Replies

no offense, but I've spent a lot of time in Public Schools and I have never seen a teacher demand that all school supplies become everyone's property. If this is really the case, I'd appreciate it if anyone on this board could post the name of the school and the year it happened. please, let's get some details and not just this overly emotional blather. If this is the best arguement anyone on this board can make against public schools, it's not wonder we can't win the fight to save our children's educations.

Glenwood Elementary, Virginia Beach, VA every year I have been there since 9/1998

OK I guess I am a bit dense. It took me until about the 3rd grade to notice that my kids were coming to me for more paper, pencils, folders etc. I asked what happened to the stuff they brought on the first day of school and they told me the teacher took it. I could understand the soap and the tissue, but I thought they kept each kids stuff there so it would be handy when they ran out. (I did say I was a little dense, right?) The scenario described in the article was my Kindergarten daughter's exact experience this year. She was really bummed out that the teacher took her stuff. I made sure she had a second set of everything at home, so she had something of her own. For the older girls, I just sent what they needed, not everything on the list. If you just send them with one of everything, they end up keeping it and I have extras at home for when they need it.

My son has been through 11 years of public school, and we have never encountered this situation. In elementary school he got the list of school supplies. Each kid kept everything but the Kleenex and soap at their desks for their own personal use. The Kleenex and soap was put on the counter and used one at a time by everyone in the class, which really makes sense. But no one ever tried to take his pencils or paper or anything and put it in a communal box.