Honeybun officially starts kindergarten in a week. I’m still worried about the whole situation (see the “School Time” category for my kindergarten anxiety saga). The day we return from Colorado we will find out her teacher when we head to the school for a kindergarten meet-and-greet.
What has me stressed right now, though, is supply shopping. Yep, one week to go and we have not yet bought a single school supply. It’s not because I’m a forgetful/procrastinating mommy of three, we in fact tried to do Honeybun’s back to school shopping before leaving on our trip. We went to Target and I pulled out the paperwork I received from the school when I registered her a few weeks ago to realize they gave me a copy of the uniform policy but no supply list so we were unable to buy what she needed.
I was able to find the list on the school’s website and have looked it over several times so I know what we need and will quickly be able to collect things when we get back to Florida in a few days. Looking over the list, though, there are a few things that really surprise me (really, they irritate me but “surprise” is nicer!)
For one, we are not allowed to write her name on any of her school supplies other than her backpack, a pencil case (which must be the cloth, zippered type) and one folder. I understand in kindergarten a lot of things are shared and doing so benefits everyone. However, there are a few items she is required to bring that I cannot figure out why kindergartners would need them. For example, every kindergartner is required to bring 1 pack of assorted colored highlighters. What the heck are kindergartners going to be highlighting? My instinct: these are for the teacher, not the students which leads me to the question: What the heck is a kindergarten teacher going to do with 15+ packs of highlighters in one year?
Then there’s the issue of ambiguous requests like “1 pack of Play-doh,” what exactly is a pack? Is one can a pack or do they mean only the multi-color packs? “1 box of Dry Erase Markers,” I’m pretty sure there’s different size boxes and what size, fine point or broad point, washable or not?
Then there’s the most irritating part of the list (for this mommy anyways): the branding requirements. Crayola crayons and markers, Elmer’s glue sticks, Expo dry erase markers, Mead composition books, 5 Star folders, Fiskars scissors, Ziploc bags. So you’re telling me that when it comes to dressing for school, a uniform is best because it prevents the need to fit in and is more “cost effective” (ha! See my view on school uniforms at “A Uniformed Education”) YET you are requiring me to buy the most expensive, name brand school supplies. Really?
(Oh, and don’t even get me started on the required “2 packs of treasure box items,” that deserves a post all its own!)
