks in a year.