Reply to Amazon wishlist from teachers in wealthy schools?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How is this "tacky" if they are using the supplies to benefit their classrooms? Do you suspect they are, like, reselling Mr. Sketch markers on the black market for a profit? If it was easier to get the supplies through their admin don't you think they'd do that?

I am an admin in higher education and I have access to a basically unlimited budget for supplies. If I spend my own money and get it reimbursed (which I approve because I'm in charge) it's easy and fast. If I go through the proper channels that do not require me to front money, then it can take WEEKS to receive what I need. That doesn't work for most teachers.

Most schools don't let teachers buy anything, quickly, with autonomy, even if they're wealthy. Somewhere there are allocations but more often than not they're centralized and timed or involve complicated request or grants from the PTA/PTO.

Being a teacher is hard if you are not wealthy or well off enough to get a box of markers or cardstock or books or snacks at will to support your teaching. [/quote]

Because the “wish lists” are filled with a bunch of crap they don’t actually need.[/quote]
Like what? Give us examples.[/quote]

+1[/quote]

NP OK I'll give examples!
-chairs and cushions for the classroom floor for kids to sit on
-bags of stuffed animals so each kid gets a "reading buddy"
-organizing bins for every single surface
-things to make fancy murals on each bulletin board
-framed art
-shelves
-mini fridge
-carpets
-prizes
-different themed decor every year

Things schools SHOULD provide but aren't:
-benches. My teacher last year bought benches for the playground because the alternative was that teachers stand the entire time or sit in the dirt. 
-reams of paper
-tissues
-cleaning supplies
-soap
-whiteboard markers for teachers[/quote]

Those are all appropriate.  Who do you think pays for those things?   Teachers.  School system or school should pay and doesn’t. [/quote]

Actually I think all of these things are totally unnecessary.  There is soap in every bathroom and I’m sure it’s stocked in the janitorial closet should a teacher want to refill a dispenser for class (if there is a sink). The school also stocks bleach and spray bottles.  The teacher doesn’t meant 20+ tubs of Clorox/Lysol wipes, those are expensive and wasteful. A spray bottle with 1:10 bleach and the brown paper towels are all that’s really needed.  Tissues are not necessary, parents can send with their own child. Otherwise, they use brown paper towels. The school supplies black markers.   Majority of work and teaching is done on Chromebook anyway [/quote]

I agree with you that not everything on wish lists is necessary. The teacher influencers have really put pressure on some people to have a Pinterest-worthy classroom, and that’s not essential. I can empathize with teachers who want that, but also understand why it can leave a sour taste for parents.

However, you must have a very different school than the one where I work. We frequently don’t have soap or paper towels in any bathrooms, I don’t have access to a supply closet of any kind, and I definitely don’t have a sink. And I know that most of my students have trouble keeping track of their materials, so expecting them to bring their own tissues every day is unrealistic. So okay, feel free to be annoyed at the teacher who wants wall art and beanbag chairs, but realize that hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies are reasonable requests. Or accept the alternative that your kids are going to pick up germs.[/quote]

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