Dear Parent, Shopping for School Supplies

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Dear Parent, Shopping for school Supplies. 

I see you complaining about the school supplies our children NEED. I see you scoffing about buying supplies because you don't think YOUR child will need/use them. 

These teachers put these lists together for a reason. They've put these lists together because these are things they've needed to purchase, out of their own pocket in years past. So they add them to the list in hopes that parents can just HELP pitch in a small fund for their children's education. 

It's that time of the year again and now that I'm having to get school supplies for Avery's 4th grade of school, I want her to have everything that she needs. She needs those crayons because she'll get to use her imagination in the wildest way possible and draw to her heart's content and work on school projects. Her teacher needs that cardstock. It will be coming home printed with resources for us to help support our daughter and make 4th grade as easy as possible.

The Hand Sanitizer? Won't go nearly as far as we think it will. Kids get dirty and germy, kids need sanitizer to keep their school environment clean and to prevent spreading germs and making other kids sick. But you complain about buying 2 containers of it, this will not even last 2 weeks during cold/flu season.

Oh and glue sticks. I see people complain about this every single year! On a good week, maybe each student makes a glue stick last for a week. MAYBE. How many weeks of school are there? Those 12 glue sticks on Avery's supply list will be lucky to last her until Thanksgiving. They are usually super inexpensive so you bet that the teachers are stocking up too! But I can certainly get what Avery needs at the inexpensive price. I want her to have what she needs and not go without. Teachers shouldn't have to stock up, but they know they need to because by the time the last semester rolls around, they are completely out.

Oh and the 4 boxes of Kleenex on the list? Hahahaha. Avery will probably use 2 boxes on her own the month cold season hits, let alone the other 20 something kids she'll have in her class.

So the point is, I'm buying the school supplies on the list so Avery will have what she needs because I'm her mom and it's my job to support her in her education. 

Most years I even purchase extra so I can send them in throughout the year, or in the beginning of the year, because I know there's parents like you who refuse to buy certain things. Teachers spend HUNDREDS to THOUSANDS out of their own pocket each year because little Timmy decided to break all the crayons, or because little Madison pushed in the points on the markers. They are constantly buying new, replacing and buying things to fill in the gaps so your child doesn't go without.

So thank you to all of my teacher friends out there as you start prepping for a new school year and making sure my daughter has what she needs to further her education. 

I'll do my best to support you, teachers, even if it's just by buying the crayons, cardstock, construction paper, hand sanitizer, glue sticks, and Kleenex without hesitation. I appreciate all that you do for our kids!