School supplies for your teacher

[New-mom-to-be]

I am a teacher.

Do you have issues with teachers that want you to supply items for her class (such as Kleenex, Cans of Lysol, wet wipes, copy paper)?

I ask each student to bring one of those in addition to all the supplies they will need for class.

[Momto5RN]

i have no issue as long as you dont tell me specific brands to get .

IE my kids butts didnt get huggies wipes, did just fine with CVS generics so i dont feel their hands or desks need it .

i am well aware with budget cuts that the schools no longer can supply many of these things and the teachers shouldnt have to find it in their salary .

BUT i think it makes more sense to ask kids with last names say A-G to bring them in in seotember - H-R in january and then R- Z say in march april or so .
otherwise you end up with 20 bottles / boxes etc of stuff taking up limited class room space .

[Neeley]

This is a hot button topic on our local talk radio station. The vast majority of callers are very upset with the lists that are being sent home in our school system.

I may be in the minority here, but I think the school supply lists for elementary students has gotten to be a bit excessive. In our area, the students cannot even carry everything they are asked to bring on the first day of school. At least one parent has to help the student haul the load to the classroom.

I have high school age children, but was able to get my hands on a copy of a friend's child's list. It included:
*4 pack of toilet paper
*4 rolls of paper towels per semester
*baby wipes
*hand sanitizer
*pump hand soap (large size)
*box of Ziplock gallon size baggies
*3 boxes of tissues
*2 reams of copy paper per semester

This is in addition to the notebooks, crayons, colored pencils, folders, paper, scissors, pencils, pens and other "normal" school supplies.

Our DD is a senior in a public school. The only thing any of her teachers has asked for over the past three years was a ream of paper. If the student brings in one they are given 10 bonus points to use on any grade throughout the semester.

Our DS is a freshman in a private school and he was not asked to bring anything.

[NikoSan999]

I never had a problem when the kid was in elementary. I will say as long as it was only one or two reasonable things. And as other poster said, don't give me a specific brand. If I'm paying for it, it will be what I feel I, myself, can afford. The schools may be having budget cuts but so are households. Just remember that when deciding what to ask to be brought and bought.

[Syn D]

Yes...

When we lived in Iowa, my kids had to provide 2 boxes of Kleenex each for their class every year through elementary (require by the district in most all of Iowa), well my husband worked for a school and at the end of every school year he'd see a lot of the teachers load up their car with the unused boxes. I did not buy them for the teachers personal use and would of liked my unused boxes back as we were very low income and could of held them for the next school year.. My kids combined didn't even use a box worth..

Don't get me wrong, I respect some teachers, but what I buy for the class, stays in the class, not for their home.. In no way am I accusing you of any wrong doing, we just know it happens..

If you need parents to provide the Lysol and wipes, you really need to question the job your custodial staff does...

Note ~ I stopped providing Kleenex boxes by the 2rd grade.. I informed the school, if my child has a cold I will then provide them with a box with their name on it..

And again not accusing you, but your Superintendent needs to do a serious check on the teachers supplies and waste.. We know a lot of teacher throw away good supplies, just cos' they want an updated version or just a new one and that majorly messes with the copy paper, supply budget.. You'd be amazed what is considered trash to a lot of teachers..

[Syn D]

*4 pack of toilet paper
*4 rolls of paper towels per semester
*baby wipes
*hand sanitizer
*pump hand soap (large size)
*box of Ziplock gallon size baggies
*3 boxes of tissues
*2 reams of copy paper per semester

This is in addition to the notebooks, crayons, colored pencils, folders, paper, scissors, pencils, pens and other "normal" school supplies.

You gotta be kidding me!!

My husband is the Head Custodian for our local high school, he does the ordering for the hand soap, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels, etc. for his school. I would seriously find out where the custodial budget is going in these schools, even with cut backs, they should still provide those things.. Our district doesn't have a high budget and has had cut backs on ordering, but they still supply those things..

[NikoSan999]

Yes...

When we lived in Iowa, my kids had to provide 2 boxes of Kleenex each for their class every year through elementary (require by the district in most all of Iowa), well my husband worked for a school and at the end of every school year he'd see a lot of the teachers load up their car with the unused boxes. I did not buy them for the teachers personal use and would of liked my unused boxes back as we were very low income and could of held them for the next school year.. My kids combined didn't even use a box worth..

Don't get me wrong, I respect some teachers, but what I buy for the class, stays in the class, not for their home.. In no way am I accusing you of any wrong doing, we just know it happens..

If you need parents to provide the Lysol and wipes, you really need to question the job your custodial staff does...

Exactly...and you bring up another good point. It's not just one child per household. If a family has more than one child in family and each has to bring 2 boxes.....say a family has 3 kids...that's 6 boxes PLUS whatever else is being bought and brought. Also good point, I'd question what the janitor is being paid for. Lysol isn't cheap...again, 3 kids..3 cans.

[Momto5RN]

i am all for keeping the room clean with wipes and hand sanitizers etc to keep germs frombeing passed on etc but toilet paper - that would upset me !!

our school asks for 2 tissue boxes and 2 papertowels ( for in classroom use etc )
i usually send one of each in to the teacher with a note that i will send more throught the year .

[NikoSan999]

This is a hot button topic on our local talk radio station. The vast majority of callers are very upset with the lists that are being sent home in our school system.

I may be in the minority here, but I think the school supply lists for elementary students has gotten to be a bit excessive. In our area, the students cannot even carry everything they are asked to bring on the first day of school. At least one parent has to help the student haul the load to the classroom.

I have high school age children, but was able to get my hands on a copy of a friend's child's list. It included:
*4 pack of toilet paper
*4 rolls of paper towels per semester
*baby wipes
*hand sanitizer
*pump hand soap (large size)
*box of Ziplock gallon size baggies
*3 boxes of tissues
*2 reams of copy paper per semester

This is in addition to the notebooks, crayons, colored pencils, folders, paper, scissors, pencils, pens and other "normal" school supplies.

Our DD is a senior in a public school. The only thing any of her teachers has asked for over the past three years was a ream of paper. If the student brings in one they are given 10 bonus points to use on any grade throughout the semester.

Our DS is a freshman in a private school and he was not asked to bring anything.

Wow! Some teachers are stockpiling at the end of the school year on the parents dime and no you are NOT the minority. Say this was again, someone with 3 kids...that's a weeks worth of groceries in some households...and toilet paper....WTH!!!! Since when do kids have to take in toilet paper. Wouldn't be happening here....4 rolls paper towels per child per semester...22 kids equals that 88 rolls times....and why soap AND sanitizer?

What does the school provide? Oh yeah, stockpiling teachers on the parents dime....I forgot. End of year parents ought to go to the school and video tape the teachers carting out the supplies bought by the parents, putting the stuff into their cars and then call the news.

[ladykemma2]

i am a public school teacher. the school provides a desk and a computer and toilet paper for the bathroom. most of the time there is no soap in the bathroom.

we depend on what we ask the kids to bring. it is not wasted. if i have too much kleenex from the year before i save it for the next year. everything in my classroom i bought with my own money.

only about 2 kids per year cannot bring items. i thank them and let the issue go.

[Syn D]

I had 2 at 2 separate times and just 2 were tough for us. If I can't afford to buy it for my house, how can I for 2 classes..

I understand kids and cold/flu/winter season at schools, but I also know from dealing with schools in 3 different states, the kids are really starting to get missed on the budgets due to greed and bad ordering, not as much to due with cut backs..

Example ~ when I lived in Iowa the Superintendent of a near by school district renewed his contract for $100,000 a year and was approved, at the same time that district was hurting for copy paper and other needed supplies even with the longgggggg list of things every student was required to bring in the beginning of the school year.. The superintendent of the school district there my kids went to tried it and our district said ~ this is what we can offer, he said no and they said goodbye and hired someone for 3/4 what he was making..

They need to start making cuts from the top down, not from the bottom up...

[monkeywrangler71]

Yes, I have an issue with it. I don't mind a box of Kleenex, but that's it.

[stinkbug]

Where the heck are they storing all this stuff??? My friend's dh is a teacher and she's always complaining about all the crap he is storing AT HOME that he doesn't have room to store in his classroom. It cost me 66.00 for school supplies for my two grandsons, 1st and 4th grade. That was with coupons, sales and my store (employee) discount!!! Over half of that was *class supplies*

[Syn D]

i am a public school teacher. the school provides a desk and a computer and toilet paper for the bathroom. most of the time there is no soap in the bathroom.

we depend on what we ask the kids to bring. it is not wasted. if i have too much kleenex from the year before i save it for the next year. everything in my classroom i bought with my own money.

only about 2 kids per year cannot bring items. i thank them and let the issue go.

If you are a teacher that is there to teach, I respect you!! If you are a teacher that is there for the summers off, no respect there. Every new school year and new teacher I can tell right off the bat which teacher they are.. The "summer off" ones are usually the ones messing up the budget and taking things home, from my experience..

No teacher should be taking from their own pocket to help the kids.. All building/maintenance and custodial staff have a budget for need supplies (cept Kleenex). Teachers, office staff all have a budget..

Like I said ~ greed and mismanaging of budgets..



Stinkbug ~ In Iowa each teacher had a closet in their classroom for the supplies..

[ladykemma2]

.4 rolls paper towels per child per semester...22 kids equals that 88 rolls times....and why soap AND sanitizer?

What does the school provide? Oh yeah, stockpiling teachers on the parents dime....I forgot. End of year parents ought to go to the school and video tape the teachers carting out the supplies bought by the parents, putting the stuff into their cars and then call the news.

yes, in a science class we will go through that many roll of paper towels. and soap.

regarding the teachers hauling the stuff to their cars, we have to clean out the classroom. i had to bring everything home this summer becuase they were renovating. so you would have videotaped me? wow.