My wife and I went to school back in the 70s and 80s. We went to school in New Jersey. Back then the only thing you had to show up with was a note book and a pen or pencil.

We have lived in Florida for almost 23 years. We have a few friends who are school teachers. One of them has a wish list on Amazon of items she needs for her class room. She personal buys most stuff and gets some help from friends. My wife just bought some stuff her wish list. Most items are not very expensive but they add up so we try to help.

I also have friends who are getting their kids ready for school. They have a list from the teacher/school of items the kids need to bring.
Most of the items were thing the school provided to us when we were in school in New Jersey.

Some of the things kids are required to bring are, Disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, dry erase markers,poster paper, pens, pencils and a whole list of other things.
One friend even has to send toilet paper all tho she is sending he child to a private kindergarten.

What are some of the thing you as either teachers or parents are having to buy for the up coming school year.

P.S. My wife and I never had children so we never had to deal with this.

From the time I first started school starting in the 1980s, my parents always had to provide classroom supplies every year, in addition to my personal supplies. Stuff like every kid was expected to contribute to the classroom two boxes of Kleenex, one package of construction paper, one bottle of glue, etc.

So asking for stuff like communal classroom disinfectant supplies and poster paper isn't outside the norm from what's been going on for at least 4 decades.

Not sure why stuff like pens and pencils have become communal, though... All through my school career, you were expected to provide your own, and only occasionally borrowed one from the teacher or a friend if yours broke and you didn't have a backup handy.

When my kids were in a private elementary school 10-15 years ago, we had to send in things like facial tissue, disinfectant wipes, gallon size ziplock bags, glue, and a whole bunch of stuff that I can't remember. It was a long list.

OP is in Florida (as I am), where schools are allegedly supported by property taxes, and if you believe the billboards, major contributions from the Lottery.

Why do teachers have to buy supplies for their students?

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Why do teachers have to buy supplies for their students?

Ah, one of my favorite subjects.

My mother was a teacher, my next door neighbor for 7 years was also, as were 3 of my best friends' wives and a guy I shoot with every week is a retired teacher/assistant Principal and his wife is also.

All of them, except my mother told what I call "the story" which is that they get to school at 6:30 in the morning, leave at 6PM, eat dinner and then grade papers until midnight, then get up and do it all over again. Oh, and they all spend $200.00/month on supplies for their students.

The 3 guys whose wives were teachers all categorically denied all the above including money spent on students. My neighbor and the guy I shoot with refused to answer whether it was true or not.

I've lived within 1/4 mile of a school since 1983 and drive by the school all the time. Nobody shows up in the parking lot until close to 7:30 AM and if I go by after 4PM, the parking lot is empty. That's every day, 5 days a week. As one of my friends said, "I leave for work at 7:15 and my wife is still in bed. When I get home at 3:45, she's already showered and changed clothes at home and there's no way we're going to spend hundreds of dollars a month for supplies.

It's like any form of government. You have to spend you're money of this stuff, so they can squander the money they have on other things.

Through some strange twist of cosmic fate, close to 15 members of my family (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins and myself) have worked or still work in one capacity or another in schools. What we've all seen is lots and lots of waste.

"Throw these new in box widgets away, because this academic year's supply of widgets is coming."

One school spent a couple million on plexiglass covid shields for the desks. Put them up and took them down two weeks later.

Or larger scale, spending lord knows how many millions on new schools they didn't need and can't fill. As well as spending millions to renovate schools, only to shutter them the following year.

I have one in third grade and one that is a sophomore. We don't have the list for the sophomore year. Here is the list for the third grader:


For the most part, I think it is all for him until the items after the headphones. Those items are more community items.

Last year, his second grade teacher often times tried to do fun things to help teach. Some examples were using flour on the desktop and writing math equations or little trinkets to give out as prizes in competitions. I don't think every teacher does this, but some teachers attempt to engage their students in alternate ways.

As to what taxes and lottery monies go toward, I doubt there will ever be an accurate or true accounting. Given that it is "public" it should all be readily available but it isn't. My best guess is that most go toward the inflated administrative costs that are accepted as part of governmental grift which is no longer petty.

Teachers often complain about their annualized pay vs other industries. I ask them to divide their annual pay by nine to get a monthly amount vs those other industries divided by twelve. Then I point out that it isn’t bad money for a part time job.

My daughter just graduated in May and is starting as a third grade teacher this month. I did have to loan her *another* $500 to get her classroom properly set up. I’m not sure how much of that is actually required, and how much of it is just her wanting her classroom to be “cute.” I’m pretty sure if I were a schoolteacher, my classroom would look right at home in the USSR.

Having put 4 kids through public school I always cringe when the topic of teacher pay comes up. In a room of 100 teachers there are 15 great teachers. The rest are just putting in time and many are just dreadful. Teachers get paid enough for what they do. If you want an exercise in stupidity talk to them about not getting paid all year. It’s like talking to a leftist Marxist Greta thunberg. You don’t work the whole year. You get paid for the time you work. If you want a paycheck for months you don’t work get a job during the summer. It’s an infuriating listen.

I know teachers out there will disagree and that’s fine. The product sucks, that’s enough reason right there to not pay you more.

As for buying stuff, yes we had a list every year and your stuff you bought basically becomes community stuff for those kids who don’t show up with anything. As for 200 a month for supplies, bullshit. Ever read Civil War letters from grunts? They are better than anything a kid could write today and they were taught with chalk and a couple books.

Education needs a reset. 3 R’s and little more. Our kids are stupid compared to the rest of the world. That won’t end well for us.

Our local school districts are all supported by property taxes. For some perspective:

1,600 students
$22,000,000 budget
$50,000,000 ($7-10m over budget) phase 1 of new high school

If each student used $200 worth of supplies, that's $320,000

The local school districts require teachers and students to supply their own classrooms. At the end of last year, they had so much left over that it was distributed among the students to bring home. Some parents saved that to send back in this year.

Some districts have students with very limited means. We always try to chip in a bit more for those in our district, or for friends that we have that teach in other districts with those issues.

quote:

If you want an exercise in stupidity talk to them about not getting paid all year.

My mom was a teacher, recently retired, in TN. Her county gave their teachers a choice. Either get paid your salary over 12 months or get paid your salary over 9 months. I would be shocked if that wasn't a standard choice to all teachers. So don't let them give you some boohoo story about not getting paid 3 months out of the year.

Also, my mom did spend some time at school after hours, but I would say it was only maybe a day or two a week. And it was only a couple extra hours each time.

My view on most teachers today, are leftist, indoctrinators and activists. I’d be concerned with what they’re buying outside of school issued supplies and giving or using with their students.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Teachers often complain about their annualized pay vs other industries. I ask them to divide their annual pay by nine to get a monthly amount vs those other industries divided by twelve. Then I point out that it isn’t bad money for a part time job.

My daughter just graduated in May and is starting as a third grade teacher this month. I did have to loan her *another* $500 to get her classroom properly set up. I’m not sure how much of that is actually required, and how much of it is just her wanting her classroom to be “cute.” I’m pretty sure if I were a schoolteacher, my classroom would look right at home in the USSR.

You're being very generous. In the schools I've lived around the last 40 years, a 6 hour day is about it plus 3 2 week "breaks" every year plus every known holiday off. It's more like a 5 month job in terms of hours if you count 40 hours a week as full time. I know that the places I worked thought 40 hours wasn't nearly enough if you wanted to keep your job.

Skull Leader, that is some of the joy in that conversation. I do believe most if not all districts allow the pay structure you describe. Funny thing is that I’ve spoken with teachers that don’t understand the concept. It’s actually a little frightening that they are teaching our children. My kids are all grown. I used to hate the idea of home school. If I had to raise my kids today I would rethink my position.

It’s my belief that schools are over funded. Funds are being allocated disproportionately to non-value add expenditures. I don’t give a penny nor do I vote for any additional funding. And this is aside from believing that schools are no longer educational institutions but government indoctrination centers.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Why do teachers have to buy supplies for their students?

Ah, one of my favorite subjects.

My mother was a teacher, my next door neighbor for 7 years was also, as were 3 of my best friends' wives and a guy I shoot with every week is a retired teacher/assistant Principal and his wife is also.

All of them, except my mother told what I call "the story" which is that they get to school at 6:30 in the morning, leave at 6PM, eat dinner and then grade papers until midnight, then get up and do it all over again. Oh, and they all spend $200.00/month on supplies for their students.

The 3 guys whose wives were teachers all categorically denied all the above including money spent on students. My neighbor and the guy I shoot with refused to answer whether it was true or not.

I've lived within 1/4 mile of a school since 1983 and drive by the school all the time. Nobody shows up in the parking lot until close to 7:30 AM and if I go by after 4PM, the parking lot is empty. That's every day, 5 days a week. As one of my friends said, "I leave for work at 7:15 and my wife is still in bed. When I get home at 3:45, she's already showered and changed clothes at home and there's no way we're going to spend hundreds of dollars a month for supplies.

Because it is "A Story". My niece is a teacher, aunt a teacher (nun, no pay just a small allowance, room and board) another aunt public school, good pay retirement at 60.

Neighbor a few houses down and a couple on the way. When I pass by their houses, it's still dark inside and their cars are in the driveway.

I'm a school bus driver, and I can tell you that most of the teachers are just getting to school when I pull up to drop-off. A lot of the times I have to wait after the doors are supposed to be open because not enough teachers are there yet. In the afternoon, the teachers are blowing by the bus while loading kids running the stop are.

In the afternoon, they are home hours before I park the bus.

I average 55 hours a week, but most of that is in the 60 or 70 hours range. I'm not even counting the on line training that is required through the year in that. I also work year around.

Most of the stuff my niece has told me she buys really isn't need, but sometimes it is as she works in a school that has a lot of "disadvantaged kids" and their parents can't afford stuff, or less then interested in their kids education and just don't care because they would rather buy beer and cigarettes.

But when I went to school public and private, you were expected to supply your own pencil, eraser, crayons/markers, glue, rulers, folders and such.

ARman

My ex wife was a teacher. She was well regarded, taught special ed, but to hear her talk about it, it was the hardest job in the world. Well, she had a dream that she wanted to start a pre-school. I suggested to her that she should actually go work at one to get an idea what it was all about. So she did.

She came home more exhausted from that job every day than any single day she ever taught in public school. That taught her 1) that she didn't want to own a pre-school (whew, saved me a lot!); and 2) a teaching job isn't as tough as she thought.

Daughter teaches in NC. Every year she spends HER money on school supplies (glue, markers, pencils....) the the school is suppose to provide. She also had to buy the software that was needed to develop powerpoint presentations. She loves teaching, but the crappy pay is seriously getting to her.

Taxpayers spend an average of $13,000 per student per year and teachers/administrators can't afford classroom supplies? That warrants a big, and unequivocal, "Bullshit".

Supplying individual items for your child like pencils, paper, crayons, glue, etc..., has always been the parents' responsibility (at least it was when I was a kid and when my kids were in school). Beyond that? They have plenty of money to supply what is needed.

When I was in school in the 60s and 70s only thing we needed was a Pee chee with some notebook paper and some pencils with eraser and crayons only in 1st - 3rd.

About 10 years ago a local news station got a call from a local sanitation engineer at the end of a school year. He showed them dumpsters full of new and some used little donated school supplies. Apparently he saw it many times at the end of each school year