Sunday, July 08, 2007

Supplies for school -- What a racket!

This is a subject that rankles me every time we have to deal with it. I am talking about bringing stationery supplies for "your child" (I'll explain the quotes in a bit).

Here is the verbatim list for 2nd graders at my daughter's school. This is representative of what it is for all other grades too:

3 100 ct black marble composition books
1 16 ct. Crayola crayons
2 Pocket folders with brads (red)
1 5" blunt scissors
4 2 each pocket only folders (blue and yellow)
1 100 ct wide rule notebook
36 #2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencils
24 Ziploc brand quartz bag (A-L)

OK, this is too much, I can't go further. Why do they need three composition books? That is in addition to 100 pages of wide rule notebook. In first grade we were asked to bring in two composition books and by the end of the year they had gone through less than half of one. What happened to to the other one?

This brings me my earlier statement : stationery supplies for "your child".

I believe that everyone is asked to bring in supplies to supplement for those you are unable to. I am sorry, why am subsidizing everyone else's kids' education? And the gall to demand that I bring Crayola crayons and Ziploc bags only to be pawned off to other kids. Why should I bring in black composition books. What's wrong with blue? Do you really think each kid is going to go through 36 pencils in 180 days?!!

If schools paid more attention to what they teach and how well the kids are learning and less on the supplies our kids would be much better off.

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