Ridiculous school supplies thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, and I think the most annoying requests were for five boxes of markers in second grade. Five?

That and teachers putting green and red marking pens on the kids' school supplies list. Seriously, there's no money in the budget for teachers to have red pens? And they go through 25 of them in a year?

Ha, they are treating it like a registry.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, there's no money in the budget for teachers to have red pens? And they go through 25 of them in a year?

Teacher here (not K). I get reimbursed by the school for $35 worth of school supplies a year, when I actually spend upwards of $400 a year on supplies . And yes, I easily go through 25 colored pens a year grading papers (I am an English teacher).

Every year, I meet parents like you that assume these supplies are covered by "the budget." Please stop assuming this.

[Anonymous]

What bothers me is how inefficient it is for things like glue sticks and markers to be bought in small, retail quantities. A package of 6 glue sticks is on my list -- on Amazon, a package of 30 was only a couple dollars more. Ditto with soap and hand sanitizer.

This is not a criticism of teachers -- it's a criticism of how we fund our schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Seriously, there's no money in the budget for teachers to have red pens? And they go through 25 of them in a year?

Teacher here (not K). I get reimbursed by the school for $35 worth of school supplies a year, when I actually spend upwards of $400 a year on supplies . And yes, I easily go through 25 colored pens a year grading papers (I am an English teacher).

Every year, I meet parents like you that assume these supplies are covered by "the budget." Please stop assuming this.

Lighten up. It's a jokey thread. I have teachers in my family, and am aware that they spend too much money on supplies. I can still raise an eyebrow when primary-grade elementary school teachers ask for 25 red and green marking pens. Those are the years of stickers and stamps, not papers heavily marked up like manuscripts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why all the complaints?

My daughter's entering 5th; my son starts K. The only K supply was a backpack (no wheels). The rest were donations - glue sticks, wipes, etc.

My daughter's list was extensive. By the time we paid, it was close to $60. But I let her pick out her supplies, which meant she chose some fancy designs.

I don't care. I want them to like school, and shopping for supplies should be fun. She's not in high-farms school. So donations are not an issue.

In other schools, however, less fortunate kids receive donations, as there's usually a bank of supplies.

So if you can afford it, why be so negative? Who cares how picky the teacher is? We're all different - with our own styles. Be grateful your child has supplies and is ready to learn.

jeez

Signed,
a teacher

Did you miss the part where teachers collect it all and redistribute? So some other kid ends up with her fancy designs and she gets a cheapo thing that won't hold up.

That doesn't happen in my kid's school. He packs his own supplies in his school box for his own use, but some of the extras, like glue sticks and crayons, are collected by the teacher so that the communal stock can be replenished throughout the year. But if my kid chooses special scissors or a special set of markers then they stay in his school box for his use.

I am "fancy design."

exactly - My daughter's fancy binder is hers. There are personal supplies and communal supplies. If a teacher is running low on tissues, I'll gladly donate a box or two. We pay $5 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. I'm not going to donate tissues to my kids' classroom?

I'm donating 18 glue sticks to my son's K class. done! They work in groups to create posters and other visuals. So the sticks are useful supplies.

I'm sure some things are wasted. That's just a fact of life. But I'm not going to cry over it. I work in a school that's probably about 70% FARMs. We've had to donate clothes to kids living in poverty. Trust me when I say there are worse things to fret over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why all the complaints?

My daughter's entering 5th; my son starts K. The only K supply was a backpack (no wheels). The rest were donations - glue sticks, wipes, etc.

My daughter's list was extensive. By the time we paid, it was close to $60. But I let her pick out her supplies, which meant she chose some fancy designs.

I don't care. I want them to like school, and shopping for supplies should be fun. She's not in high-farms school. So donations are not an issue.

In other schools, however, less fortunate kids receive donations, as there's usually a bank of supplies.

So if you can afford it, why be so negative? Who cares how picky the teacher is? We're all different - with our own styles. Be grateful your child has supplies and is ready to learn.

jeez

Signed,
a teacher

Did you miss the part where teachers collect it all and redistribute? So some other kid ends up with her fancy designs and she gets a cheapo thing that won't hold up.

That doesn't happen in my kid's school. He packs his own supplies in his school box for his own use, but some of the extras, like glue sticks and crayons, are collected by the teacher so that the communal stock can be replenished throughout the year. But if my kid chooses special scissors or a special set of markers then they stay in his school box for his use.

I am "fancy design."

exactly - My daughter's fancy binder is hers. There are personal supplies and communal supplies. If a teacher is running low on tissues, I'll gladly donate a box or two. We pay $5 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. I'm not going to donate tissues to my kids' classroom?

I'm donating 18 glue sticks to my son's K class. done! They work in groups to create posters and other visuals. So the sticks are useful supplies.

I'm sure some things are wasted. That's just a fact of life. But I'm not going to cry over it. I work in a school that's probably about 70% FARMs. We've had to donate clothes to kids living in poverty. Trust me when I say there are worse things to fret over.

I would have no issue do acting clothing to the school to be given to kids at the school but the crazy amount of school supplies gets overboard. At least return the extra at the end of the school year. I do not buy $5 coffees so yes I do care. We are far from broke or poor but do not overdo it either.

[Anonymous]

What isn't asked for but should be - or provided!! Soap in the bathrooms. I never found soap available in any bathroom at my kids' elementary school. When I would report it to the office, they just shrugged - like oops, sorry. It just runs out so quick...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What isn't asked for but should be - or provided!! Soap in the bathrooms. I never found soap available in any bathroom at my kids' elementary school. When I would report it to the office, they just shrugged - like oops, sorry. It just runs out so quick...

We got asked for hand soap on my list, so that's probably where they are putting it.

[Anonymous]

Same here! Hand soap.

[Anonymous]

What isn't asked for but should be - or provided!! Soap in the bathrooms. I never found soap available in any bathroom at my kids' elementary school. When I would report it to the office, they just shrugged - like oops, sorry. It just runs out so quick...

admin always walks on eggshells with maintenance staff. I have never understood why.

[Anonymous]

Post 08/07/2014 13:45 Subject: Re:Ridiculous school supplies thread!





Anonymous wrote:

Seriously, there's no money in the budget for teachers to have red pens? And they go through 25 of them in a year?


Teacher here (not K). I get reimbursed by the school for $35 worth of school supplies a year, when I actually spend upwards of $400 a year on supplies . And yes, I easily go through 25 colored pens a year grading papers (I am an English teacher).

Every year, I meet parents like you that assume these supplies are covered by "the budget." Please stop assuming this.




Lighten up. It's a jokey thread. I have teachers in my family, and am aware that they spend too much money on supplies. I can still raise an eyebrow when primary-grade elementary school teachers ask for 25 red and green marking pens. Those are the years of stickers and stamps, not papers heavily marked up like manuscripts

A pet peeve of mine: people who rag on others, and then, when someone calls them on it, tell them to "lighten up." The fact is, you are a big-time whiner. Notice your (highlighted) choice of language above: it is not "jokey."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What isn't asked for but should be - or provided!! Soap in the bathrooms. I never found soap available in any bathroom at my kids' elementary school. When I would report it to the office, they just shrugged - like oops, sorry. It just runs out so quick...

admin always walks on eggshells with maintenance staff. I have never understood why.

guilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Seriously, there's no money in the budget for teachers to have red pens? And they go through 25 of them in a year?

Teacher here (not K). I get reimbursed by the school for $35 worth of school supplies a year, when I actually spend upwards of $400 a year on supplies . And yes, I easily go through 25 colored pens a year grading papers (I am an English teacher).

Every year, I meet parents like you that assume these supplies are covered by "the budget." Please stop assuming this.

I'm a teacher (formerly an English teacher so I know all about going through red pens). It is not the parents' responsibility to buy OUR SUPPLIES, period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Seriously, there's no money in the budget for teachers to have red pens? And they go through 25 of them in a year?

Teacher here (not K). I get reimbursed by the school for $35 worth of school supplies a year, when I actually spend upwards of $400 a year on supplies . And yes, I easily go through 25 colored pens a year grading papers (I am an English teacher).

Every year, I meet parents like you that assume these supplies are covered by "the budget." Please stop assuming this.

Lighten up. It's a jokey thread. I have teachers in my family, and am aware that they spend too much money on supplies. I can still raise an eyebrow when primary-grade elementary school teachers ask for 25 red and green marking pens. Those are the years of stickers and stamps, not papers heavily marked up like manuscripts.

Did your kids in elementary school never mark papers as a class? That's what my kids use red and green marking pens for, when they're whole-class going over a quiz or test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, and I think the most annoying requests were for five boxes of markers in second grade. Five?

That and teachers putting green and red marking pens on the kids' school supplies list. Seriously, there's no money in the budget for teachers to have red pens? And they go through 25 of them in a year?

Ha, they are treating it like a registry.

Or the teachers have the kids edit their own work. So that they actually learn the mechanics of writing.