Back-to-school shopping marks the end of summer for parents and kids across the country. While children may not be excited to leave the freedom of summer behind and head back into the classroom, many enjoy picking out their new notebooks, pencils, and backpacks.
One parent, however, was less than thrilled about the start of the school shopping season.
The parent resents teachers pooling school supplies together — and took to Facebook to complain about it.
A teacher on Reddit shared the post she saw on Facebook regarding the collection of school supplies by teachers.
“All I have to say is yikes,” the teacher wrote.
New Africa | Shutterstock
In the parent’s self-described “school supply rant,” they shared their thoughts on teachers who gather all of their students’ school supplies and pool them together.
“Going over my kids’ school supply lists, and they’re not bad, honestly,” they wrote. “However, my fourth grader’s irritates the crap out of me.”
“I was always a kid that had the cheap school supplies. So was my husband,” they continued, explaining that as parents, they make an effort to save money to provide the things they never had access to as kids. “I make sure to stash a little extra cash and shop early to provide my kids with these things,” they said.
Unfortunately, their plan to give their kids the best wasn’t going to work out this year.
“There’s a section that says, ‘To be collected and stored by teacher. No need to label,’” they explained.
PeopleImages.com – Yuri A | Shutterstock
It was at that point that the parent launched into their rant. “I’m sorry, but I’m not okay [with] you collecting my kid’s stuff,” they wrote, “and then when you redistribute the supplies that need to be replenished and him not getting the things I bought for him and ending up with the cheap crayons or the crappy erasers that just smear everywhere when I bought him the good ones.”
“They’re getting labeled,” they insisted, despite the teacher’s instructions.
“My kids are crayon snobs anyway,” they added. “They won’t hesitate to hand them back to the teacher like, ‘I’m not using these. My mom bought me Crayola.’”
Most parents agree that pooling school supplies is not the way to go — but teachers have their reasons.
“Honestly, I’d be pissed if I bought my kid Crayolas and the teacher took them and gave back Rose Art,” one commenter wrote. “Or those dollar store ones that break in half when you put any pressure on them.”
“I remember crying as a little girl because our folders were collected and passed out, and another little girl got my Barbie folder,” another Redditor shared. “Obviously, crayons aren’t the same, but I totally agree with this parent. If supplies are going to be collected and passed out, a specific brand, color, etc., needs to be specified.”
Content creator, teacher, and mom Sydney Rawls has an opposing opinion and explained in a TikTok why she uses community supplies in her classroom.
“You’re gonna have some families that bring in every single thing on that list plus more. And then you’re gonna have families that don’t bring anything in on that list,” she said, adding that most families who don’t bring anything genuinely can’t afford to.
“While I would love to be able to supply every single student with every single thing they need in order to learn in my classroom, that’s just not realistic for my salary,” she continued.
So, pooling supplies is a way to ensure that no child has to go without.
Still, it’s understandable that students (i.e., parents) who buy special supplies want to keep the items they chose.
Ultimately, one teacher on Reddit made the most valid point of all: “Honestly, districts should be provided enough funding through tax revenues to provide decent quality supplies for all their students.”
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.
