Jumbo Crayons

[Barefootgirl]

Your children have to buy their own GLUE? Seriously?

When I was at primary school, and in my daughter's school now, the school supplies everything. Pencils, pens for the older children, exercise books, scissors, glue, everything. I actually feel quite shocked by the idea of five year olds having to take their own glue to school, for some reason.

[NightAngel]

Which makes me wonder, what happens if you bring an orange folder and, say, a Spongebob notebook to school?

The teacher refuses to accept the assignments in the SpongeBob notebook- the kid fails those assignments- the teacher either calls you at home or snags you in the hallway for "a talk". The teacher then acts as though you're a jerk for telling her/him that there were no orange notebooks and that since your child DID the assignment he'd better not get an Incomplete or an F just because it's not in an orange folder.

You, the parent, are then labeled a "problem". This means that you and your child will have more problems.

Yes, I am jaded.
Yes, this exact thing happened to my oldest son and I. Only the notebook was black when it should have been yellow. I can't help that the yellow folders were sold out.
Once I even had a teacher refuse my son's assignments because the folder was the right color but the wrong brand.

Sorry, I get angry just thinking about it.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"I feel the same way about paste. Love that minty fresh feeling! As opposed to plain ol' Elmer's glue, which smells and tastes like feet...

Ummm...cough cough....moving right along:"

Ack! Rule 1! I keep forgetting! And I keep paying the price!!!!

This is why I am continuing to work:

1. so I don't spend my retirement living in a cardbox under a bridge, and
2. so I can send my child to the school of my choice, so hopefully I can avoid at least SOME of this crap.

I think I'd spend all my time up someone's colon, if I had to put up with the same garbage NightAngel is having to put up with. I think I'd snap. When the games the teachers want to play become more important than actually teaching the subject matter, there's a problem.

Do the teachers not get tired of arguing with parents? Or are they type that like it? I swear, if I had that happen to my kid, a Scene would be made. An ugly one.

[tollbaby]

The teacher refuses to accept the assignments in the SpongeBob notebook- the kid fails those assignments- the teacher either calls you at home or snags you in the hallway for "a talk". The teacher then acts as though you're a jerk for telling her/him that there were no orange notebooks and that since your child DID the assignment he'd better not get an Incomplete or an F just because it's not in an orange folder.

You, the parent, are then labeled a "problem". This means that you and your child will have more problems.

NightAngel, I had this EXACT problem with my daughter's teacher this year. She started kindergarten (first year of school, new school, since it's not where my son goes, new teacher).

I've never had a problem with ANY of my son's supply lists, and all his teachers have been more than happy to accept substitutions or variations.

My daughter's teacher? Meet the Hitler of school supplies. I swear! Everything was VERY PRECISELY described. You know what I was told when I showed up to the parent-teacher group meeting the day before school started? I got the wrong scrap book. I told the woman, I went to FIVE stores, and I couldnt' find the specific effing scrapbook she wanted, so couldn't she just accept the one I'd sent? Oh no, I mustn't have shopped at the RIGHT store, I was told (and three or four of the parents jumped off the cliff like good little lemmings and confirmed that the store the teacher recommended had ALLLLLLL the supplies on the list).

Okay, the store that the teacher recommended? Was 20 kilometres from my house, no bus route ran near it, and I don't have a frigging car! Do I care if the teacher approves of the store I shop at? NO! The principal backed the teacher saying that if I didn't get my daughter the correct scrapbook, none of her art projects would be returned home. Those would be the art projects made with supplies I had sent on paper I had provided. So I lodged a complaint with the school board that the school was being unnecessarily harsh on a low-income family (being a single mom has its advantages sometimes.... sadly, those advantages are never financial *sigh*).

The teacher had to apologize to me (which she did, all the while telling me what a terrible mother I was for forcing her to single out my daughter like that - nice lady, seriously - UGH), and the school was forced to buy my daughter an "APPROPRIATE" scrapbook if they refused to accept the one I had bought. Listen folks, I live on a VERY LIMITED BUDGET (i.e. I can afford to either feed myself and my kids OR pay bills, but not both). Having to spend $100+ on school supplies is a major hardship for me, but I do it, because I don't want the school to have to shell out for my kids. But for the love of all that anyone considers holy, TAKE A FRICKING PILL already! I did what I could, spent more than I could afford, and this woman STILL wasn't happy.

Night Angel isn't kidding. If you get stuck with one of these teachers (and sadly, there are more and more of them every year), you are DOOMED unless you become a lemming parent and jump off the cliff when the nice teacher lady tells you to.

[Cthulhu]

Yikes.

Just let me add this to the ever growing list of why I will never have kids.

[simplyanother]

Oh, my. My oldest son is only in the first grade. So far, we've had no major issues regarding school supplies, but I'm cringing thinking about any future anal teachers. When I was in school, we paid school fees every year and the school supplied pretty much everything for the lower grades.

Thankfully his supply lists have only been like "crayons, 24count or less". And "two folders". My nieces, same school system, different school, they specified the brand name. But I don't recall if SIL got any guff for substituitions.

Tollbaby, reading your post makes me so angry angry at your daughters teacher. Why would someone choose a store that is so far from where the students live? (I hope she hasn't taken it out on your daughter the rest of the year)

Why would someone be so unreasonable. Bah, I work in retail, why do I even wonder anymore. Some of the suckiest customers at the craft store are teachers. Of course MOST of the teahers who come in aren't sucky at all. But I wonder if those ones who are unreasonable are also bullies to their pupils. (And thats what the three teachers described in this thread sound like to me, nothing more than bullies).

[Gawdzillers]

When I was a wee, little girl my 4th grade teacher gave us a list of things we needed to bring to school. Included on that list was Kleenex. I dutifully brought my list home and gave it to my mother who proceeded to get every item on the list.

The next day I went to school, very happy to have everything that was required of me. When the teacher asked if I had brought Kleenex I very proudly handed her the box. She became irritated, grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the front of the room.

Bitchy Teacher: "Children...CHILDREN! When I told you to bring Kleenex, this (holding up my box) IS NOT what I meant. You are to bring personal sized packages of tissues...not a large box of Kleenex. How are you supposed to keep a box this size in your desk?"

She went on and on, while all the time I'm standing there completely horrified that she forced me to be belittled like that in front of the whole class. I cried the rest of the day and I hated school from that point on.

Everybody say "Awwwwww!"

Really?
We were supposed to bring a box. The school figured that if we're the ones using them, we're gonna pay for the year's supply.

[SongsOfDragons]

I am the dictionary definition of tactless. If some snot-nosed bint ever tries that on me I will, in no uncertain words, tell her to f*** off and accept the goddamn supply I'd bought. I'm also good at complaning and finding the highest person to moan to. Come on you anal-retentice OCD twits, it DOES NOT MAKE A SCRAP OF DIFFERENCE that the colour of the notebook is Prussian Blue instead of Ultramarine!!!!! That said, my friend Kate has recently completed her teaching degree and I know she doesn't do this - she lets the kids choose what they want to give them responsibility, then gives them colour-coded stickers - though I will ask her if she's seen this around.

[Decker]

I had a large number of people looking for Yellow marble notebooks, which we didn't carry. We had ALOT of people coming through with color-coded lists, but all I could do is say "Sorry . K-Mart is across the street, try there." It seemed like that we didn't carry all the colors on any one list.

[karma_gypsy]

That's kinda sad really, students being forced to all buy the exact same item at the store . . . When I was in school, they only had a simplified list . . . (like a different post said earlier) "crayons" "folders" "scissors" etc. It was always neat to see what every one else had 'cause every had different styles and tastes and access to different stores. Whatever happened to getting a black pen and simply writing "math" or "reading" on a folder anyway? As for the kleenex, my school always requested that students bring a box of kleenex from home. Which would get donated to the classroom, so the whole class could have access to it. The system worked fine. You weren't required to bring kleenex, you might get extra credit for it or somethin. . .

[BookstoreEscapee]

Bitchy Teacher: "Children...CHILDREN! When I told you to bring Kleenex, this (holding up my box) IS NOT what I meant. You are to bring personal sized packages of tissues...not a large box of Kleenex. How are you supposed to keep a box this size in your desk?"
:

When I was in grade school and the teacher asked us to bring in tissues, the whole point was to have a supply of boxes for her to keep on her desk for everyone's use, without her having to pay for 'em all.

hehehe...At the beginning of your story I thought you were going to say the teacher was upset because you brought Marcal brand instead of Kleenex or something like that.

I think it makes more sense for the school to perhaps ask the students to "donate" a reasonable amount of money and let the teacher get the supplies, if it's so important that they all be exactly the same, and the school can't afford to buy it all.

When I was in 4th grade, Cabbage Patch Kids was all the rage. I had the pencils...my mom had to take a needle and "tattoo" my number on them (my 4th grade had a numbering system for us all) cuz I wasn't the only one who had the same pencils. But I didn't have all the same stuff as my friends or the "cool" kids, and I turned out relatively well-adjusted. This "everyone must be the same" mentality just gets more and more ridiculous.

[Seshat]

In my schools when I was growing up (I have no children), the P&C ran a school-supplies 'store'.

Basically, they went to a bulk stationers, picked up the stuff the kids would need in the right quantity for the kids whose parents had opted for it, and distributed it.

If the teacher insists on the Same Thing For All The Kids, this is the cheapest way to do it. And it ensures that everyone gets exactly the same thing. Maybe the school board should insist that teachers either organise this system, or ignore brand names.

(Those who are teachers/have teachers in the family, it's also a nifty way to make the school supplies a bit cheaper for the low income families, and to give those people a break.)

[Becks]

At the bottom of the list... hair scissors, pinking shears, paper-cutting scissors, kiddie scissors and an authentic Swiss Army knife.

Heh.

The world is going insane.

[Rahmota]

Hmm. I've not had that problem with inventory lists with my kids teachers. They have been nice and generic.

Although we have a had a few personality conflicts. To the point where my youngest spent 1/2 his kindergarten year being homeschooled before the wife convinced me to reenroll him in public school. Turns out he did a lot better being homeschooled than he did At least the school learned to be more willing to work with us on things.

Fortunately the culture at my school doesnt have those folks too much. Either that or I'm not paying attention, being antisocial helps in that regards I guess....

[1756GR2]

It was always neat to see what every one else had 'cause every had different styles and tastes and access to different stores.

Exactly. Being one of the older folk here, we weren't required to bring our supplies (way back in the days when schools had money for it), but when we did buy our own pencils or notebooks or whatever, or decorate our book covers with the pithy catch phrases of the moment, it added interest. I want to scream in protest when I hear stories like the OP.

Mine was the kid who showed up for her first day of Junior High School in 1977 dressed in a purple and black harlequin swing coat with short black lace gloves. I was "taken aside" by one of her teachers, to whom I replied, "It's only fabric and buttons. There are far worse things she _could_ be doing." (Yeah, okay, it wasn't the most attractive outfit in my eyes, but she liked it and was quite comfortable in it.)

I miss diversity.