Hellobee Boards

My view is this: If parents and teachers continue to spend their own money to stock the classrooms, then we will never get the message across that the schools aren't adequately funded. We spend $50,000 a year to incarcerate criminals, but we spend less than $15,000 a year to educate a child.

It's not about a $1 pack of crayons, it's about the bigger picture for me. Having said that, I provide what is asked, within reason.

the list isn't extensive, but i'm all in if it was. I know a lot of teachers scramble to find ways to make supplies stretch, and if I can help do my part for our kids, then i'm good with that.

DD1 is starting UPK this year at her elementary school. I don't think it's out of reason. Things like a folder, notebook, crayons, wipes, Kleenex, paper towels etc.

Nothing's getting changed overnight, teachers are spending their own money to buy supplies, that's not right either. I'm happy to do my part. They don't do communal stock of things like crayons, but I'm planning to bring in extras of paper towels, Kleenex etc on supply drop off day. I randomly buy extra fun stuff for the daycare classroom beyond the basics. Our girls teachers have always gone the extra mile to do fun projects that they pay for the supplies. I don't mind returning the goodwill with extras and plan to do the same at the grade school level.

Teachers are under appreciated and this is part of my small way to say thank you!

@regberadaisy: do you worry at all about creating an evironment where other parents (those who can't or won't send extra supplies) are misconstruing your goodwill and see it as trying to get in the teachers good graces and create favoritism?

I don't want to make it a big deal, but for example, I would be totally willing to buy one of those classroom packages of markers (or whatever) if the teacher needed it and asked for it, but I wouldn't want the other parents to know or feel they needed to do something similar. I know other people want to make a show of it and that bugs me!