Some parents laugh at the school supplies list where others take the list serious making sure that everything on the list is the correct requirement. The question is not related as much to the school supply list as it is related to the money that is allocated for schools. I will only be addressing public schools because they were developed so that all children could have a free education. Free being the main word. I guess it is true that nothing is truly free. When you receive the school supply list for your children as a parent you must ask yourself where is the free part? You pay taxes, the teachers are not compensated for the job that they perform yet the list of school supplies grows longer each year with items that are not related to the academics in any way. Items such as Kleenex truly should be provided by the school paid for with tax dollars. Many teachers will spend their own money to make sure that the children in their classrooms have what they need to be successful.
I recognize that there are many school districts that are struggling to meet the needs of the children and they need additional assistance. Now let’s assess this for a minute. You have a struggling school located within a struggling community and you ask the parents to provide school supplies when they are in many cases trying to feed their families. To be fair the school districts that have additional funds are also requiring the parents to purchase school supplies each year. Where are their tax dollars going? Are these schools asking for supplies just because they can, and no one questions the reason behind the school supply list or the items on the list.
Stores such as Walmart, Staples, and Office Max are cashing in on the school supply list by having the list at the store. This is not for the convenience of the parents it is to get the parents into the store to purchase school supplies and other merchandise that they would not purchase if they were not in the store. So, if you are a teacher, parent, or both and you like, or dislike the idea of a school supply list let me know why. Because a good conversation helps everyone.