Ridiculous school supplies thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think 72 pencils per child is excessive? Can anyone help me rationalize this?

Yes, along with out 24 glue sticks.

Our school requires 25 LARGE glue sticks for first grade. Really? You want me to spend 25 bucks on glue sticks? They also want us to buy 3 reams of computer paper. So we're up to $40 now without buying any crayons, markers, pencils, scissors, folders, notebooks, tissues, etc. It's nuts.

I send about 5 glue sticks - whatever size is a good sale and no computer paper. Public education is free. I draw the line at what is reasonable (pencils, 24 crayons, scissors, reasonable amount of glue) Baby wipes, ziploc bags, special black Flair markers, copy machine/computer paper - NO! If your school is asking for a ton of supplies, they are spending their building budget on other things that does not go directly towards classroom experiences and that is not the intention of the building budget.

I hear what you're saying - these items should be provided by the school. But they are not, and When parents don't or can't contribute, teachers have to use their own money to pay for needed supplies. True.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think 72 pencils per child is excessive? Can anyone help me rationalize this?

Yes, along with out 24 glue sticks.

Our school requires 25 LARGE glue sticks for first grade. Really? You want me to spend 25 bucks on glue sticks? They also want us to buy 3 reams of computer paper. So we're up to $40 now without buying any crayons, markers, pencils, scissors, folders, notebooks, tissues, etc. It's nuts.

I send about 5 glue sticks - whatever size is a good sale and no computer paper. Public education is free. I draw the line at what is reasonable (pencils, 24 crayons, scissors, reasonable amount of glue) Baby wipes, ziploc bags, special black Flair markers, copy machine/computer paper - NO! If your school is asking for a ton of supplies, they are spending their building budget on other things that does not go directly towards classroom experiences and that is not the intention of the building budget.

I hear what you're saying - these items should be provided by the school. But they are not, and When parents don't or can't contribute, teachers have to use their own money to pay for needed supplies. True.

I'm sure kids these days will survive and get a fine education without babywipes, flair markers, fat markers, skinny markers, colored pencils and ziploc bags. Plus having a finite supply of only ELmers GLue and only 24 crayons will teach them to be thoughtful about waste. After all their parents did.

But, like I said, schools need to stop treating parents like a bank and be thoughtful of the way they spend and use materials, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids pre-k list is all cleaning supplies: no markers, no crayons, no pencils. Why can the school provide those things, but not cleaning supplies? (Or, worse, they won't be using those things?)

Don't send it in. No way do I send in cleaning supplies and things (and I'm a teacher). If the teachers at that school feel they need to provide things that run out, it's their job to approach the principal / school board with rebudgeting concerns.

Question for you classroom teacher...Do you clean your classroom? Building service vacuums, replaces paper towels, and quickly wipes the countertop once a week. I'm a classroom teacher too and clean the desks and tables in my room every single week. I always do this on Friday afternoon. This way every student starts off the week with a clean desk. The kids love having clean desks! Building service staff do not clean individual desks. Some of my colleagues clean like I do, and others never clean their students' desks. You can spot these classrooms as soon as you enter their rooms. I think that's disgusting. I feel bad for the kids in those rooms. If teachers are asking for donations such as Clorox wipes or bottles of Fantastic/409, etc., it's because they clean their classrooms. You can't order these things from the warehouse. I sincerely appreciate any donations throughout the year! I absolutely spend my own money on supplies (cleaning and otherwise) every single year. When I'm at Costco buying things in bulk, my husband always asks me why I am paying for cleaning supplies for my classroom, and I remind him that the cleaning done by building service staff is limited, and that the school does not provide these items for me. I want a clean classroom, so I clean it myself. I think it helps keep germs from spreading, and it just feels good to work in a clean space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids pre-k list is all cleaning supplies: no markers, no crayons, no pencils. Why can the school provide those things, but not cleaning supplies? (Or, worse, they won't be using those things?)

Don't send it in. No way do I send in cleaning supplies and things (and I'm a teacher). If the teachers at that school feel they need to provide things that run out, it's their job to approach the principal / school board with rebudgeting concerns.

Question for you classroom teacher...Do you clean your classroom? Building service vacuums, replaces paper towels, and quickly wipes the countertop once a week. I'm a classroom teacher too and clean the desks and tables in my room every single week. I always do this on Friday afternoon. This way every student starts off the week with a clean desk. The kids love having clean desks! Building service staff do not clean individual desks. Some of my colleagues clean like I do, and others never clean their students' desks. You can spot these classrooms as soon as you enter their rooms. I think that's disgusting. I feel bad for the kids in those rooms. If teachers are asking for donations such as Clorox wipes or bottles of Fantastic/409, etc., it's because they clean their classrooms. You can't order these things from the warehouse. I sincerely appreciate any donations throughout the year! I absolutely spend my own money on supplies (cleaning and otherwise) every single year. When I'm at Costco buying things in bulk, my husband always asks me why I am paying for cleaning supplies for my classroom, and I remind him that the cleaning done by building service staff is limited, and that the school does not provide these items for me. I want a clean classroom, so I clean it myself. I think it helps keep germs from spreading, and it just feels good to work in a clean space.

Thats funny, my DH just asked me why I put half of the disinfecting wipes from our costco box into DS's school supply box since they are not on official school list. Thank you for thinking about your kiddos, hopefully our teacher will too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids pre-k list is all cleaning supplies: no markers, no crayons, no pencils. Why can the school provide those things, but not cleaning supplies? (Or, worse, they won't be using those things?)

Don't send it in. No way do I send in cleaning supplies and things (and I'm a teacher). If the teachers at that school feel they need to provide things that run out, it's their job to approach the principal / school board with rebudgeting concerns.

Question for you classroom teacher...Do you clean your classroom? Building service vacuums, replaces paper towels, and quickly wipes the countertop once a week. I'm a classroom teacher too and clean the desks and tables in my room every single week. I always do this on Friday afternoon. This way every student starts off the week with a clean desk. The kids love having clean desks! Building service staff do not clean individual desks. Some of my colleagues clean like I do, and others never clean their students' desks. You can spot these classrooms as soon as you enter their rooms. I think that's disgusting. I feel bad for the kids in those rooms. If teachers are asking for donations such as Clorox wipes or bottles of Fantastic/409, etc., it's because they clean their classrooms. You can't order these things from the warehouse. I sincerely appreciate any donations throughout the year! I absolutely spend my own money on supplies (cleaning and otherwise) every single year. When I'm at Costco buying things in bulk, my husband always asks me why I am paying for cleaning supplies for my classroom, and I remind him that the cleaning done by building service staff is limited, and that the school does not provide these items for me. I want a clean classroom, so I clean it myself. I think it helps keep germs from spreading, and it just feels good to work in a clean space.

Please teach and instill some responsibility and have the students clean their own mess!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids pre-k list is all cleaning supplies: no markers, no crayons, no pencils. Why can the school provide those things, but not cleaning supplies? (Or, worse, they won't be using those things?)

Don't send it in. No way do I send in cleaning supplies and things (and I'm a teacher). If the teachers at that school feel they need to provide things that run out, it's their job to approach the principal / school board with rebudgeting concerns.

Question for you classroom teacher...Do you clean your classroom? Building service vacuums, replaces paper towels, and quickly wipes the countertop once a week. I'm a classroom teacher too and clean the desks and tables in my room every single week. I always do this on Friday afternoon. This way every student starts off the week with a clean desk. The kids love having clean desks! Building service staff do not clean individual desks. Some of my colleagues clean like I do, and others never clean their students' desks. You can spot these classrooms as soon as you enter their rooms. I think that's disgusting. I feel bad for the kids in those rooms. If teachers are asking for donations such as Clorox wipes or bottles of Fantastic/409, etc., it's because they clean their classrooms. You can't order these things from the warehouse. I sincerely appreciate any donations throughout the year! I absolutely spend my own money on supplies (cleaning and otherwise) every single year. When I'm at Costco buying things in bulk, my husband always asks me why I am paying for cleaning supplies for my classroom, and I remind him that the cleaning done by building service staff is limited, and that the school does not provide these items for me. I want a clean classroom, so I clean it myself. I think it helps keep germs from spreading, and it just feels good to work in a clean space.

Please teach and instill some responsibility and have the students clean their own mess!

The students aren't allowed to handle the types of cleaners necessary to really clean those desks, such as Clorox wipes. If a student ends up with a skin sensitivity or has an asthma attack from the fumes then the teacher has endangered their health. It's not worth the possible lawsuit, especially in this area.

[Anonymous]

Before I sent in something like cleaning wipes I would talk to the teacher and find out why. If it's because they clean the room themselves I have no problem sending in some wipes etc.

I (personally) would rather see a separate note about it though rather than it included as a school supply.

Also, when I saw the ridiculous numbers of things I bought what seemed to be necessary for one child for a while. I put his name on his stuff (like it or not) and when he ran out I sent more. At the time I was a single mom having a tough time making ends meet, sending "extra" wasn't an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids pre-k list is all cleaning supplies: no markers, no crayons, no pencils. Why can the school provide those things, but not cleaning supplies? (Or, worse, they won't be using those things?)

Don't send it in. No way do I send in cleaning supplies and things (and I'm a teacher). If the teachers at that school feel they need to provide things that run out, it's their job to approach the principal / school board with rebudgeting concerns.

Question for you classroom teacher...Do you clean your classroom? Building service vacuums, replaces paper towels, and quickly wipes the countertop once a week. I'm a classroom teacher too and clean the desks and tables in my room every single week. I always do this on Friday afternoon. This way every student starts off the week with a clean desk. The kids love having clean desks! Building service staff do not clean individual desks. Some of my colleagues clean like I do, and others never clean their students' desks. You can spot these classrooms as soon as you enter their rooms. I think that's disgusting. I feel bad for the kids in those rooms. If teachers are asking for donations such as Clorox wipes or bottles of Fantastic/409, etc., it's because they clean their classrooms. You can't order these things from the warehouse. I sincerely appreciate any donations throughout the year! I absolutely spend my own money on supplies (cleaning and otherwise) every single year. When I'm at Costco buying things in bulk, my husband always asks me why I am paying for cleaning supplies for my classroom, and I remind him that the cleaning done by building service staff is limited, and that the school does not provide these items for me. I want a clean classroom, so I clean it myself. I think it helps keep germs from spreading, and it just feels good to work in a clean space.

Please teach and instill some responsibility and have the students clean their own mess!

The students aren't allowed to handle the types of cleaners necessary to really clean those desks, such as Clorox wipes. If a student ends up with a skin sensitivity or has an asthma attack from the fumes then the teacher has endangered their health. It's not worth the possible lawsuit, especially in this area.

This is true. One spray in the wrong direction and a student may say I sprayed something on them. Please know that I do indeed instill responsibility in my students. Cleaning the tops of their desks cleans the dirt, grime, etc. that builds up throughout the week. It's not a "mess" they created per se. While I'm cleaning desk tops, they are cleaning the inside of their desks. They literally have to take everything out, go through every folder to make sure papers are in the right folder, recycle papers no longer needed, and put everything back in their desks neatly. In the beginning, some students need help with the organization piece. I don't do it for them though. Rather, I sit with them and guide them through the process. By the end of the year, they have all improved their organizational skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP -- here's my take on the very specific supply request... it is quite likely that the school/PTA arranged for pre-ordering school suppply kits from Staples. When they pre-order, they want the teachers to be VERY specific about the item that Staples has to put into the kit otherwise, Staples can put the lowest quality product into it. So, the teachers probably don't care if your child gets a pencil sharpener from Staples... they just want him/her to have a small pencil sharpener.

As for crazy things I cannot find... plastic two-pocket folders NO Brads, but must have three-hole punch! (and orange, red, yellow, blue and green are needed). I understand the colors b/c they use different ones for different subjects. But, I am pretty certain these do not exist (at least not at Target or Walmart). I ended up finding plastic 2-pocket folders with no brads at Target and I used my paperpunch (at home) to punch three holes in each one. (not entirely easy b/c paper punches don't like plastic!).

Anyway -- there is no way most of the kids at an AAP center are going to have what was listed in the supply list.

Other ridiculous requests from previous years --- 18 (!!!) glue sticks (large). Seriously -- what in god's name are these kids doing by going through TWO large glue sticks PER MONTH??? That's like $20 in glue sticks ALONE for ONE kid! Plus, those glue sticks don't even work. Why can't they just learn to use Elmers glue like the rest of us did so that it actually STICKS. And maybe they should spend less time glue-ing and more time learning to write words/sentences?

They have the two pocket no brads, 3 hole punch ones at target. Bought some this morning.

[Anonymous]

Felt tip pen are on my first grader's list. What are these used for? Why aren't sharpies, which are much more reasonably priced, ok?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Felt tip pen are on my first grader's list. What are these used for? Why aren't sharpies, which are much more reasonably priced, ok?

Sharpies ruin everything they touch. If you get felt tipped pen ink on something you at least have a chance of getting it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Felt tip pen are on my first grader's list. What are these used for? Why aren't sharpies, which are much more reasonably priced, ok?

Sharpies ruin everything they touch. If you get felt tipped pen ink on something you at least have a chance of getting it out.

But they already ask for washable markers and pencils for the kids. I assumed the teacher will be the one using the felt pen. I guarantee you can't get felt tip pen ink out of clothes if the kids are using it.

[Anonymous]

21 packs 120 sheets of ruled lined paper for a risking fifth grader. This has to be a misprint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OVER THE MOON this year. Our classroom list is only a backpack, water bottle, extras clothes and a set of head phones. WOO WOO!!!!!

I don't know who these teachers are (yet) but well done them for saving the old stuff from last year!!!!

Which school system is this?

DCPS! Can you believe it!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:21 packs 120 sheets of ruled lined paper for a risking fifth grader. This has to be a misprint.

Whoa!!