So, let’s fast forward to January. The supplies are no longer new and shiny, and more than a few have met their untimely trash can demise. Used and broken crayons look better in that circular file than in pencil boxes. Glue sticks that still have some in them but are not the easiest to use just aren’t worth it anymore. Markers find new homes in backpacks. Pencils that have no erasers have lost their appeal. Dry erase markers are dried up because they have been used to solve, spell, create. And then what happens?
Supplies that were an extra $10 from you at the beginning of the year for one kid become extras in your kid’s teacher’s cart at Target during a grocery run. And forget the $10. Oh no. Multiply that sucker by – how many kids were in that classroom? Was it 20? 30? Let’s see.
Does your job ask you to shell out a couple hundred bucks to upgrade your software or buy staples? And if it’s teaching your kid how to multiply better or be able to compose a sentence without referring to spell check, isn’t that extra $10 a little worth it?
I’m frustrated by our entitlement. We act like we’re doing the schools and teachers a favor when we fill that backpack with Kleenex and markers.
Umm, let’s back up a minute. Aren’t they the ones doing us the favor?
I mean, are we willing to take a step (or 200) backward and fill in gaps caused by something as silly as a distracted kid (who then distracts others) because he can’t find a glue stick to finish his project? And yes, we went through school without some of these things, but these kids are more accustomed to bright and shiny. Maybe sad, but still true. And if bright and shiny go away, attention spans shorten, and kids are more disruptive. And guess what? Kids don’t learn as well then.
I’m frustrated that we can’t see just how big a job these incredibly underpaid teachers are undertaking. So, my suggestion is to watch for sales and stock up. Buy the extra box of Kleenex. Do the right thing and thank that teacher for all the efforts to make our future decision-makers great ones. Be frustrated with me for the right reasons.
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This post originally appeared at But I Mean Well, published with permission.
