Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 14:53     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

I stopped buying the supply boxes offered through the pta once we had accumulated lots of supplies that came home at the end of a few school years. I would rather send back what we already have and buy the rest a la carte.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 14:03     Subject: Re:"Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

I have to say, I am very impressed with the environmental ethic that so many people in this thread seem to share! I have to admit that using the rest of a half-used composition book for my own notetaking is not something that would even occur to me. I like having my own supplies that I choose for myself.

My kids went to elementary school at Taylor, and the great thing there was that you could just pay $40-50 to the PTA (depending on the class and the list) and they would take care of the supplies for you. They would take advantage of bulk purchasing, and I'm sure there would be leftover money for the PTA coffers, and that was fine with me. Boom and done. It was awesome. Such a nice change from daycare/preschool, where I would spend the night before the first day of the new "class year" running around from CVS to Target to Staples staring at depleted shelves, trying to find specific things on the supply lists. It was WELL worth the extra cost to do this (and honestly, I don't think there would have been much saved by buying everything myself, to say nothing of the time value of avoiding that chore).

I honestly don't remember getting back much at the end of the year in the way of unused or partially used supplies, e.g., leftover glue sticks or tissues or white board markers. It would be better if they would just keep that stuff at the school. In any event, I thought the idea was that most of the supplies were treated as a sort of "communal property," which is why brand names and sizes were often specified, as it makes it easier and more fair for everyone to have the same stuff.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 13:58     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

Our FCPS es PTA ran a pre order school supply kit program. It was not a fundraiser. I’d order online via the school and could select simply the grade-specific kit and then have the option of buying extras for FARMS students. I always ordered at least one extra.

Then, on the school’s parent and student orientation day, your student’s lot would be either atop their desk or table or piled in the back of the room.

Easy for me however I will add that the teachers simply dumped all of the supposed individually purchased supplies into bins and so it became a free for all. My kids always lugged the now empty box home on the first day of school.

I know because I still use these boxes and my 3DC are long out of ES!
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 13:46     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

Anonymous wrote:I've been sending the same unused Crayola 8 color watercolor palette to school for years. They never use it, why is it always on the list?


Haha this thing has been on the lists since I was in elementary school (I'm almost 40) and it never gets used.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 13:44     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

I don’t take any mind to the branding on supply lists (Ex. 8 crayola markers). If your school uses a supply vendor, the vendor makes the teachers pick a brand and then the supply lists get published from the brands that are chosen.
As a teacher I don’t care which brand you bring in, sharpened or unsharpened.
As a parent, I reuse tons of stuff and send it in with my kids AND for certain things (like the 75 ct wipes), I get the larger size.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 13:41     Subject: Re:"Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

I find it hard to believe any teacher would post something like the OP referenced. Used supplies are fine. If I ask for a set of 8 markers, and the store only has sets of ten, get ten. I don't care. Many kids walk in with nothing. This is what I think should happen. We need to TAX citizens enough so schools have a budget bucket to purchase what is needed. Free public school should be FREE, that should include everything...lunch, pencils, field trips, workbooks, everything.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 13:34     Subject: Re:"Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

Anonymous wrote:I think the problem is that teachers/schools are not transparent about what is needed and why. It is best when teachers provide two lists:

1) The items your kid needs for the year, and you should feel free to send slightly used items because if it gets used up, you are the one who will wind up replacing it anyway! Also some items can be used and not "used up" like pencil cases, rulers, etc. I see no reason this stuff must be new as long as it's in working condition.

2) Items that are needed for the classroom, whether specifically assigned to families to send in, or placed on a wish list that parents can buy off of. These tend to be communal items, extra supplies needed for kids who can't afford them or whose parents can't get it together to buy them, and necessities that schools for one reason or another don't provide because school funding is stupid. My experience is that if the parents at the school tend to be well off, teachers will simply ask parents to send these items directly, and at schools with a lot of low income families, they just let people know there is a wishlist and people are welcome to purchase things on it or share the wishlist with friends and family.

The problem is that for teachers who simply ask families to provide the stuff for #2 directly, they will often just add these items to the "supplies list" without making it clear that these things are not actually for your child -- they are for the classroom and for other children. They should just be honest about it. I can't imagine begrudging these things, assuming that you have an income that enables you to spend $30 or so extra on classroom supplies so that the classroom has cleaning supplies and low-income kids have crayons. Just be honest about what it is.

Items from #2 should be new for reasons that should be obvious.


Yes definitely part of the problem and I have also seen teachers with storage tubs full of the items they are requesting which tells me they don't need it in the first place.

They also need to split it up into - "Need" and " nice to have" - so that paint set can go on the "nice to have" list and the "need" list wont' require enormous amounts of school supply drives each year. which as an aside, have become completely out of control. Last year, I was at Target late one evening and some people working there go to the donations bin, pull the stuff out, put it in cart and take about taking it for re-shelving. I was appalled for all of 1 second bc I realized that is pretty brilliant and I wouldn't doubt some other stores do it as well. I am sure they donate some quantity at some point but probably just case packs of stuff they get at discount prices.

Lastly, I really think APS for example needs to use a lot of that money that got for covid and supply tissues and clorox wipes. In fact, these should go into the budget and no teacher or parent should have the burden of providing paper products to an institution who can purchase them much, much cheaper at wholesale pricing and buy in buil.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 13:23     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

Anonymous wrote:4 glue sticks is great. My kids need 8 and 12. Plus 3 boxes of Ticonderoga pencils each. They are expensive. Every year their supply list is outrageous, everything is brand specified, and we don’t get anything back except a couple highlighters.


By mistake I bought unsharpened Ticonderoga pencils one year. Probably around 3 boxes. The teacher sent them home for us to sharpen all of them. I remember as a kid going to the back of the room to use the wall sharpener and sharpening as slow as I possibly could. I guess kids don't get the small freedom anymore.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 13:21     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

4 glue sticks is great. My kids need 8 and 12. Plus 3 boxes of Ticonderoga pencils each. They are expensive. Every year their supply list is outrageous, everything is brand specified, and we don’t get anything back except a couple highlighters.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 12:59     Subject: Re:"Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

That's just silly IMO. I'm a teacher and I would welcome used supplies. Title I, so maybe that's a factor. Stuff doesn't need to be new for kids to use them, even if it's communal supplies. If we run out, I'll buy more (and I assume in affluent schools they would just ask parents for more).
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 12:18     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

I’ll be sending in good used items whenever I can.

I love our teachers and enthusiastically fill any requests for needed items throughout the year. I won’t comply with requests that result in unneeded waste, though. The colored pencils that have now been used 5% will come home used 10% at the end of the year and go back every year until they can’t be used any more.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 11:57     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

One teacher asked for 1000 sheets of lined notebook paper. Like a sucker I sent it in thinking maybe she just wanted extras for kids who don't bring any. But at the end of the year about 940 sheets came home. We will be whittling that stack down for decades.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 11:53     Subject: Re:"Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

I think the problem is that teachers/schools are not transparent about what is needed and why. It is best when teachers provide two lists:

1) The items your kid needs for the year, and you should feel free to send slightly used items because if it gets used up, you are the one who will wind up replacing it anyway! Also some items can be used and not "used up" like pencil cases, rulers, etc. I see no reason this stuff must be new as long as it's in working condition.

2) Items that are needed for the classroom, whether specifically assigned to families to send in, or placed on a wish list that parents can buy off of. These tend to be communal items, extra supplies needed for kids who can't afford them or whose parents can't get it together to buy them, and necessities that schools for one reason or another don't provide because school funding is stupid. My experience is that if the parents at the school tend to be well off, teachers will simply ask parents to send these items directly, and at schools with a lot of low income families, they just let people know there is a wishlist and people are welcome to purchase things on it or share the wishlist with friends and family.

The problem is that for teachers who simply ask families to provide the stuff for #2 directly, they will often just add these items to the "supplies list" without making it clear that these things are not actually for your child -- they are for the classroom and for other children. They should just be honest about it. I can't imagine begrudging these things, assuming that you have an income that enables you to spend $30 or so extra on classroom supplies so that the classroom has cleaning supplies and low-income kids have crayons. Just be honest about what it is.

Items from #2 should be new for reasons that should be obvious.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 11:53     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If the teacher runs out of supplies because they are lightly used, the teacher could always ask for additional supplies later in the school year. This is so wasteful!!


Creating more work for the teacher, another chance for people like those in this thread to complain about the teacher, and an unexpected financial burden on the families of class members that can't afford surprises. But sure, the fact that all Larlo's colored pencils weren't used to a nub last year is the real travesty.


Ehh. I'm probably the wealthiest family at our Title 1 school. I ask every quarter what else needs replaced. I hope I'm not annoying the teacher. Last year she asked for more glue sticks, more headphones (a lot of the kids had super cheap ones that busted), tissues, antibacterial wipes, and baggies. Seeing the poverty of her classmates, I'm going to send in a $100 gift card to Amazon on the first day of school too for the teacher to purchase anything missing. I'm not trying to gain brownie points for my kid or annoy the teacher at all. If there ever was a field trip again, I'd send in more money anonymously so other kids could attend, but it's not likely. Title one schools don't get field trips or any sort of extras.
Anonymous
Post 07/28/2022 11:51     Subject: "Whatever you do, don't bring used supplies to school"

We had stuff hardly used and my kid didn't care so yes, I sent it all back. I also sent in tons of new extra's my kid claimed they never saw and each year as room parent I'd see tons of new supplies in the teachers closets at a Title One school so many teachers are hoarding it while our kids go without or get crummy stuff. And, worse are the teachers where you buy specific for your child, label it and your child still gets random stuff.