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Why back-to-school lists are so long and specific. And what's up with the 3 dozen glue sticks?

I just need someone to tell me: Are they eating the glue sticks?!

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
selective focal photo of crayons in yellow box

It's back-to-school time (yaaassss!), but that means it's also the time when you have to tackle those super-long, super-specific school supply lists (uggghhhh!).

You know what I'm talking about — the 15-plus-items-long list of things your kids need for school.

As a bonus, they're often brand-name specific. Seriously. Because Elmer's glue is apparently just that different from generic store brand glue.

Based on the venting ( "OMG, everyone is sold out of pre-sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils!") and cries for help I'm seeing from my fellow parents on social media ("Where did you find three wide-ruled draw-and-write composition books?" — OK, I admit that was my question), a lot of our public school kiddos are being given supply lists quite similar to this one:

woman in white and multicolored floral long-sleeved mini dress with green backpackPhoto by Tamara Bellis on Unsplash

Sample school supply list created from actual lists I've collected. Some items have been switched between lists to protect the innocent.

While many public schools send these lists to parents, in certain states they're "requests" not "requirements" (even when not clearly presented that way) because some states cannot legally require students to provide their own school supplies.

Optional or required, however, these school supply lists are important.

I know, I know — lots of us parents have many feelings about them, like:

  • We didn't have to buy a specific list of supplies when we were kids (walking uphill both ways, two miles, in the snow).
  • This is public school, not private school! Can't the glue sticks come out of my taxes?
  • This list is so name-brand specific. Are Elmer's glue sticks reallllyyyy that superior to these cheaper, generic ones?
  • Seriously?? So many glue sticks?! Just ... what?

And we can all agree that it's not right that public school budgets are regularly slashed and aren't big enough to cover the basic necessities essential for our kids' success. (You know, like pencils.) And in some cases, budgets are misused, and that's not right, either.

black cordless headphones beside sport bottle and notebookPhoto by KOBU Agency on Unsplash

But as much as parents dread shopping for school supplies, our children's teachers probably dread having to ask.

Katie Sluiter, a mom of three and teacher of 13 years, shares in parents' frustrations about supplies — just from a different perspective. "I struggle every single August with having to ask for [supply] donations. I hate it," she says.

She'd love to stop asking parents to bring in a combined total of 800 pencils and 1,000 glue sticks and just buy them herself. But as a teacher, she simply cannot afford to do it.

"I hate that we have two full-time salaried workers in our house. ... I have an advanced degree, and we are still living paycheck to paycheck. It feels shameful to have to ask every. single. year. for donations. Teachers don't want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach."

"Teachers don't want to ask for handouts. We just want to teach." — Katie Sluiter

Nicole Johansen, a mom of two who was a teacher for 12 years, echoes Sluiter's sentiments. She cites never ending budget cuts as well as the need to stretch other funds, like PTO-raised money, further and further as the reasons supply lists exist and adds, "It is frustrating knowing that schools should be appropriately allotted funds for supplies — this said from the parent AND teacher standpoint."

So most of us are on the same page here. Class supply lists are the pits ... for everyone!

The most significant thing to remember, though, is that if your budget allows, it's important to purchase the items on the list.

If you're not purchasing the supplies, it's very likely your child's teacher will have to — with his or her own money.

Image by Thinkstock.

And we've already established that teacher salaries aren't cutting it when it comes to taking care of their families and their students.

And maybe it's not so much that teachers have to spend their own paychecks on classroom supplies, but they want to because an overwhelming majority of teachers genuinely care about their students.

"I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students," Johansen said. "Pretty much all teachers I know will be spending for their classroom despite having to cut back the grocery bill for their family."

"I wish all parents knew how much teachers love and sacrifice for their students." — Nicole Johansen

"No, we don't have to spend all that time and money on our classrooms, but it makes it a quality experience when your children have things like science experiments, books, art supplies, and a comfortable, cozy classroom environment."

woman wearing white sweaterPhoto by Yustinus Tjiuwanda on Unsplash

OK, but seriously, what do they do with all of those glue sticks?!

I know I'm not the only one who opened up that list when my daughter was in first grade, choked on my coffee, and exclaimed, "THREE DOZEN GLUE STICKS?! What, are the kids eating them? [Probably. Little kids eat all kinds of gross stuff.] Are the teachers selling them for profit? [I wouldn't blame them. See above about teachers' salaries]."

Image by Thinkstock.

"We glue kids' mouths shut," Sluiter told me when I asked.

"Totally kidding. They last like 12 seconds ... [and] no matter how vigilant we are in supervising the picking up and putting away of supplies, each time we get the tub of glue sticks out, there are about three to five dead soldiers and lone caps rolling in the bottom of the bin."

(I love teachers with senses of humor!)

But back to the actual issue.

My friend Shannon summed up the class supply list conundrum perfectly, if bluntly:

She wants parents who can budget in school supplies without experiencing a financial burden to "quit complaining about some of the items being communal. Vote for politicians who will quit cutting money from schools. I don't remember my parents having to buy 20 glue sticks, but I certainly don't think any more should come out of teachers' pockets."

Couldn't have said it better myself.


This story originally appeared on 08.11.15.

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10 words stuck with Mr. Sonnier for 15 years. They turned him from janitor to principal.

There's that person in life that says something to you and it stays with you forever.

For Joseph "Gabe" Sonnier, who was the janitor at Port Barre Elementary School, those words came one day in 1985. The principal of the school pulled him aside.

"I'd rather see you grading papers than picking them up," principal Wesley Jones had said to him, as Sonnier recalled to CBS.

He'd never forget those words. Sonnier continued on with his job as the loving and respected janitor that he was, but 15 years later, he revisited what Jones had said.

All GIFs via "CBS Sunday Morning."

He decided to go for it.

Sonnier decided to go back to school and become a teacher. At 39 years old. All while still working full-time as Port Barre Elementary's janitor.

"I would come to work at like five in the morning and leave at seven and go to school all day, and then come back and finish up my eight hours of work here, and then go home and do homework," he told Fox2Now.

Oof. That's quite a day ... every day. But the hard work paid off in a big way.

He got his Bachelor's degree and became a teacher in one of the very classrooms he used to clean.

And when he later got his master's degree? Well, the best thing happened. Everything came full circle.

Port Barre Elementary announced its new principal in November 2013, and it was their very own Mr. Sonnier.

Hooray, Mr. Sonnier!

Although that definitely didn't stop him from cleaning his own office.

Mr. Sonnier's story just goes to show that if you've got a goal, go for it. And if you believe in someone's potential — tell them.

"Don't let your situation that you're in now define what you're going to become later," he said. "I always tell them it's not where you start, it's how you finish."

I'd go on to add, it's also who you meet and are inspired by along the way.

Hear more about the incredible Mr. Sonnier in this "CBS Sunday Morning" feature:

How a group of third-graders wowed Stephen Colbert with a musical surprise

Stephen Colbert is a busy man.

He's an honorary doctor and pistachio pitchman, and he knows his way around a Christmas carol. Not to mention that whole "taking over a late-night dynasty" thing, which is already off to a great start.

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images.

But despite his schedule, Colbert is never too busy to support and encourage students.

Whether it's as a commencement speaker or talking with kids in the classroom, Stephen Colbert is an enthusiastic supporter of all things education, as you'll see in this charming video from DonorsChoose.

Colbert is a big-time supporter of DonorsChoose, an online charity that helps teachers purchase supplies for their classrooms. Public school teachers can make requests (anything from a new reading rug to a microscope) and anyone can donate to the project. Donors receive photos of the new supplies in use and letters of appreciation from the students.

Colbert celebrates after receiving his honorary doctorate from Wake Forest University. Photo by Jeffrey A. Camarati/Getty Images.

In 2013, unbeknownst to the general public, Colbert broke character and visited P.S. 33, an elementary school in New York City.

There, he gave a brief lesson on satire to an eager group of third-graders.

Before he left, the students serenaded Colbert with a musical rendition of the preamble to the Constitution.

The late-night funnyman beamed with pride, then joined in himself.

It's endearing. It's patriotic. And lucky for us, someone recorded it. The just-released video is proof that Stephen Colbert is every bit as awesome as you hoped.

But his generosity doesn't end there. Colbert donates his money, time, and star power to help out public school teachers, too.

Considering educators spend an average of $513 of their own money on supplies for their classroom each year, every little bit helps. But when it comes to Stephen Colbert and education, little is not in his vocabulary.

Shouldn't these students have more than one book? Stephen Colbert thinks so. Photo by iStock.

When Colbert ran for president in 2007, his supporters helped him raise $66,000 for classrooms in his home state of South Carolina. He encouraged Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton supporters to pony up for their candidate, and they did. Over 2,600 donors contributed more than $190,000, funding projects for 42,000 students!

"It's incredibly personal, the relationship."

Since then, he's raised money for children with parents in the military and contributed funds from his super PAC to teachers and classrooms devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

And in a surprise move this spring, he picked up the tab on every single open project on DonorsChoose in South Carolina. It was an $800,000 endeavor, which Colbert paid for with the sale of his "Colbert Report" set and a little help from some generous donors.

Colbert meets fans and supporters at a rally in Charleston, South Carolina, as part of his pseudo-presidential run in 2012. Photo by Richard Ellis/Getty Images.

Colbert knows it's all about the kids.

He now sits on the board for DonorsChoose, and in a recent interview on "CBS Sunday Morning," he shared why the organization means so much to him.

"The joy of giving is also matched with something really rare, which is precision. It's like passion and precision at the same time. It's incredibly personal, the relationship. And incredibly moving when you get the thanks back from the kids."

As Colbert shifts from a late-night character to a bona fide host, I hope he hangs on to the charm, enthusiasm, and generosity that make him such a joy to watch. I have no doubt he will.

For now, brush up on your American history and enjoy this delightful number from the students at P.S. 33 and American hero Stephen Colbert.

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Teachers are doing one of society's most valuable jobs, but we sure don't treat them that way.

All kids need an education.

It's a basic fact: If we want to live in a developed society that keeps moving in the right direction, our kids need to be able to read, write, and think for themselves.

Image by iStock.

Even folks without kids can probably agree that educating future generations benefits us all.

As best-selling author John Green put it:

"The reason I pay taxes for schools even though I don't have a kid in school is that I am better off in a well-educated world."

Yes. Yes. Yes.

To ensure kids get a good education, well, we need good teachers. The problem is that they're disappearing.

Wait, what?

Yep, that's right. Across the U.S., many states are reporting a teacher shortage.

The New York Times explored the nationwide problem in a recent article, noting that "Louisville, Ky.; Nashville; Oklahoma City; and Providence, R.I., are among the large urban school districts having trouble finding teachers."

Even more striking was the shortage in California, where school districts need to fill 21,500 vacancies this academic year. Meanwhile, the state is issuing only about 15,000 new teaching credentials each year.

At the root of the problem, the Times reports, are the massive layoffs that happened during the economic recession. Those left a whole bunch of teachers unemployed. And now that some states have more money for education (some — not all), many of them have already moved on to other careers.

Plus, many of the students who might have become teachers during the recession chose other fields. You can't blame them: Why take on student loan debt in exchange for low pay and long hours? That's assuming there would even be a teaching job available upon graduation.

Research and numbers are one thing. But what about the actual people who know the most about why we're facing a teacher shortage?

AJ+ asked those in the know: "Where have all the teachers gone?"

In a great video that you can scroll down to to watch, they took their question straight to teachers.

Max Von Euw got right to the point with the cold, hard truth:

Image by AJ+.

And it's not only about the money — it's the low pay combined with ever-increasing demands.

Image by AJ+.

But why do we treat the field of teaching as though it's less important than other professions?

Image by AJ+

And how about the way people treat teachers?

Image by AJ+

What if we did what Charles suggests and totally reframe how we view teachers?

Image by AJ+

Teachers, just like parents, are frustrated.

Hayes felt that the most frustrating thing for teachers is the amount of testing their students are put through.

Image by iStock.

McNeal was a little more opinionated, stating:

" We are testing children to death and we are testing teachers to death. 20 years ago, we might have spent as much as two weeks testing. Today, in 2015, the average number of weeks a child spends taking tests can be up to six weeks."

(I think I can hear most parents shouting "amen" to that sentiment.)

"Why don't we look at a way to create a more holistic education, which includes social, emotional content and curriculum?" he asked.

Here's the thing we need to remember: Almost all teachers who stay in the profession love what they do.

And what they want to do is educate our kids, even when they're facing an uphill battle. Stephen Leeper, a middle-school ethnic studies teacher, explained: "It is difficult, especially when you teach in communities of color or low-income communities. They bring a lot of trauma into the room."

Teachers aren't just dealing with lesson planning and test preparation. They're working with kids who may not know where their next meal is coming from or even where they'll be sleeping that night.

Still, teachers are committed.

GIFs via AJ+.

It all boils down to something pretty basic:

We should value teachers more.

You can watch the full video here, which I highly recommend.

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