Teacher wish lists are tacky, amirite?

If you don't like it you should support higher taxes for education. Schools often don't or can't provide enough resources for classrooms and often put it on teachers to fill the gap, who are often under paid. Sure teachers could not buy anything but then all the children they teach might suffer, depending on what's asked of course. It's also for the kids whose parents don't buy them things or enough things and can even help avoid them being bullied at times. Less bullying also leads to less disruption ie should increase learning. It shouldn't be needed but due to poor funding and low pay you either have a worse setting for actual education for the kids or you have teachers asking for help from parents. I know teachers who spent a lot of their own money on class supplies like pens and notebooks they generally ask for smaller things like stickers, with elementary, or similar things for engagement and fun. Though I know that's not all nor do I think it a teachers responsibility to provide many of those things as it'd be like my boss not providing printer ink or stamps etc.

by ChanceEquivalent3507 1 week ago

It's the childrens own fault? Classroom size, teachers training and workload and funding of materials seem to actually dictate quality.

by Historical-Power1836 1 week ago

The problem isn't the parents or the teachers. The problem is that classrooms aren't funded fully by DOE. And we all know why that is. I don't even have kids and I've donated many times to local schools. These kids will be the leaders of tomorrow.

by Available_Cod 1 week ago

I struggled to have enough pencils and paper last year.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

My children are in an "above average" school district with my oldest about to enter 5th grade. They have NEVER had multiple devices assigned to them. I don't know what you think public schools are doing but they aren't issuing multiple iPads to students.

by AdAcrobatic 1 week ago

I agree, it's tacky that it's not supplied by the school itself. A lot of these lists have basic things in them, not "luxuries"

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yes, the only thing tacky about it is that theres no budget within the school to get everything kids need to learn.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Even if the teacher is paid enough, employers should provide the resources for the employees to effectively carry out their duties.

by Reeseturcotte 1 week ago

I normally think asking for presents is in poor taste. However, in the case of teachers, the registry for the classroom is used to educate the kids.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yup. They're expected to spend their own money to decorate their classrooms and buy supplies to educate other peoples kids. I see nothing wrong with having a wish list where parents can choose to buy items for the classroom their child will be in. What's really tacky is how little we as a society respect educators. We don't pay them well, and we call them names when they ask parents for support. That sucks.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I don't think it's that unpopular of an opinion that public school students shouldn't get sufficient classroom supplies. If it was, teachers wouldn't have gofundmes and Amazon wishlists to fill those gaps.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Most of the time it's friends and family who are not student parents buying things off the registry.

by Busy_Requirement6856 1 week ago

Yeah, understood what you're talking about. I'm a parent, and I 100% support teachers as much as I can. It's not on them that they're forced to reach out to the community for help.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Since our taxes aren't paying for that stuff, who do you suggest should pay for it? The teacher's meager salary? Or should the classroom just go without? What's tacky is that we are one of the richest countries in the world, we spend a ton of money in education, and yet our schools aren't properly funded.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Perhaps you should be asking WHY teachers aren't properly resourced in the first place?

by Rude-Manufacturer817 1 week ago

I'd agree if schools were properly funded, but they're not so teachers do this for their students The teachers are not asking for personal items for their own homes or their own use. They're asking for classroom supplies. Bad take, OP. Support local public schools.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

We are looking at different lists then. These aren't just markers, scissors, germ-x type supplies. It's 50 different books, Cute storage containers, bean bag chairs.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

So what? It's still items for the students. And the thing about these wish lists is that they're not mandatory, nobody is making you donate.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yes, things for the classroom. Did I stutter?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Maybe if the classroom was set up as an actual classroom and not turned into a glorified cute kiddie lounge, there'd be more funds available to get actual learning essentials. … Beanbag chairs? Seriously?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Oh no, the teacher wants a cute and comfortable environment for the students to enjoy reading in! Sound the alarm!! /s

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Then don't buy anything big dog. I feel like most people don't understand how much of their own money teachers put into their classrooms. Think back to when you were a kid and think of all the things that were in the classroom. Maybe there were learning aids on the walls, books on shelves, any kind of decoration. Everything that wasn't desks, chairs, or tables was probably bought and paid for by the teacher. Including a lot of the supplies.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The kids in the class are benefiting from that wish list. I've worked in education and the bare minimum is there but the teachers are spending their own money to get the really cool stuff and the fun supplies (like extra glue sticks and craft paper) for your kids. Sending your child to school with supplies helps a lot, but it does cost money to keep your child in school supplies all year and these teachers are using the donated items for the kids. I see no issues

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I think it's tacky that the school & local/state/federal government are not already meeting the needs of the children they claim to serve. They want you to blame it on the teachers.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yes, it's absolutely unpopular to blame teachers for the lack of funding. Good job.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Back in the 2000s, our kids school put those supplies on the student's school supply list. Such as: Students with names A-E bring 4 rolls of paper towels, Students F-K bring push pins and one pack of construction paper and so on. We liked it because you were only asked once in the year to bring something extra.

by Dismal_Insurance 1 week ago

what schools do you know that are making tons of money off their students?? public schools are very often underfunded, and individual teachers very often do not have the money (on their own or from the schools) to buy the supplies they need. all of the public school systems ive ever interacted with have been underfunded and almost always going through budget cuts.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Well private schools & colleges definitely make more than enough to fund their teachers stuff to get their classes going lol. My mom teaches at a private school and has to supply all her own stuff besides the monitor she shows films on for her film class. Now that i think about it, what youre saying makes sense with public school being pretty much free to go to. Maybe thats the issue to begin with. Not enough money because people are barely paying for their child to get in.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

ive never seen a college professor ask for supplies from a wishlist. maybe private schools do, im not in that world. what i can say is that public schools absolutely should be free to go to. they just need more funding and better budgets. if no where is free, what happens to all the poor kids? the kids with parents working 2, 3 jobs that still cant make ends meet? the kids who have too many siblings and not enough carers, the kids who are on the free and reduced lunch plans, so on from there. the problem isnt that the schools are free to go to, the problem is the support on the other end.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Maybe you need to work harder and earn more money rather than expect other people who work their fingers to the bone pay for your dirtballs. Schools don't make money off of parents. Schools receive local, state, and federal funding through taxes. I can see your education system largely failed you.

by Old_Let 1 week ago

Some schools actually do make lots of money off parents too. Colleges, private schools. Theyre expensive to get into and stay at.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Disagree completely

by Lucile88 1 week ago

If the parents don't chip in the teacher has to pay for it out of their own pocket

by Windlerjoy 1 week ago

Or just do without. If the district doesn't fund it, oh well…

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It's the kids who are doing without

by Windlerjoy 1 week ago

I kinda hate that everyone gets stingy when it comes to children's education???? Like I have no issue seeing my tax money go to a school. Directly into funds for a classroom? Even better.

by obednar 1 week ago

They don't need to also be building you a classroom library or get you your bulletin board supplies. Well that's why it's called a "wish" list, and not a list of demands. I think it's pretty tragic/sad that a teacher would feel compelled to do it, but how is it tacky? Assuming that they're asking for legitimate teaching supplies then I think it's probably among the best forms of donating to a good cause, for anyone who wants to do so. It's going to children's education, the supplies go directly to where they need to be, and it benefits your kid as well as others; what's there to dislike exactly?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm a kindergarten teachers aid. A good amount of my time is spent taping together books from our classroom library and sharpening crayons. A child has a bathroom accident about once per day, no joke, so I keep spare clothes in the bathroom that are donated by parents and other teachers. Most of our supplies that we use daily are too superfluous for a supply list, like play doh, yarn, pipe cleaners, etc. Forget about holiday decorations, books, toys, and cleaning supplies. Important to note that our students' parents, as well as our own personal families, are always asking every August how they can help and what they can donate. It's easy to direct them to a wishlist of some kind. They're very happy to help and we're grateful for it. My husband and my lead teacher's brothers donate their time and labor every summer to help us rebuild our classroom from the ground up. It quite literally takes a village. Lastly I'm not sure if it counts as a wish list, but we are required to create a sign up sheet for every holiday/classroom party for parents to sign up to donate certain items like food, drinks, paper plates, napkins, crafts, etc. It can be helpful to have extra of these items just in case nobody signs up.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

i am too european to even comprehend this….

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It's used for kids because you aren't approving bond increases that help fund schools. As a side note, I'd never send my child to a public school. They're horrible these days.

by Old_Let 1 week ago

Your point? They do not give children a competent education in any way, shape, or form. They were great until the late 1990s. My children were switched into private schools once common core academics reared its head. Now look at public school kids. Not a single one has read a book cover to cover.

by Old_Let 1 week ago

Not a single one? You don't think that may be just a slight exaggeration?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

When my kids got older, and the lists kept getting longer, I would buy the stuff on the list, keep it at home, and send what my kids needed with them, replenishing as they used up or lost things.

by Anonymous 1 week ago