…but should you have to buy them for the whole class to share?
I love new school supplies. Always have. New stationery supplies just exude order, and productivity, and possibility. Pristine Mead notebooks. ROYGBIV-ordered Caran d’Ache colored pencils in their nifty tin . Clean and functional German stainless steel sharpeners. My favorite Uniball pens. Ticonderoga pencils (if they have to be regular pencils). Acme Westcott wooden rulers. The BIG box of Crayola crayons (oh how I lovingly arranged and sharpened them.) Just the right planner. (Yeah, I’m just a school supply/stationery nerd purist/afficianado. I love quality and classic, good design.) September, much more than January, has always seemed like the beginning of the year to me, the month of fresh starts. But I digress…
We finally got the middle school supply list for M. and it was surprisingly spare: a binder, one package #2 pencils, one highlighter, one package blue/black pens, one zippered pencil case, one package loose leaf paper and a set of dividers. Plus $10 for the school’s agenda book. All for her personal use. The End.
Meanwhile a local elementary school sent out its list. I’ll just share what’s asked for in Kindergarten and second grade:
KINDERGARTEN – DO NOT LABEL – The supplies will be shared among the class
- Kleenex
- Glue sticks
- Waterproof bookbag/ backpack (14” x11”) labeled with child’s name (no wheels)
- Pencil box
- Crayons (Box of 24)
- Liquid soap with pump
- Ziploc bags (sandwich-size)
- 8-pk thick markers
- Hand sanitizer–pump
- Ziploc bags (gallon)
- Pocket folder—white
- Pocket folder–blue
SECOND GRADE -DO NOT LABEL – The supplies will be shared among the class
- (24) #2 pencils
- (2) boxes of Kleenex
- Pencil box (plastic)
- (4) Glue sticks
- (2) Composition books
- Crayons (box of 48 )
- Unscented anti-bacterial wipes
- (2) Large pink erasers
- Scissors
- Bookbag or backpack
- 8-pk of marker
- (5) plain pocket folders (different colors)
- BOYS: Liquid soap with pump, Ziploc bags (sandwich size)
- GIRLS: Hand sanitizer-pump, Ziploc bags (gallon)
Third graders are expected to bring–along with most of the stuff listed above–48 (!) (sharpened!) pencils and two reams of ruled binder paper. And that doesn’t included the mandatory agenda book and payment for Time for Kids. Now for years I dutifully bought everything I was asked to (in 4th grade I even bought books for use in class), but seriously, what gives? When did it become expected that parents fork over for all of this extra stuff? And what’s up with not labeling and providing for the entire class? The janitor’s closet? Is that my responsibility? Gretchen at Mile High Mamas asked the same question (some places have it worse) and set off quite a discussion.
Here in the Maryland, the Maryland Code states:
§ 7-106. Textbooks, materials of instruction, and supplies.
(a) Selection and purchase of school materials.- On the recommendation of the county superintendent and subject to the provisions of this article, each county board shall adopt procedures for the selection and purchase of the following necessary items, at the lowest price consistent with good quality, for use in the public schools:
(1) Textbooks;
(2) Supplementary readers;
(3) Materials of instruction;
(4) Visual and auditory aids;
(5) Stationery; and
(6) School supplies.
(c) Materials to be furnished free of charge and in sufficient quantities.- Each county board shall furnish the materials and supplies listed in subsection (a) of this section:
(1) Free of cost for use in the public schools; and
(2) In sufficient quantities for the different grades in the public schools.
[An. Code 1957, art. 77, § 79; 1978, ch. 22, § 2; 1986, ch. 571; 1992, ch. 29
Meanwhile, in certain high school circles there is grumbling about the growing number of fees being levied for school activities and exams. With the growing income disparities in MoCo, and tough economic times for many families, it’s not an inconsequential issue. Perhaps MPCS can look to Roanoke, Virginia, where they’ve just reined in school fees after a study by a legal aid group raised questions about their legality.
But not here, not yet. $9.5 million MPCS public relations budget anyone? How about this Back to School Fair? Wonder how much that is costing….
Oh yeah, we just did the back to school shopping for my four kids and it cost a bundle. I understand the teachers shouldn’t have to pay for all the kleenex and whatnot, but it seems rather unfair to make the few parents who diligently buy everything on the list (rule follower that I am) pay for the entire class’s supplies. The worst part is we found that often half the supplies aren’t even needed or don’t get used – the same supply lists get recycled from year to year and are rarely checked or updated.
Ewww. I taught PreK for many years and I can’t imagine students having to share supplies. It is not fair to students who are particular and take good care of things. I am glad we do not do this at my school.
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Do you think my 4th-grade daughter will use 100 pencils (yellow) this year? Either there will be a lot more testing this year or they’ll be eating a few for extra fiber. Last year the students handed over all of their pencils to the teacher, but the other stationary supplies they kept as their own. Betcha those pencil go into a community container…
I don’t mind supplying plenty of sanitizer and tissue for my children’s classrooms, but I hope parents feel that way and help supply my classroom–it’s expensive! It is worth the price to keep students and teachers well and in school!
Oh, you really don’t want to get me started on the subject of community bins for school supplies.
http://www.janegoodwin.net/?p=1155
http://www.janegoodwin.net/?p=1587
Too late. I’m mad again.
Hand sanitizer, tissues…in my opinion that falls under public health. Just as school restrooms should be stocked with soap, paper towels and toilet paper (sadly not always the case in many schools and school systems) so too should schools equip classrooms with tissues and hand sanitizer. I think the only things I should provide are the things my child uses directly: her own pens, pencils, markers, notebooks, folders, etc. If she forgets them, it’s her responsibility.
We’re trying something new this year at the private school were I teach. Each teacher has a budget for supplies and we went to Walmart and bought class sets of all the supplies we need for the whole class for the whole year. Durable supplies, like scissors or rulers, will go into a common pile and we’ll keep them for use next year. I labeled everything else with the students’ names or initials, including pencils. When school starts in a couple of weeks, I’ll pass out half the pencils, pens, paper, etc. At Christmas they’ll get the other half. The only thing students have to bring is their own binder. The cost for supplies will be divided up among the parents and applied to their tuition payments, distributed throughout the year so that it is not so much of a burden. Parents weren’t charged for the supplies that we will keep in the classroom. Because we bargain-hunted and shopped in bulk, the total cost per parent was a lot less than it would have been if they shopped on their own. Tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. are factored into tuition, too.
I homeschool but I had a friend who got one of those lists. A tthe end of the year she noticed boxes of gluesticks, crayons and scissors waiting, she assumed from where they were left, to be thrown in the garbage. She still kicks herself about not asking the teacher for them or better, simply taking it all.
I teach at a school that pulls from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. The problem with individual supplies is that if crayons are asked for, little Suzie from the gated community is going to bring in the jumbo 50 pack with an array of colors and little Sam from the apartments down the street may be brining in 4 or 5 colors that were left over from his brother last year. Many teachers at my school put every supply in a common closet and pull them out as needed in a way to equalize the classroom environment. There’s enough things kids tease each other about, school supplies shouldn’t be another.
Hi Shannon,
So at your school is Suzie expected to turn over her jumbo 50 pack to the supply closet? How is that fair? I can understand wanting to “equalize the classroom environment” …but should it fall on the shoulders of a few individuals who dutifully buy all that’s requested? If this is a pervasive issue, shouldn’t it be dealt with systemwide, as in the school system provides the necessary crayons?