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What!!??? Better grades for hand sanitizer & boxes of tissue??!! I am appalled.
Why do teachers allow this to go on? I pick my battles as a teacher; however, this would have me suiting up with armor & swords.
In fact, I cannot think of any teachers or principal, for that matter, in my school who would allow this to transpire.
Likewise, I cannot believe that parents that are economically disadvantaged aren't in an uproar about this practice. It is totally biased. Buying grades?!!? Not on my watch.
We send home newsletters for requested items & get them fairly quickly. And I teach in one of the most economically & culturally diverse schools in my district. Daily snacks, hand sanitizer, tissue, markers, scholarship money for field trips, whatever. People step up to the plate to help.
There! I got it off my chest. Whew. I feel better. Thanks for listening.
Our school requires all extra credit to be academically related.
Why the heck is hand sanitizer allowed in the classroom? Where are the lessons that proper hand washing kills more germs than hand sanitizer with a lower environmental impact?
We use hand sanitizer in our music lab. We have 3 classes in the lab daily. We also have 2 chorus classes, 1 band class, 1 orchestra class, 2 music theory classes, and a guitar class that use the lab during the school year. We keep hand sanitizer in the lab for the kids so that they can minimize the transfer of germs to/from the piano and computer keyboards. I can't have 30 kids per period leave the classroom and wash their hands.
Why the heck is hand sanitizer allowed in the classroom? Where are the lessons that proper hand washing kills more germs than hand sanitizer with a lower environmental impact?
Do you have any clue how long it takes 30 5 year olds to wash their hands. There are only so many hours in a day. With all the flu going around schools have moved to using hand sanitizer to cut down on the germ spread so the kids have access to it in their desks and can use it if they sneeze or cough.
Our kids have had classes where they have been offered 5 extra credit points to bring in kleenex or such. It doesn't compound the more you bring in. 5 points isn't really going to have any bearing on their grade.
Happens all the time in my school. Last time we had a staff meeting it was in a room of a teacher who had written on the board the extra credit points each of these items was worth and the administration didn't say a word. This is how many teachers get the items they need for their rooms. I'm one of the few who don't do this and I get complaints about it. Students are quick to point out when other teachers offer extra credit for room supplies.
What really burns my butt is that the parents who buy these things would never think to donate them to the room simply becasue THEIR CHILD is one of the kids using them. No, there has to be something in it for them.
This system exists because parents like it and teachers can't afford to keep buying these things. H1N1 or no H1N1, I'm not buying another bottle of hand sanitizer for my room and I'm not buying any more kleenex. When I run out, I'll tell my students that I bought the first round and if they want those items available, they need to pitch in from there. I'm sure the same thing that happened last year will happen. We simply won't have them in my room. Unless I cave and give extra credit. Then I'm sure I'd have more than I'd need.
Actually, since taxpayers money is supposed to go towards public education, it is the school's responsibility to ensure the school is clean. it was up to the student to bring kleenex. sanitizer should be part of the school's responsibility but also parent's so that germs don't spread. better yet, if a kid has the sniffles, they shouldn't be in the classroom. that's why everyone is sick!
it shouldn't be the teacher's job to provide these items. unless they are paying for it and turning in receipts at tax time.
It is interesting how much of school is geared towards putting children in poor families at a disadvantage. No money for school stuff? Well, lil Johnny, whose parents are rich sent in 6 tubs of hand sanitizer, you brought in none, he gets extra credit, you get nothing. Smply based on the socio economic status of the family you come from. Well, start the kids off, learning that being poor stacks every deck against you, even in getting extra credit at school.
In my daughter's previous elementary school (we have since moved and not sure what they do here...) but at the beginning of the year and a few other times during the year (Xmas ...), the PTA puts up a "wishing tree" in the lobby of the school. During the fall when school begins, it is an "apple wishing tree" and teachers put their names on the apples with items that they would like/need for their classrooms and parents come in and take the apples and pick up the items for the teachers. At Xmas, it was a snowflake tree or something like that.... same concept.
They can be given to the teachers anonymously....
I thought it was a great idea and I know that other parents liked the concept and the teachers really appreciated it!
No extra credit to the kids for purchasing items... seems a bit strange!
We have this at our school as well. I use it as an opportunity to teach my children about charity.
The problem I have is when basic supplies have to be practically begged (or in this case bribed) for. Let's see, we have "suggested school supplies" lists at the beginning of the year, grocery store slips to be saved for schools, Boxtops for Education, buy a book from Scholastic for the class - hell, even Target kicks back a portion of their Red Card sales to be given to the school of one's choice. Add to that the number of times you're hit up outside a department store for some thing or another. I'll also add that every year, there is some "stuff the bus" school supply campaign going on...
Does anyone really believe that we don't pay for those on the other end in addition to what we pay through property taxes, etc.?
Okay, exit soapbox.
As far as I'm concerned, exchanging basic supplies for extra credit is not appropriate. I guess I feel the same way when I donate something to Goodwill or the Salvation Army and don't accept a receipt so I can claim it as a tax deduction. Donations - whether at school or elsewhere - should be exactly that. The only way Jr. should be getting a better grade is if he or she puts extra work into a subject - not replacing tissue for the snot-nosed kid next to him or her IMHO.
Last edited by cebdark; 11-03-2009 at 06:52 PM..
Reason: added something and can't type tonight
Actually, since taxpayers money is supposed to go towards public education, it is the school's responsibility to ensure the school is clean. it was up to the student to bring kleenex. sanitizer should be part of the school's responsibility but also parent's so that germs don't spread. better yet, if a kid has the sniffles, they shouldn't be in the classroom. that's why everyone is sick!
it shouldn't be the teacher's job to provide these items. unless they are paying for it and turning in receipts at tax time.
It is the school's job to keep the school clean but it's not their job to keep the student's hands clean. As a teacher, I'm exposed to 148 germy hands every day. Every paper I touch was touched by a student or two who may or may not have even wiped their hands after they wiped their nose let alone washed them. My school won't buy me white board markers let alone hand sanitizer. They figure their job is done when they wipe down the desks every night with a rag that was used to wipe down every other desk. I think they rinse it every room or so . And they just cut our sick days to 5 per year. And they wonder why we come in when sick .
My school doesn't buy printer printer paper, white board markers, hand soap, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, paper towels (I asked that they fill the dispenser in my room once (remember it doubles as a lab) and I was told I'd be billed for that or hand sanitizer. They don't supply office supplies either. We buy our own pencils, pens, paper clips, staplers, etc, etc, etc....I even had to buy calculators for my students to use. Unfortunately, they've stolen most of them so we don't have them so use anymore. I buy my own demo items including chemicals and often things for the class to do. You know, this was NOT in the job description.
Oh Ivorytickler.... I am so sorry for your teachers.
I come from a district that provides all of the above things plus lab top computers for each teacher to use at home, teacher's aides in all classrooms, & $450 for each teacher for classroom supplies. Plus the PTA gives us a gift of $100 each year.
It is so poignant that education isn't given top priority countrywide.
Extra credit for bring stuff to class;its no wander many don't learn much.I can't beleieve they have kids seeling stuff for the school to make money. Guess they found out how much those scouts and baseball teams were bring in.
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My school won't buy me white board markers let alone hand sanitizer. They figure their job is done when they wipe down the desks every night with a rag that was used to wipe down every other desk. I think they rinse it every room or so 
. And they just cut our sick days to 5 per year. And they wonder why we come in when sick 
.
wow
or hand sanitizer. They don't supply office supplies either. We buy our own pencils, pens, paper clips, staplers, etc, etc, etc....I even had to buy calculators for my students to use. Unfortunately, they've stolen most of them so we don't have them so use anymore. 
