School supplies - where do they go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they asking parents to bring in extra school supplies for those kids who can't afford them?

I believe so, since they don't even want you to write your kid's name on what he/she is bringing in.

They don't want you to put names on them because they put them all in a big pot to share.

Not all teachers do that.

Right. See 07:52.

You're the best.

[Anonymous]

Last year, I could have used several sharpened pencils per kid. Some don't bring them, and many are lost. I had students keep a few of their own and I kept a bunch in storage and I wound up going through all of them. Plus I spent a crapload of time in the afternoons sharpening them. And it was sooooo frustrating when the same kid was like, "I don't have a pencil" for the thousandth time and I had already given out all the ones I had recently sharpened. This issue went deeper than pencils, as in, the students should have been taught to be responsible for their own pencils in earlier grades, but this group was particularly immature, so I'm not sure what earlier interventions may have been useful. This was the first time I had experienced the problem to that magnitude, but it always seems to be an issue. Every year is different for teachers, but pencils are constantly in demand.

[Anonymous]

Where do the scissors go at the end of the year and all the other left over supplies? I hate buying the same supplies like scissors and rulers, year after year. Just send the kids home with 1 of each.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do the scissors go at the end of the year and all the other left over supplies? I hate buying the same supplies like scissors and rulers, year after year. Just send the kids home with 1 of each.

Simple answer: I send them home with the kids.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids was a thumb sucker for most of kindergarten. Very gross for him to share communal supplies, for both him and his classmates.

My oldest child was young for his grade and for the first semester of kindergarten was still at the tail end of discovering his privates. He was also an avid nose picker.

The idea of him sharing all of his booger germs and other germs with his classmates just grossed me out. There wasn't enough hand sanitizer in the world to make that situation right Yet the teacher still did communal supplies.

I think about all the other nose pickers and thumb suckers, kids with pinkeye and kids with warts (one of my kids got warts on his hand from one of his tablemates--communal supplies in 1st grade), pencil chewers and eraser eaters, and I am a big opponent to communal supplies.

What about those poor kids with good hygene, who take care of their supplies and like to keep their crayons sharp and unbroken? Why should they have to deal with the grossness of communal supplies that are worn out, dirty and broken? Or the artists, who want to color with a full palette? Communal supplies are just wrong.

I always buy a bunch of extra supplies (crayons, glue and pencils) for the class, and label the heck out of my kids stuff. I hope that the teacher will let them keep their own stuff and keep their germs and gross habits to themselves

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids was a thumb sucker for most of kindergarten. Very gross for him to share communal supplies, for both him and his classmates.

My oldest child was young for his grade and for the first semester of kindergarten was still at the tail end of discovering his privates. He was also an avid nose picker.

The idea of him sharing all of his booger germs and other germs with his classmates just grossed me out. There wasn't enough hand sanitizer in the world to make that situation right Yet the teacher still did communal supplies.

I think about all the other nose pickers and thumb suckers, kids with pinkeye and kids with warts (one of my kids got warts on his hand from one of his tablemates--communal supplies in 1st grade), pencil chewers and eraser eaters, and I am a big opponent to communal supplies.

What about those poor kids with good hygene, who take care of their supplies and like to keep their crayons sharp and unbroken? Why should they have to deal with the grossness of communal supplies that are worn out, dirty and broken? Or the artists, who want to color with a full palette? Communal supplies are just wrong.

I always buy a bunch of extra supplies (crayons, glue and pencils) for the class, and label the heck out of my kids stuff. I hope that the teacher will let them keep their own stuff and keep their germs and gross habits to themselves

You would have loved it if your kids were in my classroom. When I taught first and second grades I labeled all the crayons and other supplies with each kids' name. Every kid started off with new supplies (I bought supplies for those kids who didn't bring in their own). The kid who broke all their crayons the first week had to use those broken crayons all year. The kids that took care of their supplies were able to use nice supplies. When a kid didn't take care of their supplies and needed more crayons or a pencil they had to go to the used box to get a chewed up pencil or a crayon whose paper wrapper had been ripped off. I never thought it was fair that a kid who respects property and is responsible has to take turns sharing crayons and pencils with other kids seated at the same table who chew pencils or who can't be bothered to pick a crayon up off the floor. When there are too many pencils or crayons or glue sticks and the kids realize it, some kids begin to waste supplies. No one needs over 50 pencils a year.

[Anonymous]

NP here -- 1:34, I wish my kids had you for a teacher. I think you are on to something with kids seeing that the supply is endless and not taking care of their resources. Why can't we all just bring our own and then have a school-wide list of things you can bring if you want to donate. The PTA could sponsor the drive in the spring for all the unused supplies left at the end of the year or in the fall when people are feeling optimistic and generous.

[Anonymous]

Who knew people were so weird about school supplies! Just send them in and let the teacher run the classroom the way s/he wants to, for heaven's sake. People on DCUM are neurotic about everything!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids was a thumb sucker for most of kindergarten. Very gross for him to share communal supplies, for both him and his classmates.

My oldest child was young for his grade and for the first semester of kindergarten was still at the tail end of discovering his privates. He was also an avid nose picker.

The idea of him sharing all of his booger germs and other germs with his classmates just grossed me out. There wasn't enough hand sanitizer in the world to make that situation right Yet the teacher still did communal supplies.

I think about all the other nose pickers and thumb suckers, kids with pinkeye and kids with warts (one of my kids got warts on his hand from one of his tablemates--communal supplies in 1st grade), pencil chewers and eraser eaters, and I am a big opponent to communal supplies.

What about those poor kids with good hygene, who take care of their supplies and like to keep their crayons sharp and unbroken? Why should they have to deal with the grossness of communal supplies that are worn out, dirty and broken? Or the artists, who want to color with a full palette? Communal supplies are just wrong.

I always buy a bunch of extra supplies (crayons, glue and pencils) for the class, and label the heck out of my kids stuff. I hope that the teacher will let them keep their own stuff and keep their germs and gross habits to themselves

You would have loved it if your kids were in my classroom. When I taught first and second grades I labeled all the crayons and other supplies with each kids' name. Every kid started off with new supplies (I bought supplies for those kids who didn't bring in their own). The kid who broke all their crayons the first week had to use those broken crayons all year. The kids that took care of their supplies were able to use nice supplies. When a kid didn't take care of their supplies and needed more crayons or a pencil they had to go to the used box to get a chewed up pencil or a crayon whose paper wrapper had been ripped off. I never thought it was fair that a kid who respects property and is responsible has to take turns sharing crayons and pencils with other kids seated at the same table who chew pencils or who can't be bothered to pick a crayon up off the floor. When there are too many pencils or crayons or glue sticks and the kids realize it, some kids begin to waste supplies. No one needs over 50 pencils a year.

I teach first grade and we spend a lot of time in the beginning of the year doing guided discovery of materials to help students learn how to treat materials. Our resources are pooled and the students have to demonstrate that they know how to store and use materials in order to have materials at their table. Nobody chews on pencils because we explicitly teach that there are two ways to hold a pencil (in your hand, ready to write or on the table still in front of you). I think the best solution is to teach students how to take care of their materials instead of writing off some students as unable to do so. It is an important skill that kids need to have.

[Anonymous]

I teach first grade and we spend a lot of time in the beginning of the year doing guided discovery of materials to help students learn how to treat materials. Our resources are pooled and the students have to demonstrate that they know how to store and use materials in order to have materials at their table. Nobody chews on pencils because we explicitly teach that there are two ways to hold a pencil (in your hand, ready to write or on the table still in front of you). I think the best solution is to teach students how to take care of their materials instead of writing off some students as unable to do so. It is an important skill that kids need to have.
I'm the pp regarding the pencil headache. I wish the primary teachers at my school had undertaken that philosophy. Once you get into upper grades, the pressure to dive into curriculum right away is so high and there isn't as much time to set those routines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who knew people were so weird about school supplies! Just send them in and let the teacher run the classroom the way s/he wants to, for heaven's sake. People on DCUM are neurotic about everything!

Let's see how you like pooled supplies at your office, when you have to use the same stapler as that guy who doesn't wash his hand after he leaves the bathroom, or the pencils that the tuna-fish-sandwich-loving lady in the next cubicle gnaws on and then puts back into the communal supply drawer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who knew people were so weird about school supplies! Just send them in and let the teacher run the classroom the way s/he wants to, for heaven's sake. People on DCUM are neurotic about everything!

Let's see how you like pooled supplies at your office, when you have to use the same stapler as that guy who doesn't wash his hand after he leaves the bathroom, or the pencils that the tuna-fish-sandwich-loving lady in the next cubicle gnaws on and then puts back into the communal supply drawer.

I use communal supplies all of the time in the office. We have stashes of supplies by the copier and in various other convenient locations throughout the common areas. I also borrow pens from people (and lend mine out). I have not died from any strange cooties yet and I'm 47.

[Anonymous]

OP, you must be referring to the Canterbury Woods supply list. I thought it was an absurd amount of pencils too. When my older child was in 5th grade he only had to bring in half that amount. I just can't imagine using that many pencils.