Back to School Supplies Part 2 (Or, How I Spent Half of My First Year's Paycheck)

Yesterday, I may have lead you to believe that becoming a teacher has taken all the fun out of school supply shopping for me.

As Dwight from “The Office” would say: False.

I still love wandering the aisles of Staples, running my fingers across the row of smooth, colorful binders and flipping through the pages of a brand-spanking-new notebook, as if I’ve forgotten what clean lined pages look like. I still drool over the collection of colored pens, only now I imagine myself using them to write cheery comments at the top of a worksheet and circle my smiley-faced “100%” (as opposed to my days as a student, when I was a professional note-taker and had a color system for vocab terms and important information).

It’s the purchasing part that’s lost its glory. Although I would imagine that part never held much glory for my parents, either.

There is still some fun to be had in the school supply aisle. For example, I found this today at the Dollar Store:




I bought two, and plan to use them as part of my attempt to expose my students to the normalcy of failure, along with the importance of persistence.

However, the expense of setting up and maintaining a classroom is enormous.

It’s tempting to see an ad for $1 packs of notebook paper, 25 cent rulers, 3-for-$1 glue sticks, and thank goodness, $2 whiteboard cleaner, and think to yourself how inexpensive it is to supply a kid with the basics. And, while I am incredibly grateful for all the sales this time of year, it’s just not enough for any teacher. Because our classrooms can’t survive on 2 packs of notebook paper, a single ruler, and 3 glue sticks (and apparently, my with my inventive children, one bottle of whiteboard cleaner is not enough). Need proof?

Last year, I went through 8 packs of glue sticks, 30 rulers, 8 packs of Crayola markers, 8 packs of Crayola crayons, 4 bulk packs of pens, 15 packs of whiteboard markers, 4 packs of construction paper, at least 10 packs of notebook paper, 10 packs of index cards, and a ridiculous amount of pencils. Which, by the way, is just the beginning. It doesn’t include everything I needed to decorate my room to make it feel welcoming, or the supplies needed to keep my systems up and running—file folders, hanging folders (who knew how expensive those were), tubs, bins, and crates of all sizes. Ink to make copies when I was no longer allowed to make them at school (25 bucks a pop). The standard office supplies that we take for granted—paper clips, rubber bands, staples, tape, etc. Small prizes and snacks to reward students for academic achievement or excellent behavior. Cleaning supplies, hand sanitzer and tissues to keep kids healthy (I thought runny noses were limited to elementary schoolers—boy, was I wrong). All of which must be replaced this year. And some of which we had to do without towards the end of the year, when I just couldn’t do it anymore. So yes, these sales seem so generous; but when you have to buy everything in duplicates, they lose their glitz and glamour.

And that’s just me. Imagine how much veteran teachers have spent over the years, or teachers who require more specialized tools that are not provided by low-income school districts. Or elementary school teachers like my roommate, who has to have supplies for every subject.

I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. As my kids have reminded me before, I chose this job, and you shouldn’t pity me or my teacher friends any more than you pity a doctor's long hours (and you don't, because they make bank). We do it because we love it, or because we're called to, or because we're good at it. Regardless of the reason, we make the choice to go to work (almost) everyday, just like you do.

However, if you respect or admire what any teacher does, there is a small, yet strangely huge, way in which you can show it.

Buy school supplies.

I’m not talking about maxing out your credit card and delivering supplies by the truckload to your favorite teacher friend. Although any teacher would fall at your feet if you did. But what you may not realize is how much spending $2 - $3 and 15 minutes of your time can really enhance a classroom and, "help a teacher out".

Okay, now I’m starting to sound like one of those Christian Children’s Fund commercials: “Just pennies a day can help feed a child for a year!”

But seriously. It can. And we need your help.

Next time you're at Walmart or Target and you see a great deal on school supplies, just pick one or two things up. Don't buy it if it's not on sale. We certainly don't. And don't spend more than $5. Just a pack of paper and a some pencils, a couple of 25-cent rulers, or whatever the weekly deal is. Nothing you buy should make a significant impact on your grand total. But deliver it to a teacher friend, and rest assured that it will make a significant difference to him or her.

I know what you’re thinking. It would be so much easier just to hand a teacher $2 and say, “Here, go buy yourself a nice new pack of paper and some pencils.” And while I know no one that would turn down some crisp Washingtons, we really need your help in actually buying the items. Here’s why:

Most of the stores have limits on the number of sale items you can buy. I got a great deal on the thin whiteboard markers that my students use for individual whiteboard activities: $1 for a pack of 4 at Staples (they usually run anywhere from $5 - $8). That’s a steal! But, the fine print says you can only buy 2 packs at the sale price. So I can provide 8 out of 25 students with working markers, while the other 17 simultaneously scream various forms of, “This junk ain’t working!” But with your help, and maybe a few other friends, I'll be much closer to appeasing all my kids and breathing a little bit easier when it's time to pull out the whiteboards.

Want to help out a teacher friend, be it me or someone else? Here’s a list of the most helpful items for any classroom teacher, and where I’ve found them the cheapest in the past:

Tissues (Dollar Store)
#2 wooden pencils (Target, 24 pack is less than $1)
Sticky Notes (Dollar Store)
Filler paper, college ruled for upper elem/MS/HS, wide ruled for lower elem. (Walmart, or wherever it’s on sale)
Pencil cap erasers (Target/Walmart)
Anti-bacterial (Dollar Store)
Crayola Markers/Crayons (Target/Walmart)
Rulers (anywhere they are on sale, or in packs at the Dollar Store)


Maybe your teacher friends have never complained about paying for their own supplies (in which case, they are better people than I am--I apologize to all of my friends who have heard me complain numerous times). Alas, I can guarantee you their already low salary takes a hit because of these items each year and throughout the year. And I can guarantee you they will be grateful and humbled by the smallest donation. You might think one pack of paper is miniscule, but I'm pretty sure I'd cry if someone took the time to think of me and my classroom in such a way.

I have already been the recipient of many donations--a neighbor and fellow teacher gave me boxes filled with extra supplies and books, my cousin had her old school donate my whole classroom library, and my parents have by far been the most generous, with snacks, supplies, and even a copy machine to compensate for the school's limit. But some of my teacher friends (and yours) haven't been so lucky. Until now. Until you and your $2.

If you're interested, I'll post the best deals for the coming week so you know exactly where to go and what to look for.

Thanks to everyone who has and will help out me, my kids, my friends, and their kids.