I just returned from my 2nd trip to Walmart in pursuit of school supplies. I have 3 children in 3 schools. All have different school supply lists. It seems to me that a notebook and folder for each subject, writing utensils and calculator etc would be reasonable purchases that each parent could be expected to supply. Not only are the aforementioned items on the list, but they are in addition to 3 ring binders, loose leaf paper, page separators, composition note books and the list goes on.
Did the kids of the one room school house era miss out on a great education because they didn’t have thick markers, thin markers, crayons, friskers scissors, liquid glue, glue sticks etc. Maybe those same kids could have a escaped the flu epidemic of 1919 if they had been forced to supply the school house with kleenex, paper cups (Can you imagine the parental uproar if children were forced to drink from the same ladle today as they were then?), napkins and the all important Lysol disinfectant wipes.
I am about to embark on my 3rd and final year of grad school with the same 3 ring binders that I purchased 2 years ago. My supplies have generally included loose leaf paper, pens and index cards. My biggest expense excluding tuition has been the laptop that I recently purchased. For the first two years I was using an archaic refurbished laptop that I had purchased for $200. This month I treated myself to a new one as I needed something more portable and reliable than the previous one.
So I enter the new academic year with mixed feelings. I relish the thought of getting through a work day without the inevitable “Boy who cries wolf” phone call on my cell phone, but I also very cognizant of the work that lies ahead for me prior to completing my degree in addition to the added work of tracking my children’s academic progress via the parent portal. So I will do my best to cherish these last few days of quiet before the storm, knowing that I can do just about anything for 9 months!
Mary's Musings 