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This makes me sad!
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Anonymous
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http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/wan/1345426773.html
Don't Arlington Schools assist their first year teachers at all with starting supplies? If not, I refer back to that old slogan about how I want to see the day when the government has to hold a bake sale to fund weapons & war, and the schools get the all the money.... |
Anonymous
| When I taught 4th grade, I spent hundreds of dollars of my own money on basic supplies. The PTA gave teachers something like $30 or $40 a year for them but that doesn't go very far. How many other professions expect their employees to buy their own office supplies? |
Anonymous
| I remember complaining to my assistant principal that I had no classroom supplies. She replied, "First years are like that" in a patronizing tone. I spent about $1000 that year. |
Anonymous
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Don't parents provide at least some items on her wish list? I am thinking that glue sticks, crayons, scissors are pretty standard back to school items.
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Anonymous
| I just went and bought rolls of tape, an electric pencil sharpener, bins to hold books, folders, and notebooks. Then I bought some new decorations (borders for bulletin boards, posters, etc.). As a 7th year elementary school teacher, I still spend at least $500 a year (probably a huge understatement). I'm shocked that schools can't provide some basic supplies (at least mine). I work in Fairfax. |
Anonymous
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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.
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Anonymous
Just consider yourself lucky that you have the means to provide these things for your child or children. My neighbor's son is going into 5th grade and she spent nearly $100 on the school supplies for him. If you have more than one kid, it can get costly. Especially if the parents are unemployed or making minimum wage. The older they get, the more expensive the items. He needed a certain type of calculator, etc. |
Anonymous
| But just think how much it would cost the teacher if she (or he) had to provide these items for every student! I am a graduate student in education, and I was upset to observe that teachers were not give a great selection of books for their students to read in the classroom. Most teachers must scour yard sales, etc. to get good-quality books for their students to have in the classroom. |
Anonymous
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Welcome to the world of education!
In higher socioeconomic areas, PTAs provide a lot of support. In other areas, you're SOL. And guess what? It's the "SOL areas" that need all of the extra help! Hang in there! Signed, SOL area teacher |
Anonymous
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OP here: Sorry if I confused folks. I am NOT the teacher from the Craigslist ad. I am just a concerned sympathizer who posted the link. I do not know the teacher, just happened upon her post.
I taught 7 yrs ago, for about 10 yrs and was fortunate enough to teach in a very supportive (emotionally and financially) independent school. I was just so shocked to see all the things this first year teacher was expected to provide to a 'fortunate' school system like Arlington. IMHO, neither teachers nor parents should be dishing out $$$ to fund a school system's classrooms. Isn't that why we pay taxes? Sorry, again, if I misled anyone. Feel free to contact the unknown teacher directly if you can help her/him. |
Anonymous
| I spend the money. Then I write it off as a professional expense. |
Anonymous
Might work if you are a veteran teacher, married to a wage-earner, and not just out of college paying back loans. Not so easy for a young, unmarried teacher just starting out w/a truckload of loans to repay. This is exactly why so many young, gifted teachers opt for other professions. And that IS sad! |
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. 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... |
Anonymous
| 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. |
Anonymous
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). |