Why are we forced to share school supplies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and don’t love it for germ reasons (I’m immunosuppressed) but a lot of my students come from cultures that have more collectivist than individualistic beliefs, so it’s more within their comfort level. There really isn’t an issue with people not getting things back that they’ve shared so it works and doesn’t make the kids who don’t have enough supplies feel shamed.

We don’t get many parent donations (focus school) so I supplement from my own pocket and it’s less expensive to buy stuff kids can use communally than to make sure each child has their own set of every supply they’ll need.

Thanks for spreading the flu due to your respect for their collectivist beliefs.

You're right. Kids in a classroom for 6 hours a day wouldn't get sick if they never shared scissors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does my 1st grader still have to share his school supplies with all he’s “friends”?
Personally I don’t like it. Do you?

Personally I don't like it when people complain that they have to contribute school supplies for the whole class instead of just for their own first-grader.

Even better would be if school supplies were school-funded, but we don't get to have such nice things here.

Our schools and school system ARE well funded. Its how the schools and school system choose to use the money. I have no issue buying my child school supplies and buying extra. If you can afford it, is it really that hard to contribute a bit more for another child whose parents cannot or will not buy.

Compared to what?

Our teachers and staff are well paid compared to other locations in the us especially given they work 10 months.

So they should have to pay for supplies out of their own pockets? How much of your own money goes to paying for supplies needed to do your job? And of that, how much do you deduct on your taxes? Teachers can deduct a max of $250 per year for their expenses.

[Anonymous]

Individual supplies is actually less time-consuming. Also, students learn to take better care of their resources and less things for a student having a temper tantrum to readily throw at you.

- signed, teacher who works with first graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and don’t love it for germ reasons (I’m immunosuppressed) but a lot of my students come from cultures that have more collectivist than individualistic beliefs, so it’s more within their comfort level. There really isn’t an issue with people not getting things back that they’ve shared so it works and doesn’t make the kids who don’t have enough supplies feel shamed.

We don’t get many parent donations (focus school) so I supplement from my own pocket and it’s less expensive to buy stuff kids can use communally than to make sure each child has their own set of every supply they’ll need.

Thanks for spreading the flu due to your respect for their collectivist beliefs.

Or due to parents not teaching their kids basic hygiene skills. Have you even ever introduced your kids to the idea of a tissue? Because when you send them to school with snot dripping out of their noses, it's clear that you've taught them that their hand and/or arm is the proper way to wipe that up. And the coughing and sneezing in people's faces without having one iota of regard for what that means for others. Clearly you taught them that too. Parents need to do better. Selfish parents = selfish kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Individual supplies is actually less time-consuming. Also, students learn to take better care of their resources and less things for a student having a temper tantrum to readily throw at you.

- signed, teacher who works with first graders.

Maybe you need to work on your classroom management skills if first graders are throwing school supplies at you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than glue sticks and pencils and tissues and baby wipes, my children have always kept everything we have bought in their desks and/or put their name on it at the Open House.

My kids have never had "their" desks. They have tables, which are moved around as needed to suit the day's work. They would have to keep things in their cubby/locker, and it would be a pain if every kid had to got whatever stuff they needed from their cubby every time they needed something.

Pp here. They only had tables in K and yes then they had a cubby with all their stuff in it. By 1st they had storage desks. My kids like choosing their folders/binders/notebooks, having their own scissors, crayons, etc. They take care of their stuff so I think communal supplies are unfair for things like scissors and crayons that can be abused. I guess pencils and notebooks are okay because they are new when you take them from the bin. But some kids ruin glue sticks. I’m amazed how many kids don’t have manners/good sense by K.

Good manners - perhaps. Learning to share - priceless. Are yours learning to share?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Individual supplies is actually less time-consuming. Also, students learn to take better care of their resources and less things for a student having a temper tantrum to readily throw at you.

- signed, teacher who works with first graders.

Maybe you need to work on your classroom management skills if first graders are throwing school supplies at you.

Maybe I should transfer to a UMC school and let other people deal with the poor brown kids who are basically raising themselves while their “parents” use drugs and either ignore them or abuse them. Kids who are throwing things have deeper issues that has nothing to do with classroom management.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Individual supplies is actually less time-consuming. Also, students learn to take better care of their resources and less things for a student having a temper tantrum to readily throw at you.

- signed, teacher who works with first graders.

Maybe you need to work on your classroom management skills if first graders are throwing school supplies at you.

Or maybe parents need to pay attention to their kids so they don't seek negative attention because negative attention is better than no attention at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Individual supplies is actually less time-consuming. Also, students learn to take better care of their resources and less things for a student having a temper tantrum to readily throw at you.

- signed, teacher who works with first graders.

Maybe you need to work on your classroom management skills if first graders are throwing school supplies at you.

Nice try, troll. No, the little dude never threw a thing at me. I was not his teacher, btw.

[Anonymous]

It's a great concept in theory, and in practice, with the small issue that sometimes families sometimes bring poor quality supplies, which don't work as well. However I know I'm very picky about these things, so in the grand scheme of things, all of this is fine...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Individual supplies is actually less time-consuming. Also, students learn to take better care of their resources and less things for a student having a temper tantrum to readily throw at you.

- signed, teacher who works with first graders.

Maybe you need to work on your classroom management skills if first graders are throwing school supplies at you.

Or maybe parents need to pay attention to their kids so they don't seek negative attention because negative attention is better than no attention at all.

Oh, blame the parents! Some kids throw stuff because the schools can no longer stop them unless they hurt others or themselves. This is the new politically correct world that we live in.

[Anonymous]

I cannot believe the amount of energy people waste on this “issue”. I buy what the teacher asks for, send it in (not labelled within an inch of its life) and don’t ever give it another thought. Highly recommend this approach.

[Anonymous]

The only thing I wish my DD could have and keep for herself are her left-handed scissors. She has trouble using right-handed scissors and people don’t always think to provide some left-handed scissors.

[Anonymous]

I went to school a long time ago. We learned to take care of our things; ie our pencils and crayons. We were very proud of our accomplishments as ES students. Now it’s just no responsibility just grab the best one from the pile. Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Also the group pile encourages the lowest possible quality. You don’t think a pencil can be low quality until it breaks in your hand, a crayon low quality until it melts in your hand and also breaks, notebooks low quality until the spine breaks and it all falls in the floor.
I’m talking to you Target and the school buying PTA pack