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How about doing what my teachers did? Instead of putting together supply lists, they put together "must have on your person at all times" lists. These lists were very basic: pen, pencil, notebook, etc. And those were literally "must haves"; not having them got your grade docked (only by a few points). Anything more specialized got a couple days of advance notice before it was needed. Nobody demanded 40 glue sticks on the first day; neither were they made communal.
Schools put things like 40 pencils or 10 glue sticks on the supply list at the beginning of the year so that parents don’t need to be continuously running to the store each week to buy supplies. It’s easier to just buy them all at once at the beginning of the year when stores are having their back to school sales. It also saves the parents money when they’re buying glue sticks for $.10 instead of $1 during those sales.
Nobody is demanding 40 glue sticks. You’re not helping your argument by being overly dramatic about the amount of school supplies needed.
Here is what a typical school supply list looks like:
Yes, kindergarten has 12 glue sticks on there list, but that’s because they probably do a lot of craft projects that use glue. Plus a 5 year old is not the most responsible person, and a lot of glue probably dries out when caps are lost or not snapped on tightly. And no, the teacher is not going to go around snapping on 27 glue tops each time they need to use glue.
Schools put things like 40 pencils or 10 glue sticks on the supply list at the beginning of the year so that parents don’t need to be continuously running to the store each week to buy supplies. It’s easier to just buy them all at once at the beginning of the year when stores are having their back to school sales. It also saves the parents money when they’re buying glue sticks for $.10 instead of $1 during those sales.
Nobody is demanding 40 glue sticks. You’re not helping your argument by being overly dramatic about the amount of school supplies needed.
Here is what a typical school supply list looks like:
Yes, kindergarten has 12 glue sticks on there list, but that’s because they probably do a lot of craft projects that use glue. Plus a 5 year old is not the most responsible person, and a lot of glue probably dries out when caps are lost or not snapped on tightly. And no, the teacher is not going to go around snapping on 27 glue tops each time they need to use glue.
About those glue sticks....my 9 year old is in 4th grade (19 kids in his grade, one class per grade in the lower school) and each child was required to bring in two "large" glue sticks. To be shared. Same with two boxes of SHARPENED Dixon Ticonderogas - to be shared. I don't remember which supplies weren't shared, scissors...I think?
I agree. That upper level classes have not been near as much a problem. We went from several hundred a year in elementary to maybe 30 dollars in high school.
You aren't kidding!
When my older two were in lower & middle school, it was out of control.
When they were in MS, the individual subject teachers had their own "lists".
75% of it all never seemed to get used in MS. Certainly got beat up, from lugging around in their back backs or from locker to class.
I'm talking about 7 college ruled marble notebooks and anywhere between 0-10 pages were used in each notebook. 3 ring notebooks (of varying sizes) & subject separation tabs & loose leaf paper in 5 of the sections. Again, maybe 2-3 pages written on in each section. 8 pocket file folder, 5+ plastic 2 pocket folders, glue, pens of all colors, colored pencils, highlighters, index cards, etc., etc., etc.
Spanish was the worst - 5" 3 ring binder with the separation tabs/loose leaf & 3 red pens, 3 black pens, 3 blue pens, 3 highlighters, 5 pencils with additional erasers (all to be kept in a 3 ring pencil case in said binder), a "personal" pencil sharpener, index cards, an index card "file box" to be kept in their locker & I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. Largest notebook required and barely EVER used a thing required to be put in it. Two kids - same teacher for a total of 6 years between the two, and same end result at the end of every school year they had her. Even the workbook that accompanied the textbook stopped getting used a few weeks in to the school year(s). I erased the few pages completed in my oldest's workbook & gave it to my middle. From 6-8th grade. The workbook was only around $8-$10, but come on.
Thankfully they stopped that crazy when my middle was in 8th grade. It became: "you are responsible to figure out how to take notes/study/prepare yourself for class & tests". But one is NOT allowed to write in anything other than pencil or black/blue pen.
If he needed a calculator or some other "apparatus" for a math class, that was about it.
When my oldest was in HS there was no laundry/Christmas list of subject/class/teacher specific "supplies" (other than a calculator or two, Visorgogs for chem/bio labs, etc.). The cost of mandated "supplies" for HS was reduced more than significantly.
My oldest is now in college and my middle (sophomore) child has been able to use most of his older brother's books so far...except for the classes where his teachers insist on e-texts. Which I hate. A one year subscription is almost just as expensive as the physical text book, but after the year? You have NOTHING. Can't sell it back to the school bookstore, can't save it for a sibling, can't do a thing with it.
At the same time, however, parents at the school have been expressing their dissatisfaction with the teachers who only allow e-texts to be used in their classes & due to the fact that their children prefer or learn better with having the physical text book to read/study/take notes from. So they end up (and I have as well) purchasing the physical book from an outside source IN ADDITION to the e-text that was mandatory. Thankfully, it seems, that the parents have been heard & all classes will have an option when it comes to purchasing e-texts or physical textbooks next year.
Last edited by Informed Info; 01-06-2018 at 10:17 PM..
About those glue sticks....my 9 year old is in 4th grade (19 kids in his grade, one class per grade in the lower school) and each child was required to bring in two "large" glue sticks. To be shared. Same with two boxes of SHARPENED Dixon Ticonderogas - to be shared. I don't remember which supplies weren't shared, scissors...I think?
Cool...? I’m not sure why you quoted my post. Is 2 glue sticks and 24 pencils supposed to be a lot? My fourth grade class does a fair amount of gluing, so having 2 of the large size glue sticks might be enough, but there wouldn’t be much leftover for the kids to bring home at the end of the year. Same with the pencils, that’s about one pencil every 2 weeks. Some kids go through more, some less. I wouldn’t expect any pencils to be left over either at the end of the year to be sent home.
I can see where a teacher would request a certain brand if the students are sharing. Some of the girls in my class have pink glittery pencils, not something the boys would want to use.
Cool...? I’m not sure why you quoted my post. Is 2 glue sticks and 24 pencils supposed to be a lot? My fourth grade class does a fair amount of gluing, so having 2 of the large size glue sticks might be enough, but there wouldn’t be much leftover for the kids to bring home at the end of the year. Same with the pencils, that’s about one pencil every 2 weeks. Some kids go through more, some less. I wouldn’t expect any pencils to be left over either at the end of the year to be sent home.
I can see where a teacher would request a certain brand if the students are sharing. Some of the girls in my class have pink glittery pencils, not something the boys would want to use.
Why do kids need to bring home a used glue stick at the end of the year? Personally, I'd pitch it.
Why do kids need to bring home a used glue stick at the end of the year? Personally, I'd pitch it.
I would too... it just seem like some posters on here want everything sent back home st the end of the year. I originally wrote that I would just toss the glue sticks, so it wouldn’t matter that it went into community supplies, but figured I’d have posters telling me I was being wasteful. I wouldn’t even think glue sticks would be good for another year, those seem to dry out pretty quickly.
There was a year when I was in Prince Georges County, Maryland teaching when we were given 1 ream of paper per quarter. That was sometime around 1980. I hate to think that is still going on.
I guarantee you that it is. We lived across the street from a teacher who worked in PG when our children were younger. After I mentioned ordering left-handed scissors for my kids, she said something about how lucky our children were to have parents who thought of such things. Her school had only right-handed scissors (universal grip scissors really aren't universal) that were difficult for her left-handers to use. When I handed a box of a dozen authentic left-handed scissors to her about a week later, she nearly cried.
Meh, I make sure I have lots of supplies for students. I do not have a classroom, but I do serve lots of students on a daily basis. I buy supplies for the students from my personal funds as do many educators. I cannot bear to have them use a pencil without an eraser (I recall a teacher in one school I served who purposefully either removed erasers from pencils or had students tape over the eraser). I found this to be cruel (but this ‘teacher’, later administrator, is a tale for another day).
Students will use a pencil until it is an inch and a half in length! I cringe. I also buy the eraser toppers for those who do wear the eraser down before the pencil is even half used.
I buy glue sticks (mainly because I cannot bear to use Elmer’s or any wet, liquid glue. Ugh!) so some supplies are because of my preference. I keep a supply of binders and lined, graph, construction, copy, etc. paper as well as staples, paper clips, highlighters, rubberbands, etc. for student and professional use. No biggie.
That one year I was given only one ream of copy paper and then limited in the amount of copies I could actually make made me decide that I would NEVER be without the basic necessities and neither would my students. It’s difficult to get a Manila envelope from a school. Good grief! I just don’t bother asking for supplies from the office unless I am desperate and then I will replace them with a full package/ new item the next day. I’m tired of asking for simple items like a few paper clips, or rubber bands, or whatever and being told that there are none. (There really are, though.) ‘Supply keepers’ in schools tend to be very stingy (covetous) of the inventory and I’m over it.
BTW, anyone wanting to donate used but usable pencils, etc. could maybe check for any local efforts to send supplies to schools affected by the disaster in Puerto Rico if that is something that interests you. Our police department is having such a drive and I donated to this cause just before Christmas. I’m sure any contribution will be appreciated.
My oldest is now in college and my middle (sophomore) child has been able to use most of his older brother's books so far...except for the classes where his teachers insist on e-texts. Which I hate. A one year subscription is almost just as expensive as the physical text book, but after the year? You have NOTHING. Can't sell it back to the school bookstore, can't save it for a sibling, can't do a thing with it.
At the same time, however, parents at the school have been expressing their dissatisfaction with the teachers who only allow e-texts to be used in their classes & due to the fact that their children prefer or learn better with having the physical text book to read/study/take notes from. So they end up (and I have as well) purchasing the physical book from an outside source IN ADDITION to the e-text that was mandatory. Thankfully, it seems, that the parents have been heard & all classes will have an option when it comes to purchasing e-texts or physical textbooks next year.
Wait your sophomore has to pay for etexts? Ours access the etexts free on the school website with their individual username and password.
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Personally, I'd pitch it.
