I was reading a post on Kathleen's blog yesterday about buying school supplies (at least I think I was, I just looked and I can't see it anywhere now, did I just dream it?) and it reminded me of the same thing I've thought every time someone talks about school supplies at this time of year.
"What? You have a list of things that your child has to have for school?!"
You see, over here (by which I mean my limiter experience of British schools) sure you get ready to go back to school, but you decide for yourself what you need. At primary school (age 5-11) I recall that we were mostly encouraged not to bring our own stuff from school, but rather use the school's pencils etc. I can understand that thirty 5 year olds arguing over which pencil case belongs to which child is not really ideal. I think that towards the end of primary school we were considered sensible enough to bring in our own stuff to use, but again, there were school resources there to use, and we were encouraged to use them.
Or course at secondary school you had to bring your own stuff. I remember the days when my pencil case had been the one thing that hadn't been stuffed back in to the weighty overpacked bag and I'd have to spend the day blagging off over people. Pretty much you were on your own with that. But no one ever told us buy this folder and not that one, or buy such and such. Actually, to be truthful, I vaguely remember being told what sketch pad and pencils to buy for Art lessons, but that's about it. Oh, and maybe an apron for Food Technology.
But really, this whole list of exact specifications of what to buy just does not compute in my brain.
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3 comments:
It makes me think of Harry Potter lists of what to buy. Though I suppose that is mostly textbook type things.
I was never in public schools, so I might be wrong, but it seems like the lists are a new thing. I don't remember my friends having to get specific things for school or seeing the lists for the different districts and grades taped up in the front of Walmart (or Meijer since Walmart was as of yet, unknown in our area).
In the fifth grade I got in trouble for coloring my diagram of an orange the wrong color orange. The teacher actually specified the code stamped on the side of the pencils.
Nick had a list of supplies, but not too specific. I don't think I posted about them at all. Maybe you were reading another blog?
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