School supplies -- buy the best or is it just pooled for the whole class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I volunteer in my children's first and second grade classes. It is truly amazing how many boxes of tissue they go through in a week! I also help with sharpening the pencils and Tinderosa brands are so much better. The lead in the cheaper brands often break when sharpening and also when pressure is applied too hard when writing. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to have your pencil tip keep breaking when you are just learning to write? Some kids get so mad and some start to cry. Please don't skimp on supplies. They really do matter.

Hmm, back in my school days, we never used pencils, only fountain pens. Things are so different now.

Are you German? The fountain pens are a very German thing.

[Anonymous]

Must be the German nanny troll!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the schools to buy everything needed to educate the children requires an increase in taxes. People to not like takes, and complain and insist on more efficiencies. The schools come up with ideas, implement them, and people complain about the cuts.

The solution is to properly fund government so it can provide the services we demand.

Have you seen the Fairfax County district office? I am sure they have plenty of places they can cut without raising taxes or sacrifing class size, teaching staff or school supplies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I volunteer in my children's first and second grade classes. It is truly amazing how many boxes of tissue they go through in a week! I also help with sharpening the pencils and Tinderosa brands are so much better. The lead in the cheaper brands often break when sharpening and also when pressure is applied too hard when writing. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to have your pencil tip keep breaking when you are just learning to write? Some kids get so mad and some start to cry. Please don't skimp on supplies. They really do matter.

Hmm, back in my school days, we never used pencils, only fountain pens. Things are so different now.

Are you German? The fountain pens are a very German thing.

Is it really a German thing? LOL! I am German (neither nanny nor troll), but I could swear that they are (or were?) used just as much in France, and elsewhere...
And in later years we used a ball pen.
Pencils were actually only used for drawings in geometry or art.
I cannot imagine that the kids are supposed to write anything lengthy with a pencil, painful, no? Even with the best pencils.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Simply don't buy certain things. For ex: the dry-erase markers. Those are clearly for the classroom and not for your child. Same with tissues. Just send your child to school with tissues if they are needed. It does grate me throughout the year to get the notices "We are out of tissues; please send in more with your child."

There is nothing the school can do. They can't force you to send in common supplies. While they are busy cutting costs they are also outfitting teachers with, for example, around-the-neck microphones so they don't have to raise their voices. This has nothing to do with hard-of-hearing children; it is just a "benefit." There is a lot more fat in the budget than can be cut so that the SCHOOL can buy supplies. It is not, as stated upthread, a matter of "supplies or education, pick one."

Am I a bitter parent who is against teachers? Hardly, as I AM a teacher. But I'm not a sheep who goes along with everything the district decides. Enough is enough.

I doubt you are a teacher. Obviously, dry-erase markers are for every child in the classroom and a lack of them (and thus an inability to write on white boards will negatively affect your child's education.

Because we were really underpriviledged when WE went to school and had to learn from -- GASP!! -- white chalk on chalkboards! Ah, first-world problems: No dry-erase markers and no white boards negatively affect education. I see!

I wouldn't exactly hold your education up as a success story, PP. You are an idiot. White boards are not a luxury. They are used because too much chalk dust is harmful to computers and other electronic equipment in the room. But then again you're probably against that too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Simply don't buy certain things. For ex: the dry-erase markers. Those are clearly for the classroom and not for your child. Same with tissues. Just send your child to school with tissues if they are needed. It does grate me throughout the year to get the notices "We are out of tissues; please send in more with your child."

There is nothing the school can do. They can't force you to send in common supplies. While they are busy cutting costs they are also outfitting teachers with, for example, around-the-neck microphones so they don't have to raise their voices. This has nothing to do with hard-of-hearing children; it is just a "benefit." There is a lot more fat in the budget than can be cut so that the SCHOOL can buy supplies. It is not, as stated upthread, a matter of "supplies or education, pick one."

Am I a bitter parent who is against teachers? Hardly, as I AM a teacher. But I'm not a sheep who goes along with everything the district decides. Enough is enough.

I doubt you are a teacher. Obviously, dry-erase markers are for every child in the classroom and a lack of them (and thus an inability to write on white boards will negatively affect your child's education.

Because we were really underpriviledged when WE went to school and had to learn from -- GASP!! -- white chalk on chalkboards! Ah, first-world problems: No dry-erase markers and no white boards negatively affect education. I see!

I wouldn't exactly hold your education up as a success story, PP. You are an idiot. White boards are not a luxury. They are used because too much chalk dust is harmful to computers and other electronic equipment in the room. But then again you're probably against that too.

Sounds like you'd like a 2nd helping of that Kool-Aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Simply don't buy certain things. For ex: the dry-erase markers. Those are clearly for the classroom and not for your child. Same with tissues. Just send your child to school with tissues if they are needed. It does grate me throughout the year to get the notices "We are out of tissues; please send in more with your child."

There is nothing the school can do. They can't force you to send in common supplies. While they are busy cutting costs they are also outfitting teachers with, for example, around-the-neck microphones so they don't have to raise their voices. This has nothing to do with hard-of-hearing children; it is just a "benefit." There is a lot more fat in the budget than can be cut so that the SCHOOL can buy supplies. It is not, as stated upthread, a matter of "supplies or education, pick one."

Am I a bitter parent who is against teachers? Hardly, as I AM a teacher. But I'm not a sheep who goes along with everything the district decides. Enough is enough.

I doubt you are a teacher. Obviously, dry-erase markers are for every child in the classroom and a lack of them (and thus an inability to write on white boards will negatively affect your child's education.

Because we were really underpriviledged when WE went to school and had to learn from -- GASP!! -- white chalk on chalkboards! Ah, first-world problems: No dry-erase markers and no white boards negatively affect education. I see!

I wouldn't exactly hold your education up as a success story, PP. You are an idiot. White boards are not a luxury. They are used because too much chalk dust is harmful to computers and other electronic equipment in the room. But then again you're probably against that too.

Sounds like you'd like a 2nd helping of that Kool-Aid.

Wow, great comeback. You sure told me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the schools to buy everything needed to educate the children requires an increase in taxes. People to not like takes, and complain and insist on more efficiencies. The schools come up with ideas, implement them, and people complain about the cuts.

The solution is to properly fund government so it can provide the services we demand.

Have you seen the Fairfax County district office? I am sure they have plenty of places they can cut without raising taxes or sacrifing class size, teaching staff or school supplies.

Someone gets it. It's about time.

[Anonymous]

Unless it would put a hardship on your family budget, just buy what the teacher asks for. Easy.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in England and we used fountain pens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OR the kids could just use the supplies THEY BROUGHT IN themselves. Problem solved.

Yes, that would solve the problem! That's the way it was when I was a kid. We weren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination and people were generally thrifty... but we brought our own and kept it our own. No one expected that other people would give their supplies to the general community. I give when I want to give... I don't like forced giving.


Yeah, why don't we each take care of our own stuff. I spent 70.00 for 2nd grade supplies. This seems too high.

[Anonymous]

PP,

Wow! We spent $20 in Alexandria for k. The items are pooled until 2nd grade, I think. Seventy seems outrageous before high school. Does that incllude a new back pack?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP,

Wow! We spent $20 in Alexandria for k. The items are pooled until 2nd grade, I think. Seventy seems outrageous before high school. Does that incllude a new back pack?

I'm not the PP you were asking, but in FCPS (1st grade) glue sticks ALONE will cost you $20. Apparently they spend 5 hrs a day every day glueing! (or is that gluing?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP,

Wow! We spent $20 in Alexandria for k. The items are pooled until 2nd grade, I think. Seventy seems outrageous before high school. Does that incllude a new back pack?

I'm not the PP you were asking, but in FCPS (1st grade) glue sticks ALONE will cost you $20. Apparently they spend 5 hrs a day every day glueing! (or is that gluing?)

That's complete BS. I purchased glue sticks for an entire kindergarten grade (2 classes) in NY (a donation to my former elemntary school). I bought 50 glue sticks and it ran me 8 bucks. Where are you shopping for glue sticks? Saks? Just go to Target! PS I got elmer's glue sticks. Oh yeah and 50 crayola crayon boxes was 25 bucks. Almsot everyone here has to buy school supplies so if you think anyone is going to believe that glue sticks "ALONE" cost $20 you must think we are all fools.

[Anonymous]

Oh an ps it's "gluing"