A few of my UN-favorite things

The one thing that galls me to no end this time of year is school supplies.  It just took me 30 minutes to write a list of all the supplies I need for the 3 children going to school.  Here is what the list looked like for all the kids combined:

60 Pencils (so they have enough for the pencil war tournament)
4 pink erasers
5 boxes of markers (cuz they let them dry out)
3 pairs of scissors
2 bottles of glue (that come home every year completely full)
4 writing tablets (that come home every year completely empty)
8 red pens
8 folders of various colors and number of prongs (because heaven forbid you use your yellow folder for math, when you have green folders for that.  FYI I never find all the right colors)
3 yellow highlighters (because who would like to have any variety and use a pink marker occasionally?)
5 boxes of Kleenex (apparently they have never heard of a roll of toilet paper working just as well to blow your nose on)
1 box 12 colored pencils
1 box 24 colored pencils (because when you are in second grade you get more colors)
1 binder
5 spiral notebooks
2 spiral notebooks wide ruled
1 6qt plastic container
2 bottles hand sanitizer (because nobody uses soap and water anymore)
1 expandable file folder (what the heck is that!!!???)
1 box zip lock bags
pencil sharpener (I thought that every classroom in America had one of those)
ball point pens
1 TI 30X calculator (I NEVER got to use a calculator until I was a Jr. in High School and then it was a regular ol' calculator)
zipper pouch
1 compass
1 protractor
2 folders
1 pkg poster board(???)
6 dry erase markers (chalk is cheaper)
1 roll masking tape (in case the kids talk too much)
1 pkg of post it notes
8 glue sticks
1 set 16 watercolors
1 art smock
1 small supply box
1 container of Clorox wipes

That does not include the backpacks, gym shoes, assignment notebooks ($5 each),  $2 donation for book boxes (what?), and all the things that are on the teacher's "wish lists"!  (I swear I saw an iPhone listed ;o)

I have a wish list...I wish I didn't have to spend so frickin' much money on school each year!

Comments

Anonymous said…
I know I do NOT heart school supplies. What makes me even more frustrated is when I hear that they need more and more during the year or the fact that something comes back at the end ummmmm well, unused! GRRRRR! Breathe in and breathe out and get a piece of chocolate!
August 18, 2010 at 10:06 PM
Normal Mom said…
My trick with the glue is to actually keep the big bottles they bring home and then fill them up with the half bottles left over. I made one whole big bottle of glue this year for the first grader. The 4th grader didn't need glue.
One thing that I admit I love about my school is that they are very careful about what they ask for. We had most of what we needed around the house this year. I think I spent $20 though on the odds and ends, which isn't too bad.
August 18, 2010 at 10:30 PM
Merrimom said…
Ick....it looks almost exactly like my list for my three! I love your commentary beside some of the items. It makes me laugh!
August 18, 2010 at 10:42 PM
Whacky Wheelers said…
I should have had you follow me when I went "back-to-school" shopping.
August 19, 2010 at 9:13 AM
Mary said…
You - are - a - riot!!! I hate it, too!
August 19, 2010 at 11:56 AM
AndieF said…
I can't believe that you got all that for $100. I'm not a fan of shopping for school supplies either. I vote next year that we have one mom (who likes the back to school shopping) do all the back to school shopping for everybody who doesn't. I'd pay an extra buck or two for the service! LOL
August 19, 2010 at 1:42 PM
Karrie said…
This is ridiculous. A lot of these items seem like "luxury" items: masking tape (is that the same as duct tape?), hand sanitizer, different COLORS of folders. Holy smokes, I didn't realize when I taught that I could ask the parents to stock up my room and fulfill all of my organizational dreams at the same time. I had to buy my own dang post-its. Seriously, where do they keep all this stuff? I'd be putting up a stink. Reasonable would be things like a box of pencils, erasers, and put your kid to bed at a decent hour with no R-rated movies in the house.
Make do or do without. Seriously.
~your ca-ranky former teacher friend in CA who is grateful for her kids going to a poor school where there are NO lists of supplies required who is also running for the school board.

ps- what would happen if you didn't send in the list?

pps- i heart dark chocolate too. happy sigh.
August 19, 2010 at 5:57 PM
Williams Family Dirt said…
I don't do the fundraisers! They pimp our kids into winning these great prizes, and as a former teacher I had to spend freaking 30 minutes to an hour counting the stupid money during candy sale week (where I worked parents just didn't volunteer). I tell Jacob we will call family or send it to work with Daddy (never happened). I would rather just donate a set amount and call it good. It is ridiculous to pimp the families! On the flip side, I do understand the need. Teachers who don't get the supplies (I worked in a poor community where I would ask, but never expected to receive the donations), fork over their own personal $$$ for the glue sticks, and colored pencils. The stuff that make projects possible that all the parents want to see their kiddos bring home. I have been on both sides--neither is fun! Those pulse monitors probably were funded by a grant which is a separate budget than the other mentioned stuff on your "un-favorite" list, which is probably how they afforded it and why the gym teacher was excited. It is your right to ask where the $$ came from. I agree make do or do without, some of those items should also be under a "not required" list. But as parents we also need to not expect the fancy projects that would require said supplies.
August 23, 2010 at 6:13 PM
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