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year-round parents' blog


school supplies

by poohperson2000
Published Jul 7, 2008
Views: 1150

Each year we run to the stores and spend 50-60 dollars on supplies for our kids and supplies for the good of the classroom. I sent my third grader off to the first day of school with a stuffed, heavy back pack, and a shopping bag full of supplies. What amazes me is 1) When did the schools have to start telling parents their kids needed paper, pencils, erasers and and a notebook. When I was a kid, parents just supplied the stuff. 2) Why do they need a three ring binder, 3-pocket folders (bottom pockets not side), 3- 3 prong folders with pockets inside, a composition book, a spiral notebook for Spanish, Red Pens, highlighters, crayons or colored pencils, a back pack (not just any back pack, one with no wheels). Goodness, the demands are high and half of the stuff came home practically empty from last year. Require them to have pencils, pens, highlighter, paper, a binder and call it a day.

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I spend money every summer buying school supplies for my class. Too many students come to school unprepared. I very much appreciate those parents who do make sure their children have paper and pencils daily. Those who contribute to the classroom supplies are greatly appreciated also. Normally, I don't keep the receipts, but I've kept them over the last two years. Before I started buying for next year, I had spent over $1800 out of my own pocket on supplies ranging from ziplock bags, pencils, notebooks, copy paper, markers, craft and experiement materials. That doesn't even touch the list of what I purchase out of my own pocket. So I do appreciate what parents send in for students.

IF ALL parents would send their children to school prepared with school supplies needed to do their work automatically, then teachers would not have to ask for materials. IF SCHOOLS provided items needed, then teachers would not have to ask for donations from parents for the classrooms.

I am both a parent and a teacher. At my school, I am provided with a list and less than $100 to order supplies for the upcoming year. This amuont must cover items like crayons, construction paper, stapler, scissors, writing paper, markers, paint, rulers, glue, everything we might need during the year. $100 does not provide what is needed. The biggest problem I have is that all the copy paper I need for the entire year must also come out of the $100. The copy paper takes over $70 and still doesn't give enough for the year. I DO NOT get regular textbooks for my class so copy paper is a must. Other items needed must come from my own pocket or asking parents to help provide them.

"Not meaning to be rude or disrespectful to you in any way, and fully understanding how out of control some of these supply lists can be with baggies and sanitizier and paper plates, etc, but if I were going to leave something off the list, it wouldn't be notebooks, scissors, crayons, things that I thought MY child would, in any way at all, need in order to do their work in class."

I send my kid to class with two number two pencils and two pens, one black one blue and a folder of college ruled paper. I think that is enough.

This is the first step the school system teaches the kids about Markism. Take what you have, put it into a collective pot, and then deny them the ability to get the items when they need it.

It is an additional step that they take in order to ensure that the kids believe that there is nothing wrong with socialism and then communism.

Parents in the Wake County School System need to stand against this mess and tell the teachers and the school systems that they are not going to be apart of this multi-billion dollar scam.

Most of us have stated we continue to send in the extras because we do not want the teachers to foot the bill for misc. stuff. All we are asking is that they look at the supply list each year, and remove the items that got little or no use, and replace them with items that are actually needed. And do not ask me to bring in three folders so you can take one and give it to the kid whose parents did not bother. I do not mind helping, but if there are kids in "need" of supplies let's do something through the PTA versus asking for a whole bunch of extras.

My fiance is a teacher. Only if you have someone that is in your family or is a very close friend do you realize what it is like to be a teacher. You complain about school suppies. She spends probably $250 each year for school suppies that comes out of her pocket. Not for herself, for the kids!

She have a masters degree in education and still makes below the median income level for the city. A 3% raise does not cut the mustard. Most young teachers have to get a second job to make ends meet. Many people think the benefits are great for teachers.. Thats a myth!. The school system does not offer a 401k. Dental insurance allows for regular cleanings. If you have a cavity your on your own.

My list went like this:

1. 1 1 1/2 inch 3 ring binder 2. 1 Composition Book- Black and white (I buy these each year and never get them back) 3. 2 Portfolio Folders bottom pockets 4. 3 3 Prong folders with pockets on the inside. 5. Highlighters 6. Pencils 7. Red Pens 8. 2 Packs Paper 9. A pencil case- soft sided 10. Crayons,colored pencils- Optional (but the teacher was asking for donations of these) 11. A spiral notebook for spanish (WTH) 12. pencil top erasers 13. Non rolling backback 14. 1 box of kleenex

All for a third grader! Then the teacher is asking for donations of pencils, glue sticks, and other supplies that each kid should be supplying for themselves!

As to loaning out pencils to students:

I don't agree with selling pencils to students because selling is not supposed to take place at school. If students come unprepared (without a pencil), they get a circle. 2 circles in a week causes them to lose their "Friday Free Time" (about 20-30 minutes) and they can get circles for not being prepared, not having homework, behavior, etc... 3 circles is detention with a parent phone call and 4 circles in a week is an office referral. MUCH more effective in the long run than charging them a quarter.

And I keep a ton of pencil stubs (broken ones, golf course pencils, pencils sharpened halfway or more...) for them to use if they don't have one.

Part of it is because we try to teach your child to organize their things. And since we are trying to teach 30 children at one time how to organize a notebook, it is much easier to say- "Put your Math homework in the left pocket of your red folder" or something similar.

My teammates and I try to consolidate our lists so the parents don't have to buy a zillion different things for 4 classes. We try to have them buy 1 3 ring binder, 4 folders, pencils, pens (2 different colors), a set of colored pencils, a handheld pencil sharpener and paper. We also have a wish list of things parents can donate if they CHOOSE to- usually kleenex, paper towels, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Sorry that we have to do that, but we are required to have the desks wiped down everyday and the school doesn't supply those things. Going through 40 Lysol wipes a day gets expensive on my salary.

Back to school supplies, in our house, for our 3 school age children run around $180, then back to school clothes is another $100 each so about $500 total...

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