Former Teacher Says It Shouldn’t Be A Responsible Parent’s Job To Buy Communal School Supplies For Kids With ‘Trashy’ Parents
He argued that parents who don't provide their kids with the necessary school supplies are the real problem.
New Africa | Shutterstock With back-to-school looming, it means it's time for back-to-school supplies shopping. However, a former teacher named Nate has a controversial hot take about teachers sending their students lists with communal supplies for the classroom, claiming it's a "bad idea."
Nate didn't mince words when he said it shouldn't be a responsible parent's job to buy communal classroom supplies for kids with 'trashy' parents.
Nate explained that, as a former teacher, he doesn't feel strongly about forcing parents to buy school supplies that will be used by other kids in the classroom.
He shared his opinion after another creator posted a video saying, "Forget the grocery cart test. The real measure of if you're a [expletive] person is if you complain about school supplies being used communally in a classroom of literal children."
In response, Nate argued that parents work hard to buy their children's school supplies, and they shouldn't have to spend their money on kids who aren't theirs. "It's understandable if you don't want those to be shared, especially when a lot of kids don't know how to treat classroom materials," Nate said.
He continued, "Just 'cause some kids don't have the necessary school supplies 'cause they have trashy parents doesn't mean that it is now other families, other teachers, responsibility who have extra supplies to then give that to those children."
School supplies are definitely not cheap, but teachers usually ask parents to bring in just a few items that can be used in the classroom because they receive little funding from school districts.
What Nate failed to consider is that some families simply can't afford to buy their children school supplies, and the idea of communal school supplies means kids don't have to feel left out if they're unable to have pencils, pens, tissues, or even notebooks.
In no uncertain terms does it mean struggling parents are "trashy."
Having extra is helpful for teachers as well because they don't have to dip into their own savings to replace items when they run out.
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According to multiple surveys, including one by the U.S. Department of Education, 94% of teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies. The average amount spent by teachers who use their own money has been increasing over time, and the National Education Association (NEA) expected teachers to spend at least $800 or more out of pocket during the 2023-24 school year.
For a profession that is already overworked and underpaid, that's a huge investment.
"Do you know what it's called when kids come to school with no school supplies?" Nate questioned. "It's called a tragedy because their parents are trashy and cannot provide for them."
Others argued that communal school supplies are 'equal access' for some kids.
In a TikTok video, Jameelah Jones offered a different perspective. She pointed out that the real issue with communal supplies is that some people secretly don't want to contribute to equal access for kids.
"What you're telling me is that your child would actually benefit from communal school supplies, but you would rather have them go with less or go with nothing before you let another child have the same amount as yours," Jones said. She likened it to when white neighborhoods fill their community pools with concrete because they'd rather have zero recreation than allow Black kids to have access to that same community pool to swim and play with their white children.
Jones questioned what people who disagree with communal school supplies think should happen to the kids whose parents can't afford them because nine times out of ten, those children hail from marginalized communities.
She pointed out that the argument that teachers should be buying their own school supplies is invalid considering their salaries are barely high enough for them to take care of their own needs, much less a classroom full of 20 or more students.
She emphasized that communal school supplies are about so much more than parents spending money on kids that aren't theirs. It's about equal access and not shunning lower-income students and putting them in different classrooms where they experience alienation and segregation just because of the background they come from.
Every family's circumstances are different, and it doesn't make them "trashy" when they have to make the hard decision to pay for food and shelter over school supplies, which probably hurts them more than anything.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.