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Why can't teachers get their school supply lists out before school starts? Instead, they hand the kid a supply list on the first day of school, and somehow expect them to gather all supplies, exactly as specified by the next day.
Ok, in elementary school, they have the lists printed and available online and in major stores at least a few weeks prior to school beginning. But for middle and high school, well, they wait until the first day of class, then hand them out. Their excuse, oh, each teacher has individual lists, they don't know until the first day of class what students they will have, etc. Then, those lists come out the day after the sales-tax free weekend, when we could have saved that money.
look, I for one am SICK AND TIRED of hearing how teachers are overworked and underpaid. That's their constant battle cry, oh, poor teachers, working so hard, barely make enough to scrape by. WTH do you think the parents are, the idle rich? Many of us work 1-2 jobs, drag home exhausted, only to have a supply list shoved in our face, her, go buy all this crap, and have it by tomorrow. Oh, of course, you could have saved 8% plus all the sales last weekend, but that's ok, you have plenty of money, not like us poor teachers.
Many of you poor teachers make more than the parents, at least you have a job. I can just see how you would react if demanded to run out and purchase a ton of supplies at the last minute---many parents don't even get home until 6-7 pm, then many have another job to run to. And oh, you sure pinch your pennies, but we have $$$ to throw around. Look, the sales tax free weekend, and sales, just ended, couldn't you have come up with lists to let us take advantage of that? This isn't play money we're spending, many of us are on the ragged edge, those sales are sometimes the only way we can make ends meet.
Of course, the dear teachers say you don't have to get all this at once, you can take a week or two, but then they start assigning projects, etc, that necessitate those supplies. The kids who have the materials get the edge, those that don't are left behind. Then, I'm sure your break room gossip turns to "oh, you can always tell those students that have support at home, they have their supplies, and those that don't"
You just don't see the connection between parents and teacher communication, do you? Of course, you always get sales tax free, just flash your pretty teacher ID card. We have one weekend per year for the same advantage, but then, we don't need it, we're so rich anyways, since we're not teachers.
At the very least, if you're going to throw the supply list at us with one evening to gather it all, don't be so darned picky. Don't demand a certain type of folder, notebook, etc, then berate the kid if they don't have it. Did it ever occur to you there might be a run on them and they are ot available? if you want a certain type of folder, etc, so bad, YOU go buy it with your sales tax free teacher discount, then sell them back to the kids first day of school. Oh, that wouldn't work? You don't have that kind of money to throw around? Well, neither do we----look, its a friggin RECESSION out there, not everyone has tons of money, at least try to work with parents a little, have the supply list ready before the sales-tax free weekend, but guess you were all too "busy"with other stuff, and, after all, our budget is none of your concern!
Believe me, I get your rant. I think that you made some very valid points, and those points should be brought up to the school administrator. In these tough times, teachers should not be so picky. I know that I just moved, across the country. I am living beyond pay check to pay check right now. Things are so tight, my CC cards are completely jacked up. If I had to be buying school supplies right now, we would be at the Dollar store, or getting a free backpack from Salvation Army with stuff.
Teachers do need a reality check of how the rest of the world works...
You know the basics, notebooks (binders) , HS will be college ruled paper, pens/pencils, few spiral binders, new backpack. Georgia use to have taxfree days, but they stopped 2 yrs ago due to the state budget shortfall.
You know the basics, notebooks (binders) , HS will be college ruled paper, pens/pencils, few spiral binders, new backpack. Georgia use to have taxfree days, but they stopped 2 yrs ago due to the state budget shortfall.
Of course we know the basics, and try to stock up, but teachers send home very specific supply lists. they want only a certain type of notebook, or folder, etc. One year I ran to 5 stores to find the "right" folder for my son, then it wasn't the right shade of green. It had to be a specific type of folder, with 3 brads, two pockets, look, they were sold out, ok? and my ds got berated for "not following instructions". The teacher insisted they were available at Target, well, not when I went. I gave her a dollar, told her if she happens to see the folder, please pick it up, meanwhile, she will just have to learn to live not getting everything her way.
and what about the gas I spent running to those stores? Guess gas is free if you're buying school supplies!
Believe me, I get your rant. I think that you made some very valid points, and those points should be brought up to the school administrator. In these tough times, teachers should not be so picky. I know that I just moved, across the country. I am living beyond pay check to pay check right now. Things are so tight, my CC cards are completely jacked up. If I had to be buying school supplies right now, we would be at the Dollar store, or getting a free backpack from Salvation Army with stuff.
Teachers do need a reality check of how the rest of the world works...
Oh, I can't wait until they start assigning "projects". somehow I got through school without everything being an artsy-fartsy project (ummmI was a National Merit Scholarship winner, guess I did something right). Those damed projects Each one cost us about $50-$100, that crap isn't free. they say oh, just use what you have around the house. Like I have arts and crafts crap just laying around.
Not to mention the time involved, I've spent literally hundreds of hours with my kids over the years making the most absurd things, not to mention all the "dress up" days. Oh, we're studying the pioneer era, so, dress them up like a pioneer, or a cowboy, or whatever....sure, I just have tons of that stuff, and all the time in the world to pretty up your classroom. Come to think of it, we never did get some projects back, probably they disassembled them and re-used the parts for other stuff, recycling is the thing!
My ds can't write worth a crap, but he can sure make signs, posters, etc. Well, perhaps its preparing him for life, he can make plenty of "will work for food" posters!
I never had the money for that stuff. Once, my daughter made a project, using a shoe box, and some things she had in her room. She won the prize, compared with projects that were all fancy, and expensive. I think she won, because it was creative, but also, because it was done by herself, because I was too busy working my second job, or sleeping, to help her. Maybe she won it because the teachers really appreciated the work actually done by a sixth grader....not a parent with lots of money and time.
I could take this rant a lot more seriously if it was just a request to get supply lists out in time to take advantage of the tax free weekend. All the bs attacking teachers (really, you handed one a dollar?), makes your complaint lose credibility.
Thank you for painting all teachers with a broad brush.
Here's what I've already purchased -- and yes, I paid sales tax -- for my high school classes:
Binders
Filler paper
Grid paper
Folders
Pencils -- regular AND mechanical
Pens
Tissues
Markers -- fine AND broad point
Crayons
Hand sanitizer
Glue sticks
Highlighters
I won't get reimbursed for any of this, unless a parent decides to give me a dollar .....
And let me toss this out for your consideration -- school starts for us this week, and kids are still being scheduled into classes. This isn't elementary school where all 5th graders take the same classes; high school schedules are VERY personalized. Classes fill, new sections are created. Classes get cancelled for lack of enrollment. Schedules CHANGE, and this continues through Drop/Add, which for us is the entire first week of school.
Suppose you were told that your child was in Mrs. Smith's English class, but at the last minute there was a schedule change and s/he is now in Mr. Jones' class? Unless the two teachers had exactly the same supplies list, you've wasted time and money on things that your child now cannot use.
At that point, no doubt, you'd be here complaining that students shouldn't be expected to purchase anything until they get to school, because your child's schedule changed!
And if you're upset about losing out on the tax-free weekend, I suggest you contact your elected officials and ask that it be changed to a time that's more convenient for you.
ETA: By the by, while I was out shopping for supplies, I purchased a few extras to drop in the donation box for needy local families. I paid sales tax for those, too. There's no "flashing a teacher card" here to exempt sales tax -- don't know where you got that idea.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 08-22-2011 at 10:31 PM..
Whoa there MaryLee! You are going way off the deep end over your situation and are addressing members of a profession as a whole. My son brought his supply list home with his progress report at the end of school last year. My wife's elementary school posts their lists online at the end of the year. The families have the option of preordering school kits at the end of the year for the following year. We took my son's 6th grade supply list to Target last week and bought everything on it for about $35.
I understand your angst Marylee, but I'm not sure why you think this is a national problem. At my kids middle and high schools there were very few specific items the kids had to have and none asked for certain colors. For the last few years, I would just get general school supplies when they were on sale and then tell my son to look in our basement "store" if he needed something. We don't have a tax free weekend in PA. Here's a link to the states that have that: Tax Free Weekend - States With a 2011 Tax Holiday
Please remember that many teachers are also parents and they also have to go to the store and get supplies, just like any other parent.
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Guess gas is free if you're buying school supplies!
Each one cost us about $50-$100, that crap isn't free. they say oh, just use what you have around the house. Like I have arts and crafts crap just laying around.
