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Easy answer to why teachers supply this stuff. If they don't the lessons don't get taught and there are negative evaluations.
Talk about gaming the system . . .
If one has to work in a system like this, at least take a lesson from the missionaries and come up with activities that use a bare minimum of supplies. Treat teaching like a business. Think like a contractor.
I've got to leave for work in a few minutes, but here's a quick example:
I once spent some spare time over several days finding free magazines, free paper (culled from office recycle bins with permission), free office supplies for an ESL program that was running in the basement of a church. We had the students cut out photos, paste them on 8 x 10 sheets of poster board and then attach 2 - 3 scrap pieces of paper (at least one side was blank). These were put in a box. Over time, students would take out a photo and write a one-two paragraph story in English about it on the attached paper. On Fridays, the teacher would read the new stories to the class.
Cost: ZERO
Educational benefit: 100%
Why not repeat this activity in a 4th grade class? One can have the students bring in photos from newspapers, etc. . . . .
This is the type of thinking that needs to be done. And, yes, lots of lessons can be taught sans computers or other technology.
If one has to work in a system like this, at least take a lesson from the missionaries and come up with activities that use a bare minimum of supplies. Treat teaching like a business. Think like a contractor.
I've got to leave for work in a few minutes, but here's a quick example:
I once spend several days finding free magazines, free paper, free office supplies for an ESL program that was running in the basement of a church. We had the students cut out photos, paste them on 8 x 10 sheets of poster board and then attach 2 - 3 scrap pieces of paper (at least one side was blank). These were put in a box. Over time, students would take out a photo and write a one-two paragraph story in English about it on the attached paper. On Fridays, the teacher would read the new stories to the class.
Cost: ZERO
Educational benefit: 100%
Why not repeat this activity in a 4th grade class? One can have the students bring in photos from newspapers, wherever . . .
Doesn't work that way any longer. Materials to be used are specified in the curriculum with no variations or ad hoc substitutions.
The people you should be complaining about are the administrators who convince the school boards that various items aren't classroom necessities then adopt curricula that incorporate those items. Not the teachers who have their supply lists given to them by their supervisors/school administrators.
You should be complaining about the administrators who starve supply budgets, let's use the IEP reports mentioned earlier, for things like printer ink while not taking into account the fact that all those reports are mandated by various federal and state statutes. Not the teachers who have to complete those reports or lose their jobs.
You should be complaining about the administrators who sell school boards on on-line textbooks and then neglect to pay the publishers for on-line access to the texts so nobody has a text. Except for the teacher who makes a classroom set of copies of the text from the one he has (yeah, that happened). Not the teacher who asks everyone for a couple reams of paper to make those text copies.
If one has to work in a system like this, at least take a lesson from the missionaries and come up with activities that use a bare minimum of supplies. Treat teaching like a business. Think like a contractor.
I've got to leave for work in a few minutes, but here's a quick example:
I once spent some spare time over several days finding free magazines, free paper (culled from office recycle bins with permission), free office supplies for an ESL program that was running in the basement of a church. We had the students cut out photos, paste them on 8 x 10 sheets of poster board and then attach 2 - 3 scrap pieces of paper (at least one side was blank). These were put in a box. Over time, students would take out a photo and write a one-two paragraph story in English about it on the attached paper. On Fridays, the teacher would read the new stories to the class.
Cost: ZERO
Educational benefit: 100%
Why not repeat this activity in a 4th grade class? One can have the students bring in photos from newspapers, etc. . . . .
This is the type of thinking that needs to be done. And, yes, lots of lessons can be taught sans computers or other technology.
Now, now, we can't have this! This actually makes sense and saves money. And we're not supposed to teach classrooms in ways that make sense and save money. We're supposed to inflate costs and implement inane policies. Will somebody think of the children!
I was not going to comment on this thread, as I did not want to be off topic, but I changed my mind.
All of you saying that "the school" should provide "this or that" who do you think ends up providing all of those things? In the districts where I have worked it is generally the classroom teacher.
A student runs out of pencils. The teacher needs to supply them.
A student runs of of paper. The teacher needs to supply it.
A student runs out of dry erase markers for their individual dry erase board. The teacher needs to supply them.
A parent refuses to send in materials needed for various projects. The teacher needs to provide whatever is needed to complete the activity or project.
The classroom runs of tissues. The teacher needs to provide more.
Etc. Etc.
I am a retired special education teacher who generally spent $1,000 to $2,000 per school year on supplies for my classroom. And, yes, some of those things were for parents who refused to send in the supplies that the school district requested.
Just one example. The thing that used to irritate me the most was that that we were required to print out a numerous official documents per year, IEPs, quarterly reports, end of year summaries, etc. for each student. Yes, the district provided a computer & a printer and one ink cartridge per year for our use. Unfortunately, most special education teachers needed to print out so many official papers that we generally needed three ink cartridges per year. Who was responsible for supplying the extra ink cartridges? You guessed it, the teacher. No matter how nicely we asked, no matter how much we protested, we were told that the district could only provide one ink cartridge per year for each special education teacher.
Most schools do not have this "magic supply closet" filled with an unending supply of paper, pencils, pens, markers, notebooks, crayons, scissors, etc. etc. Maybe in past years when you and I were children, but with more and more budget cuts "the cupboard is bare". It is the generally the teacher who needs to buy those supplies out of his/her own pockets.
Yes, school supplies can be expensive. If parents do not want to buy the needed supplies than go to school board meetings and complain. Tell your elected officials that it is OK to raise taxes so that all tax payers are paying for those items and not just the parents of children that are now attending school.
I am going on my 25th year teaching in an elementary school. I have never spent more, or maybe just a few dollars more, than what my PTA would reimburse. In recent years that amount has been $80. The school provides what we need and I'm thankful for that. We are a two teacher household and both have similar experiences.
As much as I try I have difficulty understanding those who say, "We have to buy these supplies because the school won't do so". Are the teachers enablers? Could it be that the school doesn't have to buy the supplies because the employees will do it instead? In the case of printing IEPs, when the ink is gone, it's gone. The school should provide what is needed. If they don't, it can't be printed until they do. As soon as someone purchases the ink out of their own pocket the district is off the hook.
I always asked for copy paper. We had to supply our own paper and ink for the classroom printer. The ink, using it very conservatively, ran me hundreds of dollars out of pocket each year ($200 a cartridge), so it was nice if I didn't have to buy the paper, too.
Well, my kids' school had never asked before, and I did comply. I know schools have some issue with asking for money, but if they could get around that somehow they could ask for a contribution for copy paper for each kid and then go buy it in bulk and get their tax deferral.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissTerri
I spent close to $200 for the schools supplies for both of my kids this year. I don't know how people with lower incomes would be able to afford it. The lists were long and many of the items were quite pricey.
In my district, there are fund drives for kids on free and reduced price lunches. I usually make the contribution for one kid's supplies, generally around $100.
Quote:
Originally Posted by germaine2626
I was not going to comment on this thread, as I did not want to be off topic, but I changed my mind.
All of you saying that "the school" should provide "this or that" who do you think ends up providing all of those things? In the districts where I have worked it is generally the classroom teacher.
A student runs out of pencils. The teacher needs to supply them.
A student runs of of paper. The teacher needs to supply it.
A student runs out of dry erase markers for their individual dry erase board. The teacher needs to supply them.
A parent refuses to send in materials needed for various projects. The teacher needs to provide whatever is needed to complete the activity or project.
The classroom runs of tissues. The teacher needs to provide more.
Etc. Etc.
I am a retired special education teacher who generally spent $1,000 to $2,000 per school year on supplies for my classroom. And, yes, some of those things were for parents who refused to send in the supplies that the school district requested.
Just one example. The thing that used to irritate me the most was that that we were required to print out a numerous official documents per year, IEPs, quarterly reports, end of year summaries, etc. for each student. Yes, the district provided a computer & a printer and one ink cartridge per year for our use. Unfortunately, most special education teachers needed to print out so many official papers that we generally needed three ink cartridges per year. Who was responsible for supplying the extra ink cartridges? You guessed it, the teacher. No matter how nicely we asked, no matter how much we protested, we were told that the district could only provide one ink cartridge per year for each special education teacher.
Most schools do not have this "magic supply closet" filled with an unending supply of paper, pencils, pens, markers, notebooks, crayons, scissors, etc. etc. Maybe in past years when you and I were children, but with more and more budget cuts "the cupboard is bare". It is the generally the teacher who needs to buy those supplies out of his/her own pockets.
Yes, school supplies can be expensive. If parents do not want to buy the needed supplies than go to school board meetings and complain. Tell your elected officials that it is OK to raise taxes so that all tax payers are paying for those items and not just the parents of children that are now attending school.
Y'know, reading your post and my response to Miss Terri's post, I just had a Eureka moment. My district does have a drive every year for school supplies. See: About | Crayons to Calculators
Perhaps this outfit, and others like it around the country, could also help supply teachers!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meemur
Talk about gaming the system . . .
If one has to work in a system like this, at least take a lesson from the missionaries and come up with activities that use a bare minimum of supplies. Treat teaching like a business. Think like a contractor.
I've got to leave for work in a few minutes, but here's a quick example:
I once spent some spare time over several days finding free magazines, free paper (culled from office recycle bins with permission), free office supplies for an ESL program that was running in the basement of a church. We had the students cut out photos, paste them on 8 x 10 sheets of poster board and then attach 2 - 3 scrap pieces of paper (at least one side was blank). These were put in a box. Over time, students would take out a photo and write a one-two paragraph story in English about it on the attached paper. On Fridays, the teacher would read the new stories to the class.
Cost: ZERO
Educational benefit: 100%
Why not repeat this activity in a 4th grade class? One can have the students bring in photos from newspapers, etc. . . . .
This is the type of thinking that needs to be done. And, yes, lots of lessons can be taught sans computers or other technology.
That does seem like a great deal of effort, especially the dumpster-diving!
I am going on my 25th year teaching in an elementary school. I have never spent more, or maybe just a few dollars more, than what my PTA would reimburse. In recent years that amount has been $80. The school provides what we need and I'm thankful for that. We are a two teacher household and both have similar experiences.
As much as I try I have difficulty understanding those who say, "We have to buy these supplies because the school won't do so". Are the teachers enablers? Could it be that the school doesn't have to buy the supplies because the employees will do it instead? In the case of printing IEPs, when the ink is gone, it's gone. The school should provide what is needed. If they don't, it can't be printed until they do. As soon as someone purchases the ink out of their own pocket the district is off the hook.
Your PTA gives you money, ours hit us up for operating funds. Usually so they could give us breakfast bagels a couple times a year.
Thank you, this is a great post to discuss some of the key points we as parents are stuck on and don't get. Not meaning to pick on you, but just such a great point to discuss from.
Because if parents don't supply it and the teacher doesn't supply it (which they shouldn't on their limited pay), the district won't and then parents complain that their children are getting substandard education.
Years ago, here in Florida before we had a lottery, the people in government who were pushing for the lottery were touting all the money that would be going to go to the schools, blah, blah, blah if the citizens voted to have the lottery. We all see how that worked out. Meanwhile the school supplies parents have to buy gets larger and larger and includes things like gallon and quart sized plastic bags, hand sanitizer and copy paper.
As for the poor teachers who have to buy these things out of their pockets what would happen if they ALL stopped doing it? The schools are getting away with it because the teachers have been doing it because they love kids and teaching so the administration gets away with it. I'm so glad mine are done and I only have 1 grandchild. If it was up to me she would be homeschooled also like my boys were from 5th-8th grade.
Exactly my daughter lives in florida and she homeschools as well because of the ridiculousness of all the supplies the local district needs aka teacher lists . Now my gd went to first grade and my daughter ended up spending almost 900 dollars over a years time and she said she had , had it and she started homeschooling and besides the public schools are not doing our kids any favors and they are not coming out educated . My daughter went to catholic school and so did her brothers and so did I and guess what I got educated kids and not one bill close to 900 for supplies . Yes the catholic school did cost me and my husband a bundle but so worth it .
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