What if a teacher just refused to buy classroom supplies with their own money?

[bluestateguy]

We all know that teachers are usually forced to spend several hundred dollars of their own money for classroom supplies. For a mostly low paid profession this is rather ridiculous.

Hypothetically, let's say a tenured teacher said to their school principal, "you know what, this is not my responsibility to pay for. Teachers are undercompensated as it is, and I am not going to be reaching into my own pocket to pay for things that it is the school's responsibility to fund."

What would happen then? Seriously.

[Vincardog]

1. Then the students would have to do without.

[HERVEPA]

6. Yep. Exactly.

[Major Nikon]

15. I think it depends on how good the support network is behind the teachers

I don't believe the teachers where my kids went to school had to pay much out of their own pockets. Each child was given a supply list and most parents ponied up. For the ones that didn't you had the PTA and various parents filling in the gaps. We always offered our support to my kids' teachers and bought a lot of stuff along with donating our time for all sorts of things.

[JDPriestly]

17. That describes schools in up-scale neighborhoods.

A lot of families cannot afford school supplies for their children. It's sad but true.

[Major Nikon]

48. That describes schools in the poorest districts

Kits that cost $25-30 are well within a middle class budget.

http://www.schoolpak.com/product/school-pak-essentials-elementary-grades-1-5

[JDPriestly]

61. In Los Angeles, we have students well below the middle-class budget.

We have homeless children in our schools in some areas.

And the rents are so high here that families have very little left.

I have seen an apartment that was basically two rooms with bunk beds lining them.

[Major Nikon]

64. True, but that's also the case in most school districts

Which is why I said it depends on how good the support network is. There are people working to fill in those gaps so the teachers don't have to, but sadly this is not the case everywhere.

[JDPriestly]

65. I could not find recent information. My computer is too slow, doesn't mean it isn't available.

But here are the statistics from 2009.

Of the meals served daily, approximately 78 percent of students in the LAUSD qualify for free and reduced-priced meals. Meanwhile, the number of students who are eligible for the subsidized meals is growing as parents lose jobs or have their hours cut at work, and more families become homeless. While there is a decline in student enrollment, the District has served more than 10 million additional meals in the last two years.

http://notebook.lausd.net/pls/ptl/docs/PAGE/CA_LAUSD/FLDR_LAUSD_NEWS/FLDR_PRESS_RELEASES/TAB1255189/TAB1255232/HUNGRYSTUDENTS.PDF

That figure should be lower today, but not that much lower. Even if it is "only" 50 or 40% today, that demonstrates how great the need is for teachers to buy supplies for their classrooms, especially study aids.

[dembotoz]

2. see it like a mechanic who buys their own tools

Kinda need them

[NYC_SKP]

4. Bad analogy. You only buy tools once.

This is more like the mechanic buying the new oil used in oil changes.

[daleanime]

14. And many are forced to....

for the 7 years he worked as an auto mechanic my brother had to buy his tools.


Workers are screwed pretty much across the board in this nation.

[diverdownjt]

18. And when he left.....

Did he take the tools with him....I'll wager he did!

How does a teacher get back used supplies?

[daleanime]

22. And that in a nutshell is one of the things that need to be changed....

instead of acknowledging that many workers are forced to to bad situations by the workplace, we have competitions about who has it worst.

Don't you think both deserve better? Or do you dislike mechanics for some reason?

[One_Life_To_Give]

47. Not all tools last

Impact drivers, drills etc. wear out and have to be replaced. Mechanic friend averages several thousand a year in tool purchases. The sockets and manual drives may be warrantied for life but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

[lobodons]

16. Unions

Which is why workers need strong Unions. One teacher/mechanic goes to boss saying not gonna buy supplies/tools and the boss says back to lone worker, here, take this nice little pink colored slip of paper on your way out. BUT, the whole teacher body/shop goes to boss well then, whole different outcome.

There is a reason why the strong middle class was built by the Unions!!

[daleanime]

23. +1

[JonLP24]

21. Only one tool works for the job

Generally speaking, but I think is can this problem be solved another way? Saying I'm not purchasing the books doesn't mean there isn't an alternate or perhaps better way.

[HassleCat]

56. They don't

Mechanics don't buy their own tools unless they're independent. Those who work for dealerships, franchises, etc. don't buy their own tools.

[LanternWaste]

59. Or an office worker who has to buy his own office...

Or an office worker who has to buy his own office...

Kinda need them too.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. the teacher wouldn't have the tools she needs

[roody]

5. The teacher would modify the lessons to use less stuff.

[HERVEPA]

7. Yeh. who needs paper in school anyhow.

[betsuni]

8. I have a question.

What classroom supplies do they have to buy and is it because the schools won't fund it anymore, or because they can't afford it?

[jwirr]

9. That is a question I would like to know also. In our small town the Salvation Army (who are the

people that administer many of the helping programs here) collect school supplies through the churches for children who cannot buy their own. Pencils, colors, not books etc. But I suspect that teachers here still have to buy some of it.

[bettyellen]

10. My friends students didn't get books in English class/ she had to photcopy stories for them...

And that's a NYC high school situated in a pretty wealthy area, but the kids are from Harlem and Brooklyn. No books. Kids didn't return them and they ran out years ago.

[betsuni]

11. Thanks.

So teachers have to pay for the photocopies out of their own pockets if the school doesn't have a copy machine.

[hunter]

19. When I was teaching we were allowed to make three copies per student per semester...

... the copy machine was like a sacred shrine controlled by the school administration.

It was easier to stop by the copy place on the way home than it was to make copies at school.

[betsuni]

29. Only 3 copies per student, terrible! nt

[Jamastiene]

34. That is what I saw as a teacher's aide too.

The copy machine was very carefully guarded. You had to pay to use it too where I live. I'm not sure how much it is now, but teachers were paying out of their own pockets back then and it wasn't cheap.

[lostnfound]

37. Yet 700 page advertising magazines show up as junk mail at my house every month or so

Full color, glossy trash trying to sell overpriced jewelry, furnishings and clothing to the 1%ers.
Priorities in our society. 👀

[Agschmid]

44. You can unsubscribe to those...

[Jamastiene]

33. Even if the school does have a copy machine,

there is sometimes a price to use it. The teachers where I live had to pay like anyone else to use the copy machine, per copy. I can't remember the exact amount. If you multiply that by six classes, it meant anywhere from 180 to 240 times that fee per copy, depending on the amount of students in each class throughout the day. If it was more than one page they needed to copy for each student, the amount went up even more.

[bettyellen]

51. They had a machine, but she bought paper, also pens and pencils for kids,

Notebooks etc.
her class size ranged from 35-40 rowdy kids, the school was something like 25% over the safe legal capacity for fire codes. And they were not allowed to fail anyone. I know three HS teachers all in inner city schools that are broke. It is a huge deal if they fail any of them. Lots of kids graduate illiterate.
So, they catch on early that no one cares, and that equality is bullshit in this country.

[SoCalDem]

36. In my high school, each desk had a book

and it stayed there class to class

Each student had a book for each class AT HOME..(no more forgot the book at school)

We also did not have to carry more than a notebook from class to class..and no backpacks..

if we lost a book, it was OURS and our parents could take us to task.

[dumbcat]

50. Why weren't the books returned?

That sounds like the root of the problem for that issue.

[bettyellen]

52. Why weren't they replaced- leaving other kids severely neglected?

[dumbcat]

54. You answer my question

since I asked first, and then I will answer yours. How's that?

[bettyellen]

55. How would there be just one reason for some many students?

Many move schools, most are in very apathetic homes or have difficulty learning that is not addressed.
I read about the same problem when they give them computers in better schools. They break and disappear.
It's a whole different world I cannot pretend to understand. It's kind of bizarre that they are so extremely underfunded when surrounded by such wealth- it's pretty striking.
Why do the administrators ignore the problem, leaving so many kids with no materials?

[dumbcat]

57. How would there be just one reason for so many schools?

Why do the administrators ignore the problem, leaving so many kids with no materials?

Different districts, different local support, different priorities, different funding. Possibly districts with families as described above have different priorities for funding compared to districts where there is more community support and discipline?

[bettyellen]

60. They're actually severely underfunded, schools introduce the notion of inequality to students

In the inner city the moment they start to attend. They know the school is negligent. I'm not sure why anyone is surprised the kids react with an equal amount of apathy.

[Yupster]

12. I was a teacher for 10 years

I bought stickers that had stars and things to put on graded papers.

I bought decorations for the room, mostly for holidays.

I don't think I ever spent $ 100 in a year on that sort of thing.

Paper, copies, and that kind of stuff was provided for free.

I had a stapler and scissors which I don't think I bought, but I can't remember how they were provided. It's been a while.

I spend a lot more personal money on my current job, way over $ 1,000 a year for sure. I even have to buy toilet paper for the bathroom out of my own pocket. Never did that as a teacher.

[BrotherIvan]

24. In my short stint in teaching high school and at my mother's primary school where she taught

for 40 years, this was and still is the norm:

-A teacher is given one pack of paper and one pack of pencils for 35 students that is meant to last a year.

-Workbooks that were meant to be issued to each student and written in totaled 15 so photocopies needed to be made. The school would not allow you to use the office machine for this because ink was too expensive.

- In my English high school class, I assigned the students to read one novel together. There were not enough copies for all of the students to have the same book, so I bought used copies. For five classes.

- Anything extra--anything at all--such as boom boxes to play audio books, computer supplies, markers & pens, office supplies like paper clips, classroom decoration, rewards and incentives--are bought by the teacher. Not to mention all the food I brought daily for hungry students and special occasions.

- The list is actually endless of the things a teacher supplies to her own classroom. On top of that, if you are involved in student's lives, you are helping them with extra curricular things as well such as paying their way so they can go on a field trip, buying a backpack for a student who can't afford one, buying prom tickets so students don't have to stay home because they are poor.

And teachers do this because they care about their students, because they want them to learn and to love school. But mostly they hear what a terrible job they're doing. It's very sad and one of the reasons I did not stay in teaching.

[betsuni]

28. When I was in school a hundred years or so ago ...

students bought their own notebooks, paper, pens and pencils, folders, glue, scissors, crayons, etc. Everything except textbooks. Back to School shopping at the dime store was fun! Seasonal decorations were made by us with colored construction paper. No stickers or rewards or food in the classroom. We didn't use backpacks. I grew up in a mostly working class small town when there were still well-paying factory jobs in the area, so a different world.

[BrotherIvan]

31. Yes it is different now

Many parents are burdened by the high cost of school supplies. Schools are underfunded and so there is a large gap. I worked in an economically challenged neighborhood, so the kids had very little to contribute in terms of supplies. Their families were worried about feeding them and over 90% qualified for free lunch and breakfast. Schools don't have lockers any more because of worries over drugs or guns at school so students need backpacks to schlep their heavy textbooks back and forth. I had bullet holes in the windows of my classroom that had not been fixed for years. There were also many ESL students in languages such as Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese. So this is why there is such a huge gap between wealthy neighborhoods and poor ones in terms of quality education. People need to keep that in mind when they are judging teachers and schools.

[Jamastiene]

35. I always wished the teachers were in charge of education.

Most teachers actually cared. The administration only cared about rubbing elbows with the richest of the rich in the county. They certainly never cared about the students. Teachers knew what they needed and what students needed and were the ones who always had to make do.

[BrotherIvan]

63. Most of the teachers I worked with did care

And they showed more passion and dedication than the rest of us have to at our jobs. My mother worked with some outstanding principals who also cared, but due to high stakes testing, that role has changed to become very political and it is a disaster. Her school had one principal that was so incompetent, teachers and parents rallied to get rid of her and there has been a new principal every year for ten years. It's a mess.

[LWolf]

42. In each community and district it's going to be a bit different.

All based on district funding. The more budgets are cut, the less funding, the more cuts, including supply budgets, in schools. The lower the tax base, the less money from the state upfront.

In my current district, I get a budget for basic supplies. I also take donations from parents. From those who CAN donate. Between the two, my school and classroom budget, I am able to supply my class with paper, pencils, pens, colored pencils, markers, glue, sticky notes, index cards, kleenex, tape, staples, and white board markers and erasers. All the basics.

Students are asked to provide a few things for themselves: a binder, a calculator, PE clothing. We have a FAN representative who will work to provide those things, and shoes and glasses and coats and medical care for those who can't. I wish every school had this; my previous schools in my previous state sure didn't. She also keeps my room supplied with snacks.

Out of my pocket, I supply art materials: paper, paint, brushes, pastels, clay, etc.. I also supply the art curriculum. I supply pencil sharpeners.

I supply books. My classroom library has about 2,000, always changing as books wear out, walk away, and are replaced.

I supply curriculum that my district doesn't. I supply all enrichment materials that take learning beyond basic text books, paper, and pencil.

I supply myself with basic office supplies.

I also supply unnecessary extras. I give a few books away to every student every year. I keep a box full of gag items, novelties, fidget toys, etc., and will use them as prizes for class games. Some teachers "reward" kids with candy; if I want to "reward" someone, I'll use those gag items instead of sugar.

In my previous state and district, I supplied my classroom with shelves, organizers, cupboards, and an indoor garden structure. I also supplied all the gardening supplies and curriculum. There, I also supplied all outdoor toys and PE supplies, since I taught PE, too.

[One_Life_To_Give]

49. Because they hired an administrator instead of buying supplies.

There are many more administrative positions in schools now. You are talking upwards of $75k per year to cover all the expenses/benefits etc. Too keep the taxpayers, and in my area it's the fixed income retirees, from screaming about more tax increases. They cut the only place left, supplies.

[csziggy]

68. A niece who teaches art has to supply all the materials

Crayons, paint, brushes, paper, etc.

Fortunately she has very good community support and the parents work hard to provide the materials for all her classes - but it is fairly poor area so it is still a struggle. Even so, the parents fought to keep art in their school, otherwise my niece would have been laid off. Most years she has to adapt her lesson plans to fit what supplies have been donated.

[SheilaT]

13. Many of us buy things to do our jobs.

With teachers it's very noticeable because of how many are impacted by their purchases. It varies a lot, but it seems to me (from what little I know) that the teachers aren't buying the rock-bottom basics needed to teach, but are buying add-ons, which absolutely make the learning environment better.

I am not a teacher, although I have teacher friends.

Back when my own kids attended a very good, affluent school district, they were still asked at the beginning of the school year to bring in things like a box of tissue paper. Otherwise there wouldn't be enough tissue paper during the school year. We could ask: How important is that tissue paper? Back when I was in school we didn't have any in the classroom. We got along. That does not mean kids today ought to get along as I did many years ago. But what's considered necessary does change over time.

[gollygee]

40. Teachers do buy basics

I have several family members who are teachers, and the lists they send parents asking for help so they don't have to buy the stuff themselves is hte same as my kids' teachers send me. Paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, white board markers, Kleenex for the classroom, colored pencils, crayons for younger kids, hand sanitizer, etc. Just normal stuff they need in a classroom, and the school district doesn't supply it anymore. Also, in many districts, teachers have to pay for all or most photocopies they make, out of their pocket.

Then sometimes through the year we get emails sent about stuff the classroom has run out of, with a request to send something in if we can.

I live in an affluent district, but kids in other districts can't always buy all this stuff so the teacher doesn't have to buy it all. Here, churches "adopt" schools in less affluent districts and buy supplies for the teachers. I don't know how successful that is.

[JonLP24]

20. Only one company sells all the school books well the test books

which is all that matters apparently. I suppose an experienced genuinely motivated to get into the low paid profession to educate young minds would find ways to be innovative. Tenure was originally created because of external meddling from religious, parents, etc. Tenure simply requires due process because their controversial methods are probably the ones when it comes to people learning. The one unique to all my teachers was the one I remember what I learned the most from.

[Contrary1]

25. Classroom supplies?

Hell, if that's all my son provided his students with, he might have some extra money. He also buys hats and gloves for the kids in the winter.

You are right. It is rather ridiculous. But, the teachers do it anyway. They realize that the kids can't learn if they are without supplies, if they are hungry, if they are cold...

The school principals are in the same boat. They don't make a ton of money either. Many continue to contribute as much as they can. The schools can't assume the responsibility of paying for these things, when they aren't funded the money to do so.

You know where the blame belongs. Show up at the meetings and tell them. Keep telling them. Elect those that actually believe education matters.

Right now...you can clean out drawers and closets. Call your area schools, and see if they have a use for pencils, pens, crayons, markers, notebooks, plain scrap paper.

There are lots of Teacher's Wish Lists online. Find a local one, and do what you can.

[progressoid]

30. +1

[a la izquierda]

39. Thank you

My mom's partner has been a teacher for 29 years. I'm a university professor, so it's a bit different for me.

[bettyellen]

53. Great ideas!

[CANDO]

26. Save your receipts....take a tax deduction.

You also can claim union dues as a deduction. I buy work related clothing including shoes/gloves and they wear out, but they also are tax deductions. If it comes out of your pocket, take a deduction.

[msongs]

27. educator tax deduction is only for $250/year nt

[progressoid]

32. When my parents were teaching, they always had to bring in resources

My father and I literally went to the garbage dump to scavenge electronic parts for science projects. One year we even dug clay from a river bed for art class because there was no money for clay.

I know another teacher who recently retired. When she cleaned out her classroom, she counted over 450 paperback books she had purchased over 40 years for her English classes. Luckily she had the financial means to do so. Many don't.

[newfie11]

38. My daughter is a teacher in SD

SD has the lowest paid teachers in the country. Yes she does buy things for her kids.

Education should be a high priority as that's the future of this country.

I guess that's why the wealthy send kids to private schools!

[ileus]

41. Then teachers would send lists of needs home with the kids

Still have one in elementary school, and we buy 30-70 bucks of stuff several times a year.

The teachers know what parents they can rely on I'm pretty sure.

[gollygee]

45. My kids' teachers do the same

The problem is really in poorer school districts. It's voluntary, and not everyone can afford to send in the supplies. It is ultimately the teachers' responsibility.

[tridim]

43. Simple...

Credit Union Offers Teachers Personal Loans for Classroom Supplies
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/01/teachers-offered-personal-loans-school-supplies

This is currently happening in the Koch states that have decimated school funding.

[gollygee]

46. That's horrifying n/t

[B Calm]

58. Then when the kids start failing they'll blame the teacher.

[Godhumor]

62. There are always what if questions about what teachers do

Supplies are one of them, for sure, and the amount of money spent by a teacher will vary greatly from person to person and district to district. The one given in every case is that I have never met a teacher who didn't spend something for his or her classes.

The other question I have seen come up was what would happen if teachers only worked the hours they are paid for. In Western NY, where striking is illegal, one of the most powerful tools the union had is "working to the contract". Before I left teaching, I got to experience this job action firsthand when ever teacher worked only the hours specified in the contract. It truly caused community chaos as after school activities stopped, teachers didn't open classrooms to students before or after school (parents didn't realize how important this was until kids started coming home a lot earlier) and grading pretty much halted. The dispute was resolved quite quickly.

Teachers do what they do because they want to do it. The system only works because of that fact.

[winter is coming]

66. It's not just supplies.

The last email from my kid's PTA listed the things they bought for the school this year with the money they'd raised. One of the items: history textbooks.

Aren't we supposed to be getting those from the state?

[csziggy]

67. Look up "work to rule"

A friend has been recording different workers' rights and union tidbits for WFSU-FM and the one I heard over the air just yesterday was about "work to rule." One of the specific examples was teachers not buying supplies with their own money as well as refusing to volunteer unpaid for after school activities. Under labor law expecting teachers to do either is not required and teachers cannot be disciplined for not doing the extra work or supplying materials for their classrooms.

I'd already emailed my friend to find out if the bits are available on the internet and just left a message for the programming director at WFSU-FM asking the same thing.