Each year I eagerly start shopping the back to school sales at the local stores. Colleagues and I text and email each other when we find good buys. I purchase enough of any supply so all of my students (even if there’s 36 of them – you never know) will have the supplies they need for the school year. I get excited when I see their desks on the night before the first day all organized with some of the crucial tools they need to flourish in a learning environment. I enjoy making the classroom an oasis, a place where students who may not have had favorable school experiences feel welcomed and valued.
Ever since I was five years old, I’ve looked forward to selecting pencils, notebooks, crayons, folders, and myriad other school supplies – first for myself and later for my students. Today, I walked past the school supply section of Target. I felt the usual thrill of excitement when I saw the sale sign for notebooks, and took one step toward them when a little voice in the back of my head said, “STOP! What are you doing?” Then I felt the disappointment. I just effectively took a $17,000 pay cut this school year due to salary and additional cuts as well as increased costs. I realized I can’t really afford the usual back to school purchases, and that it was fruitless to look for further buys.
As I walked away from the school supply section, I suddenly became extremely anxious about the upcoming school year. I realized I wasn’t going to provide the notebooks, folders, pencils, paper, crayons, and other supplies I depend on students having for instruction. As a teacher in a poor urban district, I understand and fully expect to not have textbooks and instructional materials in a timely fashion and for students to come to school ill prepared with supplies. That’s just the nature of the beast. I have always been able to address this through the use of my extensive personal classroom library and the materials and supplies I provided for my students.
This year that security blanket is gone. As I walk into my classroom at the start of this year, I have many unanswered and unanswerable questions. What supplies will I have available? Will there even be pencils and paper? Should I inform my parents that I don’t have these things so they can pressure the administration to provide them? Will that get me in trouble with my administration? What will I do for my first few days? How will I introduce journaling and writing and all the other necessary things for students to transition into a new year? Will this year get off to a bad start because I couldn’t properly plan for the first few days/weeks? WHAT WILL HAPPEN????
One might argue that I can easily spend time instead of money preparing for the year. But when it gets right down to it, students still need basic classroom supplies. You see, public schools are the last safety net available to ALL children in society. Teachers are at the front line in a battle against poverty and apathy. The cuts teachers are taking DO end up affecting the classroom, and they often impact the very students who can least afford them.
I am also suffering school supply withdrawl as I pass by the aisle of school supplies so pretty in their packages. There's nothing like a new box of crayons the first time you pull back that cardboard top, is there? Along with my realization that not only can't I afford to do it this year is the anger I feel because I HAVE been doing it for 22 years now. When did it become my responsibility to provide the materials for every student in my class? This year I am sending home a supply list and it won't say "recommended" at the top.
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