Teachers can't stop buying school supplies every year
18 posts across 3 communities in the last 90 days; 89% from r/Teachers.
“Help! Advise me how to go about? 1. I have 4 kids in 4 different classes. I sub at the school they go to and a few others. I’ve noticed over the past few years there are soooo many kids that cannot afford the simple things such as cups the schools here require students to bring…”
“I highly recommend getting a seconds box from Musgrave Pencils! 144 pencils for $5! https://musgravepencil.com/products/144-seconds-hex-and-round?srsltid=AfmBOoq01yv9KDm06wr4r0xay7pu79NaLpvfCmXpiXkqGtL2O0cVSFrR You can't beat it, and it's honestly kind of fun to see the random…”
“I just have a genuine question: why can't we all just give you $50/semester and you go and buy all the stuff you want. Why can't it just be a fee we pay even at public school where tuition is free? It makes no sense to me that every year, every parent goes and buys THE EXACT…”
Teachers repeatedly report frustration with the annual school supply requirement, where parents buy identical items for classrooms. They suggest replacing this with a $50/semester fee to allow schools to purchase supplies in bulk at a discount, eliminating redundant effort.
SOURCES (25)
“I start student teaching next semester, and I'm wondering what supplies I should bring! I've got a small list already(file folder, notebook, hand sanitizer, lanyards, etc), but I'm wondering if there's been anything that either you, as a student teacher, found valuable or that a…”
“Do you get a supply budget at all? If not, you could ask admin to provide you with a list of grant opportunities to apply for.”
“We as teachers always spent our own money. We did have something called "Teachers Choice". You received money to purchase items for your classroom that you wanted. The amount changed every year. This was NYC DOE. It was a great idea and we know what happens with anything that works well.”
“Help! Advise me how to go about? 1. I have 4 kids in 4 different classes. I sub at the school they go to and a few others. I’ve noticed over the past few years there are soooo many kids that cannot afford the simple things such as cups the schools here require students to bring a filled cup to school daily to drink from (the town water is literally brown like mud brown). How can I get cups donated for those kids? I’ve been buying cups at goodwill and watching for sales but I cannot afford to kee”
“Help! Advise me how to go about? 1. I have 4 kids in 4 different classes. I sub at the school they go to and a few others. I’ve noticed over the past few years there are soooo many kids that cannot afford the simple things such as cups the schools here require students to bring a filled cup to school daily to drink from (the town water is literally brown like mud brown). How can I get cups donated for those kids? I’ve been buying cups at goodwill and watching for sales but I cannot afford to kee”
“Hi everyone. I am planning to become a educational teacher in the future and was wondering if it's true that teachers do spend their own money for classroom supplies. If so, what website or resources are you getting it from? submitted by /u/Uffizi_ [link] [comments]”
“There’s nothing I need to spend my own money on to teach. Are there things that would make my life easier? Yes, there are, but I don’t need those things.”
“That's wild. I have a bse in early childhood + a masters in sped. I've admittedly only been teaching for 14 years but I only make 40k gross. I'm lucky to live in a low cost of living area and teachers around here have kpers which guarantees me 2k a month after I retire at 59.5 in addition to my 403b. So the benefits are great. But still, supporting a family on 40k is rough even here.”
“Curious how other schools are dealing with paper towel purchases. submitted by /u/Exciting_Plant_7392 [link] [comments]”
“I got a total of $500 to spend on my classroom this year! It's from two different pots of money. As an interventionist, I come up with fun ways to use random instructional materials. Anyways, I got an email asking me to justify certain materials like.... construction paper/graph sketch pad for a dysgraphia student/clip magnets for word cards and other things. Ok. So, I'll send an email justifying these things that cost maybe $50 total. Sure. Then I get an email saying the graph paper and”
“At a PL (in US), the speaker said all the materials were "just a few dollars at any dollar store." Later she mentioned that grading this extra project could be "easily done on a quiet Thursday night with a glass of wine." It's one thing for a teacher to voluntarily work outside contact and spend their own money, but flat out saying this is the expectation is hella bold. This is where we are, friends. A mandatory 4-6 projects **requiring** about $250 of *your* money and a”
Don’t get “extra” stuff, just get nice versions of what you need.
“Staples sells b&w comp books for $0.50, so I buy 50 of them at the beginning of the summer. I’d use my allotted supplies budget, but if I order them from catalog they’re $2.00 each or more.”
“Where I live some teachers spent up to 10k the first years to buy all the original Montessori and other things. Or even furniture for the room. If you don't do it they'll see you as not caring for the job. It's kinda wild. The older generation stood their ground better”
“New 7th grade Science teacher here in rural East Tennessee. Long story short, I have $1225 dollars that needs to be spent by Monday on Sciency stuff that the students can use. If you were in the same scenario, how or where would you spend your money? Thanks for any advice! submitted by /u/johnrossi87 [link] [comments]”
“I’m a former teacher who just got a job in an education adjacent field. I start in a month. But I struggled with exactly what you are talking about. I had to buy my own textbooks, curriculum, pencils, snacks, decorations, classroom materials… You name it. Thousands of dollars and I was a single parent who really couldn’t afford to be shelling out that kind of money. But if I didn’t show out the money, there was no way on earth my students could be successful. Ultimately, I think that’s what the”
“This is exactly what my mom said in the late 1960s when she was bringing cereal & milk to school so her class would be able to have breakfast every day. She predicted it would only get worse & unfortunately she was right.”
“Exactly, I feel like there are some people who are like. Just use the district resources and don't spend a dime... But the way I look at it, I'm willing to pay money to make my life easier. I'm not spending $1,000 on a Pinterest classroom either. However, I did spring for A magnetic calendar so I didn't have to keep writing the date numbers and every single month. Definitely consider sometimes you're buying your time.”
“I’m a first year math teacher at the high school level and was given $250 for supplies, but I was told not to use it for “office supplies”. So, what are some things I definitely should buy? submitted by /u/Due-Guarantee-6042 [link] [comments]”
“A list of what other teachers are looking for too. We all have so much stuff saved up from previous years, I'd love to be able to give a new teacher some things.”
“I highly recommend getting a seconds box from Musgrave Pencils! 144 pencils for $5! https://musgravepencil.com/products/144-seconds-hex-and-round?srsltid=AfmBOoq01yv9KDm06wr4r0xay7pu79NaLpvfCmXpiXkqGtL2O0cVSFrR You can't beat it, and it's honestly kind of fun to see the random pencils you get.”
“I just have a genuine question: why can't we all just give you $50/semester and you go and buy all the stuff you want. Why can't it just be a fee we pay even at public school where tuition is free? It makes no sense to me that every year, every parent goes and buys THE EXACT SAME STUFF and sends it to the teacher. Like omg here's a check let the school buy it in bulk for a discount for every classroom. Am I missing something? My oldest is only five and I'm new to this.”