Guess What was on my Kid's School Shopping List

ckmama

I pay for private school and the treats. nothing free for me:sad:

whierd

Schools should be raw vegen and gluten free.

vytamindi

yeah, send stickers instead!

my kids will jump through any hoop to get a goddamned sticker.

As a teacher who refuses to give candy as an incentive (and who freaking loves stickers), PLEASE SEND STICKERS!

SoDamnHungry

I agree about asking if you can send stickers instead. My sister works with kids and they'd kill a man for a shiny gold sticker.

ckmama

my sister gags at stickers and bandaids. WEIRD:noway:

vytamindi

Don't like it at all but you could send in a sugar free candy...to make it a wee bit better.

Just gonna say...while I try to keep sugary treats in moderation at my home and I'm not a big fan of more-than-occasional candy and such at school, I'd MUCH rather my kids have a bit of real sugar than chemical artificial sweeteners. Yuck.***

***said as I guzzle my Diet Coke with lunch. I'm an adult, I'm grown and can judge risks and benefits for myself. Not cool to subject little growing and developing kids to any more chemicals than we already do just living day-to-day.

I would rather NOT eat sweets than the sugar free stuff. Sugar alcohols make people poop. A lot.

Think of the poor custodians!

cadaverousbones

I would bring it up to the school but I think kids should still be able to have treats for birthday parties and special occasions. When I was in school they did a floride program. Parents signed a release form that kids could rinse with floride once a week in class, supervised by the teacher. Also, maybe you could send a little tooth brush and tooth paste with him to school to brush after eating? They shouldn't be using candy to get the children to do what they want, they should have toys, stickers, pencils and other things like that as rewards.

odusgolp

OK, just to set us straight here on the tax thing.

Per Internal Revenue Code Section 62(a)(2)(D) and Section 62(d)(1), the Educator Tax Deduction allowed up to $250 per person (until 2013, we'll see what they do next year).


IF your expenses exceed $250, you can deduct the remaining amount as an "Employee Business Expense" up to 2% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).


Will you get all of your money back? Unlikely. That's not my point, I'm just preachin the IRS fun, yo :bigsmile:

norahwynn

I don't think the amount of candy they would get as an occasional treat at school would be anywhere near enough sugar to cause cavities. Same with birthday cake and party candy. Oral hygiene is key. I just think its wrong to pass the buck on the teacher.

^^ This. When I was a kid, I ate a huge amount of candy. And if I didn't have candy in my mouth, I had a piece of bubble yum. I am now 47 years old and have only had 2 cavities my whole life. I can't imagine that these kids get even close to the same amount of candy from the teachers as I ate on a weekly basis. There has to be something else going on to cause that many cavities, IMO.

In saying all that, I don't believe that bribery is the way to get kids to listen and abide by the rules. This is why there are so many people growing up feeling so entitled to everything these days. How about just following the rules and getting your work done or you'll get a bad grade or have to stay after school. That's the way I made it through school.

woodwardtm

Send a big pack of granola bars instead? Or sugar free candy?

BattleTaxi

yeah, send stickers instead!

my kids will jump through any hoop to get a goddamned sticker.

Stickers were the best motivators for me growing up lol!

Also, the only time we were given candy was after doing something SUPER good, I mean like.. only 1 kid got picked a day. The Reward? A blue lollypop from the freezer.

I still can't even buy a bag of those. I feel guilty because I haven't "earned" them. LOL

MizTerry

I wouldn't be over the moon about constantly bribing my kid with candy to behave in a way I expect her to anyway, I get that. But if this is an occasional treat, not a habitual one, I don't see a problem. And birthday treats? Come on. Parents are getting hyper-vigilant and fun-killing in my opinion.

Agreed.

ItsCasey

If I ever have kids, I'm going to be the parent who has to call the teacher and explain why my child will not be bringing in all the extra crap they ask for. If the school won't provide it, well, teachers get a tax write-off for whatever supplies they purchase with their own money. Start using it.

cadaverousbones

We do not have to send in candy or anything else for incentives, but I was really shocked to see a box of Band Aids on the school supply list (which I refused to send), along with the cleaning wipes and germ x. We also have to send a ridiculous amount of pencils, glue, and many other regular supplies, when I know that my child does not need that many. Our teachers put everything in "community" boxes where the children just go get whatever they need when they need it... So I am pretty much taking in supplies for parents who do not send supplies in for the children. It irks me. I found out that on the last day of school the teachers just throw away any unused supplies such as pencils, pens, markers, crayons, paper, ect.... and the janitors just go through every trash can and cash in on the leftovers. Why cant the teachers put the leftovers in a tote and use for next year? I was livid when I found this out and so I sent my daughter with the least amount of supplies for the "community" boxes and have the rest of her stuff at home for when she needs it.

Thanks for making the rest of the parents and teachers make up the difference for you. :flowerforyou:

Yep, thanks. I'll just add that to the grand I dropped last year.

I call BS on the teachers throwing away pens, pencils, markers, etc..... (see going to IKEA and golf courses for pencils).

'


I think the reason they ask parents to provide extra stuff is because some people are POOR and cant even afford to buy their child a backpack let alone pencils and paper and all the other stuff they need. IF you have the money to help people in need then help them dont just not do it because YOUR child doesnt need it. IF you cant afford it, I am sure the school understands. But the reason they do this is for the less fortunate. AND I DOUBT they throw the stuff away. If they do you should really be letting your congressmen etc know of this considering the budget cuts and funding that many schools have been losing over the years.

vytamindi

If I ever have kids, I'm going to be the parent who has to call the teacher and explain why my child will not be bringing in all the extra crap they ask for. If the school won't provide it, well, teachers get a tax write-off for whatever supplies they purchase with their own money. Start using it.

Do you think teachers get paid a lot of money? I mean, the write off is nice, but you have to spend the money first.

I mean come on!

ETA: And some teachers don't have a homeroom (like music teachers) and have to buy EVERYTHING on their own since supply lists only are allowed for homeroom teachers.

CarmenSRT

Our schools are junk food free. Thank goodness.

As far as parents supplying cleaning supplies, etc. What the hell??!! Do our tax dollars not go towards the maintenance and running of our schools??

Janitorial staff clean the rooms, but the cleaning during the day - these ARE kids after all - is done with supplies kept in the classroom. Schools usually don't supply them so the teachers end up spending lots of cash out of their own pockets every year. Sending in cleaning supplies and tissues and the like is more than reasonable. Every year we buy a shedload of supplies for my friend's classroom. Teachers NEED more support than they get.

whierd

We are becoming a culture of fun suckers.

docklanders

The candy will be used as incentives for the children, and while I can understand how useful that may be to a teacher, there's got to be a better way.

I think that's one of the biggest issues, the fact that sweets are there as an incentive. Of course they are considered as 'treats' and there's nothing wrong with that, but I don't think a bar of chocolate should be a reward for intelligence or whatever.

I guess you just need to find the balance between sweets and a stick of celery. Doesn't have to be food of course. Just something that encourages our kids and doesn't involve unhealthy food as a reward.

fitgirlandfoodie

As a primary school teacher in Ireland what strikes me about this topic is that parents are giving lists of things to buy other than books? I've never heard of that before. On the candy issue, I would give children a SMALL treat for holidays such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Apart from that rewards for positive behaviour and attitude is rewarded with stickers, small toys or privileges. HOWEVER, I would also add that people suggesting that teachers shouldn't offer rewards..go to a classroom..the amount of children who have not learned manners or appropriate behaviours (and I find that its these things that rewards are offered for in the majority of classrooms) at home is astounding and it is left to the teachers to try and teach them those with while dealing with other children who have learned these behaviours at home..its a juggling act.
To the OP, definitely talk to your child's teacher and offer an alternative you would be happy to supply.
Still a little shocked by parents being asked to supply such things though..I spent a small fortune on classroom supplies last year that weren't covered by the school.

vytamindi

fun suckers.

Fleeting moment of dyslexia gave me the giggles.