PSA to school teachers and administrators

[Anonymous]

Think about the last day/week of school and all the unused/barely used school supplies the students brought home.

Just like last year, I’m unpacking the ginormous bag of unused/barely used supplies. Your supply list before school required 5 or 6 composition notebooks; while 1 was actually used, the others were seemingly only used a few times/a few pages.

We have several unopened packs of glue sticks despite the fact that your list required a dozen.

So many white board expo markers that weren’t used…because you had very specific numbers and colors.

One entire pack of loose leaf paper unopened.

The very specific color coded folders and binder were barely used.

I could go on.

My point is this: maybe reevaluate your list based on what kids actually used.

FTR, my kids have straight As and take school seriously. It’s not like they weren’t doing assignments and that’s why the notebooks weren’t touched.

I’m not pressed for money either. It’s just so wasteful that these barely used notebooks will be tossed along with the plastic folders you required. BTW, you literally gave out new folders to all students at the beginning of the year which you or the school purchased, so why did you put 8 on the list?

[Anonymous]

Fun fact the lists at the stores aren't always from the schools the stores put more so you buy more lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fun fact the lists at the stores aren't always from the schools the stores put more so you buy more lol

?

Our school posts lists by grade level. They are over the top excessive and very specific. Apparently some schools have a policy that reins this in, but our school does not.

[Anonymous]

My kids are grown now, but I agree that the supply lists from MCPS were out of control. What was worse is the school would send supply lists over the summer and then the teachers would change them. Once, I specifically waited and asked the assigned teacher about the supply list, only to get a revised list the first day. It’s not as though something revolutionary had been invented during the interim. I would expect that a basic supply list would be fairly predictable and reusable year after year. However, if you can’t provide a supply list until the first day of school, just tell parents that instead of making them buy two different sets of supplies.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm, weird. I'm a teacher and I would never send back expo markers.

[Anonymous]

OP, if they were sent home to you then you actually have control over whether they get tossed or not. Why not put them in a closet and pull them out when you get the supply list for next year? Probably would take less time then writing that post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if they were sent home to you then you actually have control over whether they get tossed or not. Why not put them in a closet and pull them out when you get the supply list for next year? Probably would take less time then writing that post.

Not OP, but you haven't addressed her question. Just sidestepped it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are grown now, but I agree that the supply lists from MCPS were out of control. What was worse is the school would send supply lists over the summer and then the teachers would change them. Once, I specifically waited and asked the assigned teacher about the supply list, only to get a revised list the first day. It’s not as though something revolutionary had been invented during the interim. I would expect that a basic supply list would be fairly predictable and reusable year after year. However, if you can’t provide a supply list until the first day of school, just tell parents that instead of making them buy two different sets of supplies.

MCPS has a policy that only certain items (and certain amounts) can be placed in the supply list. All other non-approved items may then be placed on a “wish list.” For this upcoming year, folders were removed from the supply list. Teachers can’t ask for folders to be placed on the approved supply list. However, almost all upper elementary students will need and use folders. We can only ask them for them on the “wish list” which isn’t allowed to be shared until school resumes. It’s not that teachers are changing the list, but rather MCPS and administrators dictate what is allowed on the official back-to-school list.

[Anonymous]

Yes that's annoying but the real annoyance is that they ask for extra items on the supply list because they need to provide for the deadbeats who show up to school with no supplies, so they take from Peter to provide for Paul. Will they confess to this? No.
I don't think the teachers should pay for any supplies, ever. But I do think the district should instead of pressing us for extras

[Anonymous]

At our schools, it doesn’t seem like the lists get updated and they tend to not be accurate. It seems like each spring the grade level teams should review and edit the lists. I’m not seeing evidence of this. I’d feel awful as a teacher if I didn’t update the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if they were sent home to you then you actually have control over whether they get tossed or not. Why not put them in a closet and pull them out when you get the supply list for next year? Probably would take less time then writing that post.

Not OP, but you haven't addressed her question. Just sidestepped it

There wasn’t a question, just a laughably arrogant “PSA” that no one asked for.

[Anonymous]

We had that every year in ES. It is annoying and wasteful.

[Anonymous]

Just reuse next year...even a composition book with a few pages used

[Anonymous]

After realizing the joke was on us, we stopped buying the lists provided by the school. Sent kids on day 1 with a notebook and pencils, and waited to hear what else they needed. Then buy what the kids say they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are grown now, but I agree that the supply lists from MCPS were out of control. What was worse is the school would send supply lists over the summer and then the teachers would change them. Once, I specifically waited and asked the assigned teacher about the supply list, only to get a revised list the first day. It’s not as though something revolutionary had been invented during the interim. I would expect that a basic supply list would be fairly predictable and reusable year after year. However, if you can’t provide a supply list until the first day of school, just tell parents that instead of making them buy two different sets of supplies.

That's weird ours were always dead on, but even if they weren't an extra folder or glue stick is fine. We'd use it next year.