This makes me sad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS we were given a list of supplies we're expected to bring the first day of school, including things like kleenex and paper towels. I see no reason why the teachers should be providing that. I don't see anything wrong with asking parents to provide a few basic supplies, frankly, although I may be in the minority on that issue.

MCPS teacher here. Staff at my school were informed that we could no longer include items like tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. on our school supply lists. We were informed that it's MCPS policy that we may only list items that students will use themselves. I'm talking about things like pencils, folders, journals, crayons/markers, glue sticks, etc. We were allowed to list the tissues, etc. as part of a "Wish List" which likely will result in ~ a third of the class donating consumable items. Last year in my classroom, we ran out of tissues by December. I asked for "donations" and received a few boxes, but ultimately purchased them on my own and brought them to school for the kids to use. Like most teachers, I spend my own money every year for items used by my students. In the past month alone, I've spent easily $300 on shelving/storage units (teaching in a portable classroom that comes with nothing), items from a teacher supply store (nametags, fadeless bulletin board paper, stickers, resource books etc.), as well as material to make curtains for our windows which face another portable (no natural sunlight, so the bright curtains will hopefully make the room a bit more cheerful). It adds up quickly...

Yes, I'm lucky that I am employed and can afford some tissues/other supplies for the classroom and I have no problem bringing these things in if I know the teacher needs them. I hope teachers will communicate their needs somehow to parents. Those who can/would like to donate may do so, those who cannot donate at this time don't have to feel obligated. Honestly, I like to contribute things to the classroom. It's my kid, after all. I don't understand the "I pay taxes, therefore I already bought the tissues" mentality.

[Anonymous]

I distantly worked with a charter school in SC that received a large donation. A teacher cried because she got a full carton of tissue boxes. They didn't even have the basics. So eye opening.

[Anonymous]

"MCPS teacher here. Staff at my school were informed that we could no longer include items like tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. on our school supply lists. We were informed that it's MCPS policy that we may only list items that students will use themselves. I'm talking about things like pencils, folders, journals, crayons/markers, glue sticks, etc. We were allowed to list the tissues, etc. as part of a "Wish List" which likely will result in ~ a third of the class donating consumable items."

MCPS parent here. One of the problems we experienced last year at our school is that the teachers asked for name brand items on the school supply list. Crayola crayons for $2.50 per box instead of Rose for eight cents a box. Elmers glue sticks instead of Target brand for two dollars more per stick. Etc. I ended up spending over $250 for school supplies for my kids that I could have bought for well less than half that amount had the teachers not specified the expensive named brands. So, my return to school budget was spent supporting Elmers and Crayola instead of donating to the classrooms. In past years when name brands were not required, I purchased everything on the wish list for the school. Last year, not so much. Thankfully, this year the school was more reasonable and I only spent $73.

[Anonymous]

MCPS parent here. One of the problems we experienced last year at our school is that the teachers asked for name brand items on the school supply list. Crayola crayons for $2.50 per box instead of Rose for eight cents a box. Elmers glue sticks instead of Target brand for two dollars more per stick. Etc. I ended up spending over $250 for school supplies for my kids that I could have bought for well less than half that amount had the teachers not specified the expensive named brands. So, my return to school budget was spent supporting Elmers and Crayola instead of donating to the classrooms. In past years when name brands were not required, I purchased everything on the wish list for the school. Last year, not so much. Thankfully, this year the school was more reasonable and I only spent $73.

Did you ask the teachers whether the name brand items were required? A lot of people may say "Kleenex" as shorthand for tissues. I'm sure that they would have been fine with non-name-brand items.

Also, as a graduate student in education (soon to be a teacher, I hope), I am equally dismayed by this situation. I do not think teachers should be expected to beg for supplies from their students. I look back on my years as a lawyer, where office furniture was reupholstered whenever a new attorney arrived (whether it needed it or not), where binders were regularly thrown out, and where the office supply room was a veritable treasure chest of every possible item one could imagine. The disparity between what was available to me then and what will be available to me as a teacher underscores our sad national priorities, in my opinion. What are we teaching our kids when we stick them in moldy trailers without the basic supplies they need?

[Anonymous]

I also have no problem helping out with school supplies if I know the teacher needs them. I'm so happy with the what the public schools have done for my speech delayed child...and I completely understand that some parents might not be able to afford it. I just hope they tell me what they need!

What I will have a problem with is if anybody tries to get my child to sell anything to raise money for the whatever. If you need a donation for something specific, fine, but don't try to push my kid into selling candy bars.

[Anonymous]

I used to teach in DC - I bought my own paper for copies and kid's work and we used the school toilet paper for tissues....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"MCPS teacher here. Staff at my school were informed that we could no longer include items like tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. on our school supply lists. We were informed that it's MCPS policy that we may only list items that students will use themselves. I'm talking about things like pencils, folders, journals, crayons/markers, glue sticks, etc. We were allowed to list the tissues, etc. as part of a "Wish List" which likely will result in ~ a third of the class donating consumable items."

MCPS parent here. One of the problems we experienced last year at our school is that the teachers asked for name brand items on the school supply list. Crayola crayons for $2.50 per box instead of Rose for eight cents a box. Elmers glue sticks instead of Target brand for two dollars more per stick. Etc. I ended up spending over $250 for school supplies for my kids that I could have bought for well less than half that amount had the teachers not specified the expensive named brands. So, my return to school budget was spent supporting Elmers and Crayola instead of donating to the classrooms. In past years when name brands were not required, I purchased everything on the wish list for the school. Last year, not so much. Thankfully, this year the school was more reasonable and I only spent $73.

Even if it is MCPS policy, the schools are still asking for such supplies (we were asked for baby wipes, hand soap, paper towels and ziploc bags).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um, I am a parent in Arlington, and I seem to recall buying a lot of these things every year to help stock the classroom.

Congratulations but not everyone can do what you do. That's the point here. The school doesn't always pick up the slack from parents who cannot afford to buy school supplies. Who ends up doing it? Teachers. When I student taught, about 70% of the kids brought in the school supplies. My cooperating teacher told me in her first 2-3 yrs of teaching, she spent at least $1000 on school/classroom supplies. The PTA gave each teacher less than $50 each to help out each year. When I took over the classroom, I had to buy supplies w/ my own money (and I made no money as a student teacher).

Similar story here. I was expected to pay for gas for my car, food, and buy supplies while I was student teaching (this included making and laminating materials and activities for Kindergarten). Even though I wasn't supposed to work during student teaching I did anyway and even then I'm still attempting (unsuccessfully) to pay off my credit card from that time...and it's been almost a year and a half. Of course, me teaching now at a private school doesn't help since the pay isn't the best.

I would have to say that being an education major is probably the most expensive with the least amount of return after graduating.

Although in my opinion, it's also one of the most rewarding professions as well.

[Anonymous]

You can bet that if men were the majority of teachers, they would never be expected to beg for supplies from parents.

[Anonymous]

I used to teach high school in a large, urban school district. At the start of the school year, I was given a grade book and two red pens. I was better off than the students, however, whose textbooks often didn't arrive from the central district warehouse until a month into the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Even if it is MCPS policy, the schools are still asking for such supplies (we were asked for baby wipes, hand soap, paper towels and ziploc bags).

I am shocked that MCPS teachers are asking for soap and paper towels?
In a year of swine flu if our public schools can not provide soap - that is crazy!

And can I ask why baby wipes? The chemicals that are on these should not be used near your face / hands. They have different chemicals than "wet wipes"

[Anonymous]

PGCPS parent here.


We had anti-bacterial soap, etc. on the list along with a number of shared supplies. My household is pretty close to broke and I'm living paycheck to paycheck, but damned if there aren't a lot of families in our district worse off than mine who can't afford this stuff, so I bought. I do it in waves since I can't afford to do it all at once.

The way education is funded in this country makes my blood boil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Even if it is MCPS policy, the schools are still asking for such supplies (we were asked for baby wipes, hand soap, paper towels and ziploc bags).

I am shocked that MCPS teachers are asking for soap and paper towels?
In a year of swine flu if our public schools can not provide soap - that is crazy!

And can I ask why baby wipes? The chemicals that are on these should not be used near your face / hands. They have different chemicals than "wet wipes"

** Teacher Here ** - I did not ask for baby wipes (my school policy policy would consider an item like this something we could ask for on a "donations welcome" list), but as a teacher in a portable classroom, I can see how they may come in handy. There are no sinks in portable classrooms. This past week I had one student manage to get glue all over her hands and another student who ended up with red marker smeared all over his hand. A baby wipe would have been useful for these guys to clean off their hands. With no water and no wipes, I have to send these kids into the building to wash their hands (resulting in missed instructional time). Baby wipes/wet wipes, whatever...I can see how they would be useful.

On an unrelated note...If your kid is sick PLEASE keep him/her home! I had a parent send me an e-mail in the afternoon informing me that her kid still had a fever over 100 (and was up all night coughing) but that she would see how the kid feels in the a.m and likely send kid back to school in the a.m. Sure enough, kid was in the classroom the next day. I sent a different kid to the health room this week b/c it was obvious kid didn't feel well. Kid looked like my own kids do when they have fevers. Sure enough, kid was sent back to gather his belongings b/c he had a fever and someone needed to come pick him up. Grrr!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"MCPS teacher here. Staff at my school were informed that we could no longer include items like tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. on our school supply lists. We were informed that it's MCPS policy that we may only list items that students will use themselves. I'm talking about things like pencils, folders, journals, crayons/markers, glue sticks, etc. We were allowed to list the tissues, etc. as part of a "Wish List" which likely will result in ~ a third of the class donating consumable items."

MCPS parent here. One of the problems we experienced last year at our school is that the teachers asked for name brand items on the school supply list. Crayola crayons for $2.50 per box instead of Rose for eight cents a box. Elmers glue sticks instead of Target brand for two dollars more per stick. Etc. I ended up spending over $250 for school supplies for my kids that I could have bought for well less than half that amount had the teachers not specified the expensive named brands. So, my return to school budget was spent supporting Elmers and Crayola instead of donating to the classrooms. In past years when name brands were not required, I purchased everything on the wish list for the school. Last year, not so much. Thankfully, this year the school was more reasonable and I only spent $73.

I went ahead and bought the Rose Art ones myself-I don't see any difference in crayons. But to clarify, they aren't 8 cents a box-I found them for 99 cents a box vs. $3.49 for Crayola. Do teachers really care if it's Rose Art or Crayola? If so, why?

[Anonymous]

Teachers buy so many things-you really just don't even know. When I was a teacher, at a school in Arlington, we were given $38 for supplies for the year. That money is supposed to cover everything except curriculum materials. If you are not a homeroom teacher (art, music, pe, special ed), and don't have homeroom students to request items as school supplies, you have to get creative. I only with this person on craigslist had told us which school she was in. Actually, I bet I know.
Anyway, if you have the means, or just a few extra dollars, it totally makes a teacher's day and improves your child's educational experience if you send along something they can use. Extra box of crayons, one extra box of tissues, construction paper, a dry erase marker, safety scissors or playdough for K. Our school NEVER had printer paper. I brought my own from home on days I knew I needed to xerox or print. If you feel like you have already spent a ton ($250 is ALOT), obviously, this is not expected. However, if you have a few extra dollars, that's all it takes to make a difference. Because guess what. Some kids don't have parents who buy the supplies (even in wealthy areas). And the teachers have to find a way to get them what they need.