What is the deal with back to school kits?

[Anonymous]

I've started seeing posts here and on another listserve about ordering your child's school supplies or back to school kit. When I was a kid you had to go out and buy your own pencils, crayons, 3-ring notebook, eraser, ruler and other random things for your own personal use.

I looked at the list for the rising kindergarteners at my DS's future school and it includes boxes of Kleenex, hand sanitizer, multiple glue sticks, box of Ziploc bags and other random things. Other grades have to bring in things like dry erase markers and bottles of liquid soap. Clearly this looks like the families are stocking the classroom for the year for collective use.

I'm new to all this and it's kind of got me raising an eyebrow. Isn't this why school systems have budgets? Especially in this area where jurisdictions spend crazy huge amounts per pupil. We can afford it so this isn't a hardship for our family, but I'm wondering why the school isn't stocking up its own tissues, dry erase markers and so on?

[Anonymous]

I dont know why schools don't have money for this but as a teacher, I can tell you I relied heavily on these parent contributions. And when they ran out I used my own money to buy cleaning wipes to clean the tables every day, tissue, pencils, erasers, printer paper and so much more, to the tune of over 3k for the school year.

[Anonymous]

I'm from Europe and wondered exactly the same thing when my children entered school here in the US.

But after years of running after school supplies, I'm done. I ordered the school toolbox or whatever it's called through the school itself. For buying the larger one with class donations included, the business buys backpacks for children in need, etc. It's not more expensive than buying the supplies myself, it saves me time, plus my children won't be distracted by the fancy stationery items that are NOT on the list!

As for our initial question, I would be willing to pay a special schools tax to have more teachers and smaller classrooms.

[Anonymous]

In my son's classroom some of the school supplies provided by parents are pooled (markers in a communal drawer, whiteboard supplies in a bin on each group of tables, etc.) and other items actually belong to the child for whom they were purchased (folders and notebooks, art pencils). The teachers decide which supplies are for individuals and which are group items. There are kids whose families can't afford school supplies (or swimsuits for the swimming unit, etc.) and contingencies are made for them. I don't have a problem supplying consumable items for the classroom. They've got to come from someplace.

The kits are optional, but very convenient if you don't care about back to school shopping.

Btw, in my child's classroom each kid uses a small whiteboard on a daily basis; it's not like chalkboards in "the old days" where there was one large one on the wall with a few pieces of chalk for the whole class to use. They go through a lot of dry erase markers.

[Anonymous]

Parents usually supply the tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. Sometimes teachers will use money collected by the room parents for the class parties to buy supplies. It is infuriating, but that's the way it works in MCPS. The back to school kits also supply items that the children don't use all year. I would just go to Staples or Target and get what the kids need.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. If you don't bring in tissues, glue sticks, pencils, hand sanitizer, wipes, etc, I have to buy them with my own money. Our school "cleaning" crew seems to think their job only includes emptying the trashcans. They do nothing else. So, I use the wipes to clean the desks each week. Our school doesn't provide tissues so I rely on parent contributions for that. I get zero dollars from my school for this stuff. I probably spend around $150-$200/year on these items b/c not everyone brings them in.

[Anonymous]

I'd be really pissed if I bought my child the higher quality markers and someone else bought the cheap ones that dry out quickly and then the teacher gave my child the cheap ones. I buy everything on the supply list, and specify my child is to keep everything I send them to school with.

I buy a box of tissues for the classroom and DH drops off a box of reams of paper within the first week for the classroom. We don't believe in hand sanitizer.

[Anonymous]

I'm OP. Teachers, I find it shameful that you have to buy basics for your classrooms. Seriously. My mom was a teacher so I know you're not exactly pulling down mega-bucks. And even if you were, it still shouldn't be your job to buy crayons for the class.

At the same time, I guess I'm still mystified that the school isn't just buying cases of tissues or toilet paper or chalk or whatever. It never occurred to me that parents had to stock the classroom with basic stuff like that.

[Anonymous]

There is a massive amount if waste at public schools. So there is allegedly no money for basic school supplies, textbooks, or workbooks, but there is money for conferences, school counselors (I understand at low socio-economic schools but not where parents could afford to get their kids counseling), random worksheets, teachers to work out of the classroom on curriculum, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be really pissed if I bought my child the higher quality markers and someone else bought the cheap ones that dry out quickly and then the teacher gave my child the cheap ones. I buy everything on the supply list, and specify my child is to keep everything I send them to school with.

I buy a box of tissues for the classroom and DH drops off a box of reams of paper within the first week for the classroom. We don't believe in hand sanitizer.

Our kid's supply list specifies brands to that this problem can be avoided. If your kid picks a dried out marker out of the communal bin he can grab a different one. Your kid isn't going to be screwed over because other parents are cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be really pissed if I bought my child the higher quality markers and someone else bought the cheap ones that dry out quickly and then the teacher gave my child the cheap ones. I buy everything on the supply list, and specify my child is to keep everything I send them to school with.

I buy a box of tissues for the classroom and DH drops off a box of reams of paper within the first week for the classroom. We don't believe in hand sanitizer.

Our kid's supply list specifies brands to that this problem can be avoided. If your kid picks a dried out marker out of the communal bin he can grab a different one. Your kid isn't going to be screwed over because other parents are cheap.

Our school supply list also specifies brands but that's total bs. I'll get the brands I want my child to have. Sorry but in public school you can't BOTH not provide the school supplies AND dictate which brands to buy. You can say blue pens or black, but not Bic vs. Papermate.

[Anonymous]

We don't just pay for school supplies out of our own pocket either. While this article is from Canada, it describes every teacher I know.


http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/carla-friesen/bc-classrooms-photos-teachers-strike_b_5490243.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents usually supply the tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. Sometimes teachers will use money collected by the room parents for the class parties to buy supplies. It is infuriating, but that's the way it works in MCPS. The back to school kits also supply items that the children don't use all year. I would just go to Staples or Target and get what the kids need.

when i worked in MCPS all supplies were supplied by the county

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be really pissed if I bought my child the higher quality markers and someone else bought the cheap ones that dry out quickly and then the teacher gave my child the cheap ones. I buy everything on the supply list, and specify my child is to keep everything I send them to school with.

I buy a box of tissues for the classroom and DH drops off a box of reams of paper within the first week for the classroom. We don't believe in hand sanitizer.

Oh god, not one of these again. It's not even August! Maybe I'm just over sensitive bc my mom was totally like you and it was embarrassing as hell, especially bc i'm sure it was clear that my family was solidly middle-class and could have easily afforded a bit more generosity. PP, giving your child exclusive access to high-end school supplies and prohibiting sharing is not going to make a drop of difference in their academic education, I can promise you that. But it may teach them other lessons, like how to feel smugly superior to kids whose parents couldn't afford or wouldn't be bothered to buy the expensive stuff. With my kids we work on humility, generosity, and appreciation for how fortunate they are. I buy good-quality school supplies for them, as well as extras for kids who don't have them. They are KIDS for gods sake. They can't control what their parents buy, and they should not be made to feel embarassed about it. Experiences like that can be incredibly formative for children. And for absolutely no real benefit to your child anyway. Shame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be really pissed if I bought my child the higher quality markers and someone else bought the cheap ones that dry out quickly and then the teacher gave my child the cheap ones. I buy everything on the supply list, and specify my child is to keep everything I send them to school with.

I buy a box of tissues for the classroom and DH drops off a box of reams of paper within the first week for the classroom. We don't believe in hand sanitizer.

Oh god, not one of these again. It's not even August! Maybe I'm just over sensitive bc my mom was totally like you and it was embarrassing as hell, especially bc i'm sure it was clear that my family was solidly middle-class and could have easily afforded a bit more generosity. PP, giving your child exclusive access to high-end school supplies and prohibiting sharing is not going to make a drop of difference in their academic education, I can promise you that. But it may teach them other lessons, like how to feel smugly superior to kids whose parents couldn't afford or wouldn't be bothered to buy the expensive stuff. With my kids we work on humility, generosity, and appreciation for how fortunate they are. I buy good-quality school supplies for them, as well as extras for kids who don't have them. They are KIDS for gods sake. They can't control what their parents buy, and they should not be made to feel embarassed about it. Experiences like that can be incredibly formative for children. And for absolutely no real benefit to your child anyway. Shame.

PP here. Before everyone starts jumping down my throat about how parents weren't required to buy school supplies until recent years, my experience was actually with camp. But same difference, I promise.