Wisconsin public school teachers should not pay for school suplies out of their own pocket anymore

[bluestateguy]

Since this new law is apparently going to be implemented, teachers will need to make up for the lost income that they will not be getting on their paychecks.

Stop buying new school supplies every year with your own money. Let the parents hold fundraisers if they wish, but it is not your responsibility. Send a slightly condescending letter to all parents telling them that because of Republican budget cuts, you will no longer be able to afford the yearly expense of paying for classroom supplies.

There is no law obligating teachers to spend their own money on classroom supplies, but this has become standard practice around the country. It's time to start moving toward a Work to the Contract approach if this is the way they want to do things.

[XanaDUer]

1. I agree

it's sad, and kids will do without (was it ever thus?) but I don't see why teachers should buy supplies out of their own pocketbooks.

[postulater]

2. Yep. And schools should stop after school sports that are not profitable.

[bluestateguy]

3. That might worlk if you did not have Title IX

Let's face it, at most schools (a few exceptions do exist, yes) football is the most and perhaps only profitable sport.

If a school cancelled everything except football there would be lawsuits within the week.

[Scout]

18. schools should stop all sports ... if sports are important, let them be community based

from the rec dept or similar.

schools aren't supposed to be farm systems for professional sports.

[postulater]

21. No argument from me. That was suggested to me by a teacher.

[Taverner]

4. I could seriously see a Repug running with this...

And creating a law banning teachers from bringing in their own supplies

[MadHound]

5. No, there is no law, but there is an obligation to the students that overrides anything else.

Not to mention the simple fact that trying to conduct education without a basic set of supplies is impossible.

I'm teaching at a summer academy program for disadvantaged youth. I'm not getting paid well, not well at all. But I went ahead and shelled out money from my own pocket because these kids deserve to have basic supplies, and if they didn't have them, it would be impossible to conduct class.

That's the part of the problem with being a teacher, if you want to make a political or social or labor point, you are doing so at the expense of kids. Few teachers worth their degree want to cross that line, which is why governments and other powers that be have gotten away with driving teachers into the ground, they exploit what they see as a weakness to get concession after concession because teachers feel morally obligated not to put their students through the wringer.

[bluestateguy]

7. I know one teacher in another state that philosophically refuses to buy supplies

She dumps it upon the parents to raise the money. Some years they pony up, other years not so much. In any event, she sees it as not being her problem.

[MadHound]

9. How does she conduct classes?

If a kid doesn't have glue, how can they participate in art? If a kid doesn't have paper and pencil, how can they write.

It is a philosophical and moral conundrum, I agree, but I would rather the kids have basic supplies, both for their sake and for the sake of being able to conduct class.

[bluestateguy]

11. I dunno. Beats me.

Her view and my view is that teachers are paid professional educators, not wet nurses and social workers.

[Snoutport]

12. +1,000,000 I have put classroom supplies on my credit cards

because my teacher pay leaves me no cash most months.

I hope your summer academy is a blast!

[MadHound]

13. The kids are a blast,

But the administration is strictly amateur hour. So I focus on the kids and try not to let the rest get me down.

Tomorrow, the science of explosions:evilgrin:

[NashVegas]

15. You Are Not Obligated to Purchase Supplies For Students

The kids deserve it, absolutely. Your unwillingness to let the system break is what has allowed privatization types the time to plan, abuse and take over the system.

[MadHound]

16. Again, I am not willing to make political or economic statements at the expense of kids

Sorry, but they didn't ask to be made a political kickball, nor do they deserve to be one. As far as my unwillingness to let the system break, well, it has already broken, thanks to taxpayers that think more of their own pocketbook than the welfare of future generations, and politicians of both parties who think they should play political football with education, reach for the low hanging economic cutback fruit in times of crisis, or both.

Most of these kids I'm dealing with come from poor families, too poor to be able to afford the basic supplies. I'm not going to deprive them of an education to make some purist political point. When I wish to do such a thing, I do it for myself, by myself, and not at the expense of innocents. Don't like that, tough shit, look in the eyes of a poor kid and tell them that they can't have a pencil or paper because you want to tilt at political windmills.

[xphile]

20. Maybe you need to start.

Because as long as you make up the difference those in charge will continue to underfund. Not to mention it cuts into what you take home to take care of your own family when you're subsidizing the government entity who is supposed to fund the school in the first place.

[mrmpa]

6. Thank you...................

I am a teacher and I have not given my kids supplies. I was vilified for that once, when I posted. When students would ask me for supplies, I told them "It's not in my contract that I need to give you paper, notebooks, pens, pencils or any other supply." I then told them to go to the administration and ask for what they needed. They often got it.

[NNN0LHI]

8. We used to have Fun Fairs at our school to raise money all the time

Used to have several every year. I liked the Cake Walks the best. Because I liked eating cake.

Do they do this kind of stuff any more?

Don

[Abq_Sarah]

10. I agree

Teachers should never pay for supplies out of their own pockets. Let the school administration and school boards deal with making sure every kid has what they need.

[msedano]

14. professionals do what it takes to get the job done

professional teachers are not going to short-change their students. if a lesson plan requires materials not provided by schools, teachers feel obliged to provide the material out of their own household budgets. "love" is another word for "teacher."

were i a teacher today i would write that letter monthly, but i wouldn't petulantly point fingers. request $NN.nn a month to support the parents' children, along with an outline of the projects and learning resulting. each month's letter would have a tally of year-to-date contributions and lessons accomplished--keep it positive. at the bottom add a note, "this letter not produced at district expense. this letter paid for entirely by teachername and parent contributions."

my wife retired after a 30+ year career teaching in public schools. i support every penny she spent of supplemental supplies, student get-togethers and off-hours enrichment activities. simply because republicans hate teachers is no reason for decent people to act out of character.

mvs

[NashVegas]

22. "Professionals" this, "Professionals" that

As a working "professional," I can pretty much testify that 8 out of 10 times I see someone use that word it's thrown out as a justification for insisting someone (else) put up with BS that *successful* professionals refuse to.

I'm sure you and your wife were great teachers with fulfilling careers.

The problem isn't Republicans hating teachers. The problem is Republicans + corporate interests are attacking teachers outright, and entrenched Democratic power-brokers aren't doing a thing to stop it.

[Daphne08]

17. Dedicated teachers will always sacrifice to provide

for their students.

I agree with you in theory, but this "standard practice" isn't new, and it isn't going to change in the near future.

[Dappleganger]

19. I have a teacher friend who buys food to send w/her students on the weekends...

not having a pencil or paper is the least of their worries.

[JoePhilly]

23. Agree ... and annouce this at a PTA meeting.

Just say "Sorry, we'd keep buying supplies, but the Governor took away the money we use to do that. So now some one else needs to do it."