Anonymous wrote:Teacher here- I do ask for a lot of items to be a specific name brand because experience has taught me some generics are poor quality. Dollar store tape dispensers often don't work and many pencils break as soon as you sharpen them. Dry erase markers don't all erase well, etc. I do appreciate anything the families bring and understand they won't know why I am asking for brands. However, I do end up not using a lot of the dollar store items if they break or don't work well. On the other hand, for many items brand does not matter.

How many dry erase markers do teachers really need? It amazes me that they ask every family for a pack and its clearly not for each kid. Sorry, I don't buy us brand stuff if it is more money (a lot, not a few cents), so I'm not buying it for you either. Not everyone can afford or wants to spend $4-6 on a pack of dry erase markers when the dollar store one work fine.

Teacher here- I do ask for a lot of items to be a specific name brand because experience has taught me some generics are poor quality. Dollar store tape dispensers often don't work and many pencils break as soon as you sharpen them. Dry erase markers don't all erase well, etc. I do appreciate anything the families bring and understand they won't know why I am asking for brands. However, I do end up not using a lot of the dollar store items if they break or don't work well. On the other hand, for many items brand does not matter.

It's funny though PP that 90% of what I did in college was take notes. So at some point, students need to learn how to do that. A lot of college is attending lectures.

Anonymous wrote:Out teachers managed without whiteboards, and managed to both teach and supervise pencil sharpening. How come today's teachers are so much less capable?

My elementary teachers spent the majority of their teaching time writing on the blackboard while we hustled to copy what they were writing into our notebooks. I'm glad most of today's teachers have found more engaging and effective teaching methods.

I don't mind buying supplies but I really think every classroom should be supplied with basics like dry erase markers, pencils and a pencil sharpener, etc.

Not all school districts have recess aides. In Balt. Co, the teachers supervise their own classes during recess in ES. Lunch is duty-free for teachers.

The teachers also kicked us all out of classrooms during lunch and recess and promptly at 3:30 so they could relax a bit or grade in peace. We played tag and dodgeball while a bored mom volunteer playground attendant smoked Virginia Slims. You only came inside if you were bleeding or had been knocked unconscious. No one got to read quietly under teacher supervision instead of going out. If you wanted to read, you took your book to the blacktop.

Agree about the "reading quietly"--I did not realize that is an option today.

As for the teachers kicking you out of the classroom during lunch and recess, I think your memory must be a little foggy. I taught back in the day, and teachers always did recess-at least in the systems where I taught. We did not have teachers' aides in those days (except for K and Special Ed.) Teachers also supervised lunch. I even had one principal who required that teachers sit at the table with the kids--in other words, none of the teachers had duty free lunch.
As for the "Virginia Slims", there were those who smoked in the teachers' lounge, but we were never allowed to smoke in front of the kids. (at least not where I taught--I was not a smoker, so I did not pay much attention to it). Also, I had a principal who would not allow us to have sodas or coffee in the classroom when the kids were present. Her philosophy: it was rude and inconsiderate to drink in front of the kids. You would not do that in your home, and you did not do it in her school.

When I was growing up, the teachers were always in the lunchroom with us.

Anonymous wrote:It isn't required since not every student will finish early. But, students are not permitted to just sit there and do nothing if they finish their classwork. Most teachers have a list of what they want students to do if they finish early. Sometimes it might be to work on any unfinished work but my high fliers have usually already finished that also. They are not permitted to "just read" according to my admins. That's a shame since that's all I ever wanted to do in school. I would read in my desk in school.

Wow, that's a shame. There's a ton of value in "just" free choice reading. My middle schooler's former elementary school and current school allow that. They also seem(ed) to allow her to work on homework or personal writing projects, as she has done both fairly often for years and we haven't had any negative comments on her behavior.

If my principal agreed to buy me new sharpeners every time a student broke one, I'd let my students sharpen pencils.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out teachers managed without whiteboards, and managed to both teach and supervise pencil sharpening. How come today's teachers are so much less capable?

Our teachers had less they had to teach because there was less expected. Did you know 80 kids taking high school credit algebra in seventh grade in the 1980s?

Besides, our parents didn't care if we had little classroom jobs or actually saw them as a sign the teacher really liked us. I had asthma, eliminating me from the coveted job of clapping erasers.

The teachers also kicked us all out of classrooms during lunch and recess and promptly at 3:30 so they could relax a bit or grade in peace. We played tag and dodgeball while a bored mom volunteer playground attendant smoked Virginia Slims. You only came inside if you were bleeding or had been knocked unconscious. No one got to read quietly under teacher supervision instead of going out. If you wanted to read, you took your book to the blacktop.

One of the things I love most about my kids' montessori classrooms is that the kids are still responsible for chores and maintaining the material. The kids and the teachers are together in a community of learners, and everyone has to contribute. It's such a healthy attitude that teaches kids responsibility and makes everyone feel valued. I'm sad that there aren't kids sharpening pencils (and whatever else) in most classrooms.

LOL!!! This is so true!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out teachers managed without whiteboards, and managed to both teach and supervise pencil sharpening. How come today's teachers are so much less capable?

Our teachers had less they had to teach because there was less expected. Did you know 80 kids taking high school credit algebra in seventh grade in the 1980s?

Besides, our parents didn't care if we had little classroom jobs or actually saw them as a sign the teacher really liked us. I had asthma, eliminating me from the coveted job of clapping erasers.

The teachers also kicked us all out of classrooms during lunch and recess and promptly at 3:30 so they could relax a bit or grade in peace. We played tag and dodgeball while a bored mom volunteer playground attendant smoked Virginia Slims. You only came inside if you were bleeding or had been knocked unconscious. No one got to read quietly under teacher supervision instead of going out. If you wanted to read, you took your book to the blacktop.

Anonymous wrote:Out teachers managed without whiteboards, and managed to both teach and supervise pencil sharpening. How come today's teachers are so much less capable?

Our teachers had less they had to teach because there was less expected. Did you know 80 kids taking high school credit algebra in seventh grade in the 1980s?

Besides, our parents didn't care if we had little classroom jobs or actually saw them as a sign the teacher really liked us. I had asthma, eliminating me from the coveted job of clapping erasers.

The teachers also kicked us all out of classrooms during lunch and recess and promptly at 3:30 so they could relax a bit or grade in peace. We played tag and dodgeball while a bored mom volunteer playground attendant smoked Virginia Slims. You only came inside if you were bleeding or had been knocked unconscious. No one got to read quietly under teacher supervision instead of going out. If you wanted to read, you took your book to the blacktop.

I'm a teacher. The site that generates our lists will automatically suggest a matching name brand from among its sponsors. If you are entering items in a hurry, you may not notice or care that 12 #2 pencils came out as 12 Ticonderoga #2 pencils. I just need to get the list to the financial secretary by 3 pm on an already hectic day at the end of the year. I don't need name brands, but I can't prioritize editing that list over the other 5 tasks that I do during my {snort} duty-free lunch, including tutoring struggling students.

+10000 because we all know that the main people complaining are the ones who can afford it. I understand if Javier's day laborer dad comes in with a bag of dollar store items. The bag of goods gets pushed to the back of the closet and usually sent back home at the end of the year to use for summer homework.Send the frickin' Crayola and Elmers and call it a day. Otherwise you will be asked for another batch in January when the cheap crap dries out.

Anonymous wrote:They are far less on Amazon.
Big multipack for $10, pack of 12 for less than $8.

Target says they have them in multiple colors (4 pack) in stores for $4.19 or 8 colors for $11.39.

Either you are exaggerating, or you didn't shop around.

Also, a simple google search of "Papermate Flair pen kindergarten" will reveal to you that some schools call them "art pens" and clearly they are used for special, more final pieces. They don't bleed and kids can outline or draw with them then color things in later - this doesn't work with many pens, so they're asking because they're tried and true. It's just like if you were baking and wanted such and such brand of butter but you were given off-brand Crisco - sure it could work, but it wouldn't be want you want.

Just buy the GD pens if you can afford them so the kids can make some nice, not frustrating, cry-free art!

"Target says they have them in multiple colors (4 pack) in stores for $4.19 or 8 colors for $11.39.

Either you are exaggerating, or you didn't shop around."

I did go to two stores - dollar store and then target. No, I did not comparison Google search all items on the shopping list. These pens happened to be the final item found (in the office section, not even in school supplies) so by then I had had it after searching for specific colors of very specific folders and specified eraser brands, Etc Etc.

I would have understood if these were in the "extras" or nice to have if you can get more section of the list. But they were in the "each kid needs x" section.