School Supplies!!! The bain of an educator's existence. Some teachers provide pencils, paper, pens, etc. Other teachers shame and reproach students if they do not have them. I try to stock up on supplies after school starts so I have plenty for my kids who need them. As an educator, do feel the need to provide students with supplies if they need them?

I was the 7th grader who forgot things. All. The. Time. I remember how hard it was. (OK, not just 7th grade. Probably grades 3-10.) I was good at lots of stuff, but not that. I stock pencils and extra handouts in the back of the classroom. I pick pencils up of the floor, run a sanitizing wipe over them and put them back in the pencil jar. I have them keep their notebooks in my classroom. I have extras from previous years. They're supposed to have a general takehome folder if they really have to bring work home, but I keep that to a minimum.

They are running around the school every 40-60 minutes. They can visit their lockers twice a day. We discourage backpacks. We make a fuss if they're carrying too much, but they're so afraid that they'll forget something. Unless you're a traveling teacher, it's really easy to forget how difficult this can be for students.

So yes, I provide, even if I know they can afford it, and maybe had it yesterday. I eventually (mostly) grew out of it. They will too.

I have a fairly robust student center with all of the things students might need that they can take or borrow without asking. I find that it removes excuses for participating or leaving the room to go to their locker etc.

I will provide supplies for those who need them. We also have a wonderful support system in our district. We receive donated supplies every year. Ours is a small community with people who look out for each other.

Yes, if students lack the resources, we provide them. Even students from lucrative families lack pencils regularly, so I have them use a classroom pencil. Some classrooms are more of a boon than a bane for students. 😊

I order supplies with my given budget, keep stuff from the previous year that can still be used, and make sure parents understand that school supplies in our class are shared. The kids are here to learn and they need the access to the tools they need. Elementary is different than high school though.

I tried. (Now retired) I bought pencils, but as one of five team teachers, pencils are a hot item during the day. I could put 50 pencils a day out and they’d all be gone by the end of the day. I put a certain amount each nine weeks. When they’re gone, they’re gone. But, at the end of the day, I would pick up lots of pencils from the hallways. I could usually get 20, at least. I replenished pencils that way. Students were required to have notebooks and paper, even though I usually supplied paper. I just hated collecting paper from a spiral notebook. Our team sends a supply letter home mid August so kids usually had what they needed.

Make friends with your cleaner :) she brings me all the random school supplies left on the ground for her to sweep up! Haven’t bought pencils, scissors, or erasers for years. Sometimes a kid will be looking through the bin and find a pencil with their name on it from previous years which usually makes us both smile!

Being at a high poverty school, we are not expected students to bring anything the school should provide everything. The students need to be successful. Not teachers, the school district.

No, I am lucky and have a school that provides what I need.

One of our teachers said today that she started out 4 weeks ago with 50 pencils and now they are all gone.

I think shaming a child for any reason is never ok.