Teacher Panhandles to raise money for school supplies

[Aliceacc]

If my students don't do well on the SATs, they have fewer options as far as colleges go.

They receive less merit aid, since many colleges use SAT scores to determine who gets how much.

If I do a subpar job of teaching, say, Algebra I, then my kids won't know how tofa for or solve an equation. That will effect their performance in Algebra II, in pre calculus and in calculus.

And that brings up another point: what about the areas for which there are no standardized tests? Music, art, even the upper level high school classes...my Precalc classes, my friend's Spanish and Chem classes??

That's not speculation, that's the experience of 32 years in the classroom, one child in college and one starting to apply.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

5 pages and I STILL haven't seen an argument for what, exactly, is costing thousands of dollars.

Bean bag chairs? No kid ever suffered because their classroom was missing a bean bag chait.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

I'm not telling teachers they're doing it wrong, I'm saying the higher ups respond to numbers and data, not wild actions. In pretty much every industry, when the markers of success start to decline, and the bottom line is hurt, the administrators look for ways to improve and really start listening to their front line workers. They don't typically respond to complaints that aren't accompanied by a reasonable solution. I'm in healthcare. We ask for all sorts of supplies that get denied, until our patient satisfaction scores decline, or our readmission rates increase. Then, all of a sudden, their ears perk up and our suggestions for change are taken seriously.

Right now, the higher ups don't care. We can complain all we want, but the kids are learning and their numbers are where they want them to be. They could not care less if a teacher uses $1,000 of their $32,000 salary to get the job done. And quite frankly, a lot of parents don't care. They see that their kids are learning and don't care that their teacher has to live on ramen. And many families don't value education, especially in depressed areas where focus is on surviving, not thriving.


The higher ups will listen if the numbers go down (poorer performing schools dln't earn them as much$$). When school ratings drop, the parents will care more. Sometimes it takes a negative impact to incite a real change.

You clearly have no clue how education funding in Oklahoma (or most states) works, so I'll break it down for you. First, oklahoma school funding is primarily controlled by the state legislature. It's on a per pupil basis and there is a formula so that all districts get roughly the same amount of money. Districts can do bond issues to help offset costs for buildings, textbooks, and technology, but it can't be used for consumables (paper would be one example) or staff salaries. I'm lucky to get $200, most teachers get $50. Some get nothing. And we are not allowed to charge lab fees, just FYI. It would deny kids access to a necessary course based on income - that's discrimination. And they now have to take 3 years of lab science in our state so they would not be able to graduated if we just shifted them to a non-lab class.

Oklahoma leads the nation in cuts to per pupil spending. Oklahoma has weak unions and we aren't allowed to strike because we would lose our certificate thanks to a crappy law passed by the legislature years ago. I spent far too much on my degree and certificate to just throw it away.

Our admin KNOWS the tough spot we are in. They are in the same crappy situation. They get to be the ones that choose between cutting our supply budget, laying off a teacher or aide, and increasing classes to 30+ students. I can tell you my admin balances it as best she can. She hustles for grant money to help keep us afloat, buys things out of her own pocket for teachers, etc. she works more than anyone in the building. She earns every penny she is paid.

This has been going on here a LONG time. We have rallied at the capitol, called legislators, run for office, started political action groups, campaigned for education friendly politicians, etc. but oklahoma has major budget issues that the legislature can't seem to fix, and we are all stuck until that happens. It's not like the private sectors where we can just move money around or get extra revenue, we have a budget and there isn't any extra in there. Not anymore. So if she is getting national attention, getting our governor to open her eyes and see how bad it is, or getting voters to open their eyes and see that their vote matters, then more power to her.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

If my students don't do well on the SATs, they have fewer options as far as colleges go.

They receive less merit aid, since many colleges use SAT scores to determine who gets how much.

If I do a subpar job of teaching, say, Algebra 8, then my kids won't know how tofa for or solve an equation. That will effect their performance in Algebra II, in pre calculus and in calculus.

And that brings up another point: what about the areas for which there are no standardized tests? Music, art, even the upper level high school classes...my Precalc classes, my friend's Spanish and Chem classes??

That's not speculation, that's the experience of 32 years in the classroom, one child in college and one starting to apply.

Does algebra 8 require a lot of additonal supplies beyond textbooks, calculators, pencils, and paper?

 

[pumpkinmomma]

5 pages and I STILL haven't seen an argument for what, exactly, is costing thousands of dollars.

Bean bag chairs? No kid ever suffered because their classroom was missing a bean bag chait.

Alright, I'll bite. I spent $500 last year out of my own pocket. Here's what I bought.

Lessons off of a site called teachers pay teachers because my textbooks were so out of date that they didn't cover our new standards. Note that this is not the fault of my district, the state forced new standards on us and then cut our textbook fund last year. Copy paper. Ink for my printer. Dry erase markers. Post it notes. A stapler to replace my broken one. A pencil sharpener. Graph paper. Rulers. Composition books for the 20 or so of the 100+ students I see each day that didn't have supplies. Pencils- loads and loads of pencils. Colored pencils and markers. Borders for my bullletin boards. Baskets for supplies, paper turn in trays, and pencil cups because my desk had nothing on it or in it when I arrived. All of that adds up really quickly when you have 7 classes of 20 kids.

 

[dosekies]

5 pages and I STILL haven't seen an argument for what, exactly, is costing thousands of dollars.

Bean bag chairs? No kid ever suffered because their classroom was missing a bean bag chait.

Actually, you have gotten answers. Many times. Paper adds up - most kids go through multiple notebooks a year. Pencils and pens add up. White board markers. Erasers. Calculators. Printer paper, ink, textbooks, rulers, markers, crayons. Some people have even mentioned having to purchase desks, chairs, bookshelves. Teachers need to continuously buy these things throughout the year for classes of 20-30 kids.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Finland is generally held as a high standard in educational circles. Yet, for primary and upper secondary school, they spend less per student than the U.S.

http://ncee.org/what-we-do/center-o...rview/finland-system-and-school-organization/

 

[monsterkitty]

I teach in a low-income district. We can send home list after list after list of school supplies but that's not going to help. 90% of our kids are free and reduced lunch. Our students and their parents are worried about where their next meal is coming from, not if they have a pencil for math. They wonder where they're going to be sleeping that night, not if they have a composition notebook for literacy. Forget about scissors, markers, crayons. A lot of our parents can't afford these basic school supplies.

Yes, school money does come from taxes; However, not all school districts are located in an area in which taxes cover all the costs. In my state property and sales taxes fund education. My district, remember, is in a low-income area. There aren't a lot of property taxes because the home values are lower than the state average. A lot lower. Sales taxes? We have no malls or shopping centers to receive those sales taxes from. There is very little industry in my district.

So, if I don't but the supplies for my classroom, where are those supplies going to come from? We're not allowed to fund raise because that puts more strain on the parents. We do get donations from Office Depot and Staples, but it doesn't cover all the children who need basic supplies.

Finally, why should the children from low-income homes receive an education that doesn't have the resources a child from middle or upper class children receive? If they all have to take the same tests, shouldn't the playing field be equal? (this is a rhetorical question people)

 

[Aliceacc]

In some schools, the textbooks are far from a given. The calculators...even the cheap ones..simply are not there. And I think you might be surprised at the cost of keeping 5 classes of 30 kids supplied with pencils, paper, graph paper, and rulers... or to mention incidentals like tissues.

Again, I'm in a great school and my kids have what they need and more. But I find myself replenishing the tissue box so often it makes my head spin.

The alternatives are letting them leave class to go to the bathroom...and for some, that means a leisurely walk arounspd the building... or listening to then snort or...well, use your imagination here.

Hand sanitizer is another constant expense, even in my surbaban pricate school. Sure, I could do without it. But then I'm going to get sick a whole lot more often...and my kids will too. That will effect their attendance, which will effect their learning.

Oh, and the number of kids who arrived to school without lunch money this year-- even in my suburban Catholic high school-- would make your head spin. What am I supposed to do...have a kid spend a whole day in school with no lunch? Some paid me back, some didn't. But I'm not about to let the go hungry.


I spend my money willingly. So does my husband, also a teacher in another local Catholic school. Sure, it's money taken from our own kids. But we see it as necessary to do the job we think is so very important.

I won't go on...I suspect that you're very convinced that you're right and that nothing I..or the other teachers her..write will convince you otherwise.

It's saddening to read posts like yours. But we're very fortunate in that the vast majority of parents we deal with tend to see things differently.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

Does algebra 8 require a lot of additonal supplies beyond textbooks, calculators, pencils, and paper?

Exactly how cheap do you think a year's supply of paper, pencils, graph paper and calculators for 100+ students is? Toner for a year? It costs hundreds of dollars. I buy the cheapest supplies I can, but it adds up really fast when you multiply by 30 or so.

 

[tcufrog]

Happyinwonerland...

You are cherry picking which is annoying a lot of posters. Also, you might want to spell check your posting name. If you were referring to wonderland in your name you're missing a d.

 

[Mizzoufan]

5 pages and I STILL haven't seen an argument for what, exactly, is costing thousands of dollars.

Bean bag chairs? No kid ever suffered because their classroom was missing a bean bag chait.

I think bean bag chairs are the least of teacher worries.

Paper, pens, notebook folders, Kleenex, Germ X, crayons. rulers, glue sticks, paints, books for classroom libraries. X 20 adds up quickly

 

[Disney_traveler]

The way to argue your point of view is to lie about the opposing party? ;-) Gotcha.

Clearly I'm not the ONLY person that saw it that way.

 

[MarBee]

5 pages and I STILL haven't seen an argument for what, exactly, is costing thousands of dollars.

Bean bag chairs? No kid ever suffered because their classroom was missing a bean bag chait.

When I taught in a high poverty school I had 36 students. I was given 32 desks. I bought a table and chairs for the other 4.
I had some text books- meaning that I had 14 math books, 24 science books, etc. It was NEVER even close to a class set and most were old and beat up. We were allowed to make 250 pages of copies a month on the school copier and I have to provide my own paper for it. I regularly went to Staples until I bought my own printer/copier. The ink for that was hundreds of dollars. I bought every folder, notebook, pencil, crayon, chalk, marker, etc. for my students. I bought baby wipes and spray deodorants for the many kids who did not regularly bathe or practice hygiene. I bought cases of toilet paper when the school ran out. I bought mouse traps and bug spray. I bought Clorox wipes and Lysol. I bought tissues. I had a subscription to United Streaming and Scholastic Magazine. I bought posters and decorations for the classroom. I bought food and snacks for classroom celebrations.

While I don't have itemized receipts anymore to give you, I can assure you that when doing my taxes that year, my account was so saddened by the thousands I had put out (I could only write of $250 of it), that he called his college aged education major daughter and told her to reconsider the field. She, in fact, went on to be a nurse afterwards after spending two years in the school district.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

The whole situation is disgusting and deplorable. Money should be invested into students and their learning.

Taxes clearly need to be re-distributed ; as said, the mayor or the superintendent sure does NOT need to make that salary, NOT while the teachers are panhandling and trying to use coupons at DollarTree. That just makes me go blind with rage. Why is anyone in the county making that kind of money and not investing it back into the community?

Although I would say that kids have their WHOLE lives ahead of them to play with tech, stop filling the schools with fancy expensive electronic devices! Does anyone even know how to use an abacus anymore?

 

[pumpkinmomma]

Finland is generally held as a high standard in educational circles. Yet, for primary and upper secondary school, they spend less per student than the U.S.

http://ncee.org/what-we-do/center-o...rview/finland-system-and-school-organization/

Conveniently you left out the part where they spend more per pupil at the lower secondary level.

For reference, per pupil in OK is around $7900 right now, although it may be less for next year. I haven't seen the final budget numbers for 2017-18. Lowest in the nation. And lower than Finland.

 

[Disney_traveler]

I'll use my speech class (required for graduation) as an example.
When I took speech in 2002, I remember being assigned an informative speech, persuasive speech and how-to speech. Must have written manuscript, sources, timed to a certain length and memorized. Everyone in my 20 person class did it, no arguments, no problems.
When I began teaching I utilized the SAME assignments am due had SO many complaints from counselors and special ed teachers that I COULD NOT do that because over half of my students have lower reading, speaking, writing levels and that I am setting them up to fail. They suggested making things to the kids level (2nd-3rd grade for high school kids). Gave those unable to do it a dr Seuss book to research and read and others the speech. Nope in trouble again, ones with speech said that wasn't fair. Why should they have to do harder assignment. Ok, fine, entire range of speech classes (120 kids) need Dr Seuss books for an entire 6 weeks to take time to make for many practices and assignments. Let's go to elementary library!---nope, told they need those 120 books. I can't have them for six weeks! Now what!?!? Well share budget with 2 other teachers....one welding and one animal science....plus my
Floral classes that I need stuff for. Do I really want to take money away from them!?!? Ok, half price books it is for a large supplement of these books.

 

[usnuzuloose]

This is such a sad thing to read about where teachers have to put out their own money on supplies.
Supplies are expensive.
I don't know about where some of you live, but I have been to garage sales where people sell paper, computer paper, note book paper,and bags of pens and pencils for dirt cheap. Maybe that might help if you look at yard sales.

 

[Hikergirl]

And what I'm saying is that by continuing with the way things are, nothing is ever going to change.

Do you really think that teacher's haven't been trying to change things?

 

[Happyinwonerland]

My point is that if teachers continue tk
o pay out of pocket, it will continue to be expected. If teachers and parents are OK with that, because it means their students get a better start, then that's fine, but then why are we complaining?

If we aren't ok with that (which I suspect from such passionate responses), then why are we continuing with business as usual? We can have the feels all we want, but administrators don't care about feelings, they care about numbers.

And the idea that teachers are paying for textbooks out of pocket is absurd to me. I get caring, but if the district doesn't see it as necessary, then that's on them. You have to take emotion out of it.