What is the deal with back to school kits?

[Anonymous]

This is a little OT but reminds me often Trapper Keepers weren't allowed at school and we'd have a list including a binder "but no Trapper Keepers"! Why is that? Always wondered.

[Anonymous]

Please be aware that public school in the U.S. is FREE. These school supply lists are SUGGESTIONS and REQUESTS for materials. You are by no means required to provide your child's classroom with 50 Ticonderoga pencils, 10 glue sticks, 3 boxes of tissues, 10 colored pencils, 2 cans of wet wipes, etc... Plus a $20 "classroom materials" check.

[Anonymous]

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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.

Most parents aren't such pains in the ass that they would refuse to buy the suggested brand and then insist that the teacher go out of her way to make sure that Suzy have exclusive use of THIS pack of markers. All the other kids notice that Suzy does things differently, and god forbid her markers mix and mingle with the others on the table because the teacher has been given EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS that this not happen.

I hope you are putting Suzy's name on every pencil, eraser and marker because otherwise there's little chance that they will remain hers alone in a classroom where all those items are pooled. Aside from hers, of course.

It's a total non-issue. This is what pencil cases are for. She keeps all her things in her desk. I do label her box of crayons, which she also keeps in her desk, as well as her bag of markers and her pencil case. It all stays in the desk.

I feel really sorry for your kid.

Yes, someone needs to read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and the Selfishness Cure.

http://annieandaunt.blogspot.com/2013/07/mrs-piggle-wiggle.html

Expect each child to be responsible for the own materials - problem solved.

[Anonymous]

My DD's school has 5 reams of copy paper on each grader's supply list. Ummmmm. No! That's the school's job to provide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD's school has 5 reams of copy paper on each grader's supply list. Ummmmm. No! That's the school's job to provide.

But what if the school doesn't provide it? And the parents all think like you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD's school has 5 reams of copy paper on each grader's supply list. Ummmmm. No! That's the school's job to provide.

But what if the school doesn't provide it? And the parents all think like you?

Seriously. So tired of free loaders. And to the mom who doesn't "believe" in hand sanitizer...do you think the teacher will send your special snowflake to wash his hands (remember, it has to be at least 30 seconds to be thorough) while all the other children line up for sanitizer or do you think she will just have him skip the sanitizer and have dirty hands? There is no time for 30+ kids to correctly wash their hands several times each day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Cheapest possible stuff at the highest price they can charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of my fondest back to school memories were from the first day. First the new outfit and then afterschool supply shopping with my mother. There was nothing like a new three ring notebook (trapper keeper anyone?) paper, reinforcements, highlighters, new folders decorated with whatever was popular at the time (cabbage patch kids anyone?). To this day I love ofice supplies.

That said I will buy the kit, and will be happy to have the supplies shared but I am a bit sad to think my DS won't get to have the same fun back to school supply shopping experience I did.

And yes I know he will live. Please dont jump down my throat for recounting a sweet memory from my childhood.

Same here. I was more than a little annoyed when the teacher took everything away and put it in bins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done the kits for a couple years but my kids have asked me not to do it for next year. They like picking out their own stuff and complained that the folders supplied in the kit didn't hold up well.

My kid opened the required writing notebook and all the pages fell out. All that hard work. We buy our own now. the quality at the discount stores does not hold up to a whole year of writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a little OT but reminds me often Trapper Keepers weren't allowed at school and we'd have a list including a binder "but no Trapper Keepers"! Why is that? Always wondered.

I bet the Velcro noise was annoying, especially if a majority of the kids opened them at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've done the kits for a couple years but my kids have asked me not to do it for next year. They like picking out their own stuff and complained that the folders supplied in the kit didn't hold up well.

My kid opened the required writing notebook and all the pages fell out. All that hard work. We buy our own now. the quality at the discount stores does not hold up to a whole year of writing.

Wow, I went out and bought everything last year at target for kindergarten and was going to do the kit this year just because its easier. Maybe I'll rethink that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a suggestion for the folks who like to do the back-to-school shopping: find a local backpack program, choose the age of a kid you want to buy for, get the supply list, then go to Target or wherever with your kid. Have them help you pick out supplies for kids whose parents can't afford to buy them, and take the tax donation. My daughter was still in preschool last year, but we had a lot of fun going to Target and picking out school supplies for someone else's kindergartener - she took a lot of time finding just the right backpack, folders, etc. and we threw in a few extra fun things. We'll do it again this year.

Thanks for this suggestion! We will be doing it!

[Anonymous]

If your kit supplies were not good quality, let the PTA know. Ours has changed companies due to parent complaints and the quality from the new company is better.

[Anonymous]

My DD is in HS and we still look forward to back to school shopping for supplies. It's one of the times I "splurge" on items (like a $5.00 pen,etc).

I also have no problem with providing needed classroom supplies (paper, dry erase markers, tissues, etc). As a former teacher, I remember how the budget was stretched thin for these supplies and once the school supply ran out, I often bought my own for the classroom. A classroom full of kids with colds can go through a box of tissues in a day!

I know teachers salaries aren't the best so whatever I can do to ease their burden I'm more than happy to do.

[Anonymous]

Why must there be a thread about this? This is so petty. Who knows where the cost per pupil money is going? Either way, we know it's not going to the supplies, which is why you are being asked to help out. As for worrying about whether your kid is using his/her Elmers glue stick or some generic cheaper one, get over it!!! There are so much bigger fish to fry as far as educating our kids goes. With both my kids, I give at the beginning and then mid school year for those items that are running low. Both my kids were super healthy throughout the school year so yes, I don't mind buying canisters of wipes. Bottom line, this thread is SAD and PATHETIC!!!