Being a high school teacher this was my situation. I was given around $150 a year to spend. I elected NOT to buy school supplies out of my money , but to purchase curriculum materials I really needed to teach my students. In my career, high school teachers did not make lists for the parents to buy. Yes it was my choice to spend the money the way I felt best served my students....but then where did the school supplies come from....my pocket. I felt I put my students first in both cases.

 

Yes, you did. I feel the schools do not do enough for the teachers. I think, not only should you get the 150...which, IMO, is not near enough, there should be a supply closet in the office where you can go and get pens, chalk, etc....I bet Wal-mart or some one would be willing to donate some things. I am sure they would get a tax break for doing it. It is horrible how teachers have to suffer for the students to learn.

Yes, you did. I feel the schools do not do enough for the teachers. I think, not only should you get the 150...which, IMO, is not near enough, there should be a supply closet in the office where you can go and get pens, chalk, etc....I bet Wal-mart or some one would be willing to donate some things. I am sure they would get a tax break for doing it. It is horrible how teachers have to suffer for the students to learn.

 

Times are hard everywhere. I work for the 4th largest bank in the country with over 55,000 employees and we have to buy our own post it notes and paperclips. :lol:

Yes, you did. I feel the schools do not do enough for the teachers. I think, not only should you get the 150...which, IMO, is not near enough, there should be a supply closet in the office where you can go and get pens, chalk, etc....I bet Wal-mart or some one would be willing to donate some things. I am sure they would get a tax break for doing it. It is horrible how teachers have to suffer for the students to learn.[/quote]

 

I did not see it as suffering. Many people spend countless hours as volunteers, because they want to help out and give back to the community. This is one way I felt I could give back and help out my students and the community.

Times are hard everywhere. I work for the 4th largest bank in the country with over 55,000 employees and we have to buy our own post it notes and paperclips. :lol:

 

Yeah....nothing was ever given to us either. The last place I worked, we even had to bring in our own paper for the printers! We also had to help in getting the ink. We were responsible for our own pins, paper clips, staplers, staples, tape, etc.

 

So, I guess gold is right, it is not suffering....I would have done it all over again. It is just sometimes, you, or atleast I, did not have the money at the time to put out on needed stuff!

Yes, you did. I feel the schools do not do enough for the teachers. I think, not only should you get the 150...which, IMO, is not near enough, there should be a supply closet in the office where you can go and get pens, chalk, etc....I bet Wal-mart or some one would be willing to donate some things. I am sure they would get a tax break for doing it. It is horrible how teachers have to suffer for the students to learn.[/quote]

 

I did not see it as suffering. Many people spend countless hours as volunteers, because they want to help out and give back to the community. This is one way I felt I could give back and help out my students and the community.

 

Great point! I just wish that the most important people on earth (IMO), who teach children, would get paid more, get more supplies, etc. I really admire a great teacher. I have known some wonderful teachers, and some, not so wonderful.....You, I know, were great....thanks for doing such a great job with the children who needed you!!! I hope you are enjoying your retirement!!!

You just have to be savvy shoppers people.

Watch the ads.

Staples routinely offers items for a penny.

WalMart had spiral bound notebooks for a nickel.

Office Depot and Office Max do the same.

Staples had folders for a penny, a box of pencils for a penny, pens and so forth for a nickel.

Just watch the ads leading up.

I doubt I have spent more than $20 for supplies for two elementary students.

Someone has a rebate on dry erase markers where after the rebate they are free.

Not a big deal in my opinion.

 

My wife is a teacher also and we always hit the penny sales. She always makes a little welcome to class packet for all her students( pencils, erasers, pencil box , and little bottle of germ-x). The thing that burns me more than anything are the parents you know make over a six digit salary and will not send the supplies for their own kid. My wife and I fork out between $700 and $800 a year in stuff for her class. The school only gives her $250 for a whole year worth of supplies, which not even close to covering much.

I spend close to $700 out of my own pocket for school supplies for the kids in my class. The school contributes around $250. (I teach about 90 kids out of three homerooms.) I don't mind --- I would rather do this than see the kids not have things. Just as an explanation: kids use the red pens/pencils and blue pens/pencils to edit writing pieces--it is usually not just for the teachers. My team partner who teaches math uses the dry erase markers and small white boards to teach math . . . each child uses these nearly everyday . . . it is not just for her. Once again, I want the kids to have what they need, if they do not bring it . . . I will get it. I agree the schools need to help out more but with huge budget cuts I don't see this happening anytime soon. Oh yes, you would not believe the tissues we go through in a year . . . TONS! Hand sanitizer too, I would rather have these available than have kids swiping their noses on their shirt sleeves, each other, or me . . . UGH!

I spend close to $700 out of my own pocket for school supplies for the kids in my class. The school contributes around $250. (I teach about 90 kids out of three homerooms.) I don't mind --- I would rather do this than see the kids not have things. Just as an explanation: kids use the red pens/pencils and blue pens/pencils to edit writing pieces--it is usually not just for the teachers. My team partner who teaches math uses the dry erase markers and small white boards to teach math . . . each child uses these nearly everyday . . . it is not just for her. Once again, I want the kids to have what they need, if they do not bring it . . . I will get it. I agree the schools need to help out more but with huge budget cuts I don't see this happening anytime soon. Oh yes, you would not believe the tissues we go through in a year . . . TONS! Hand sanitizer too, I would rather have these available than have kids swiping their noses on their shirt sleeves, each other, or me . . . UGH!

 

Amen. I try not to add up what I spend out of pocket each year. As a chemistry teacher, let's add in all of the household supplies I purchase, including sugar, salt, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, milk, cleaners, orange juice, aspirin tablets - assorted things, depending on the lab. I also buy a bottle of dish soap and hand soap for each station (I am lucky enough to have eight lab stations). I, too, want the kids to have what they need. I could spend my class budget on those things and the ones I mentioned earlier, but instead I choose to spend it on chemicals and labware that can't be picked up at the local Wal-Mart or dollar store. I have even purchased chemicals out of my own pocket from my supply company when my budget runs out and there are labs/demonstrations left to do in the school year.

 

Bottomline...I am truly sorry that parents have to spend so much money on school supplies. However, don't think for a minute that it is because we use these things for our personal benefit.

Amen. I try not to add up what I spend out of pocket each year. As a chemistry teacher, let's add in all of the household supplies I purchase, including sugar, salt, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, milk, cleaners, orange juice, aspirin tablets - assorted things, depending on the lab. I also buy a bottle of dish soap and hand soap for each station (I am lucky enough to have eight lab stations). I, too, want the kids to have what they need. I could spend my class budget on those things and the ones I mentioned earlier, but instead I choose to spend it on chemicals and labware that can't be picked up at the local Wal-Mart or dollar store. I have even purchased chemicals out of my own pocket from my supply company when my budget runs out and there are labs/demonstrations left to do in the school year.

 

Bottomline...I am truly sorry that parents have to spend so much money on school supplies. However, don't think for a minute that it is because we use these things for our personal benefit.

 

:thumb:

Bottomline...I am truly sorry that parents have to spend so much money on school supplies. However, don't think for a minute that it is because we use these things for our personal benefit.

I never said in my post that the teachers use red ink pens and dry erase markers for their own personal use.

 

It bothers me as a taxpayer that even with my taxes and extra fees, that the school can't supply red ink pens and dry erase markers.

 

Imagine taking a trip to the hospital ER and the hospital giving you a list of supplies they will need, to include antiseptic, band-aids, and ink pens.

 

Imagine you house gets broken into and the police arrive with a list in hand. They will need a notebook, pens, camera film, and rubber gloves.

 

Imagine the garbage man requests you place a bottle of Lysol next to your garbage can each week.

 

Imagine your garage catches fire and the dispatcher tells you to take $5 worth of gas to the station for the truck before they can leave.

 

In no way form or fashion do I blame the teachers. As a school district, these are items that used to be provided. At what point did this change because I can always remember my parents paying school taxes and school fees.

Teachers got through ALOT of tissues during the year.

 

Not really.

Students do.

I have loaned out pencils before.

Asked for a shoe as collateral.

Amazingly, I get my pencil back before that student leaves the room without their shoe.

I have loaned out pencils before.

Asked for a shoe as collateral.

Amazingly, I get my pencil back before that student leaves the room without their shoe.

 

I have used a pencil "signout" list before. That works and there is less smell involved.

 

However, I do give out pencils to kids that just don't have any supplies with them. No questions asked.

I have used a pencil "signout" list before. That works and there is less smell involved.

 

However, I do give out pencils to kids that just don't have any supplies with them. No questions asked.

 

I tried the signout but they didn't care and I didn't get it back.

Shoes, I get my pencil back and the next student who needs one, I have one for them.

I never said in my post that the teachers use red ink pens and dry erase markers for their own personal use.

 

It bothers me as a taxpayer that even with my taxes and extra fees, that the school can't supply red ink pens and dry erase markers.

 

Imagine taking a trip to the hospital ER and the hospital giving you a list of supplies they will need, to include antiseptic, band-aids, and ink pens.

 

Imagine you house gets broken into and the police arrive with a list in hand. They will need a notebook, pens, camera film, and rubber gloves.

 

Imagine the garbage man requests you place a bottle of Lysol next to your garbage can each week.

 

Imagine your garage catches fire and the dispatcher tells you to take $5 worth of gas to the station for the truck before they can leave.

 

In no way form or fashion do I blame the teachers. As a school district, these are items that used to be provided. At what point did this change because I can always remember my parents paying school taxes and school fees.

 

In my case, I guess that the school can supply them through my classroom funds. However, I would have to cut back on the other supplies that aren't so simple and inexpensive for parents to purchase, such as nitric acid, beakers and sodium hydroxide. I just buy the pens and board markers on my own. If I bought one pack of these a week, that would be an extra $5 on top of my weekly expenditures at Wal-mart.

 

Come to think of it, I don't need many dry erase markers anymore. I now have a laptop computer, LCD projector and a Smartboard that has interactive pens that are used for the board. My school also purchased a mobile computer lab unit with two carts and 40 laptops. I would venture to say that these things weren't included back when your parents paid school taxes back when you were a kid. They weren't when I was. Now, if you don't have these things, you are well behind in the technological era.