Just like that, summer has almost ended and families are once again getting ready to send their kids to school. It’s time to start going back to bed early and getting supplies for class. But these things are often easier said than done. Especially the latter.
Last Monday, Reddit user BlueCarrot002 turned to the platform’s ‘Am I the [Jerk]?‘ community to explain that their daughter, Mia, recently started at a new school. When the parent received the list of everything their little girl needed, they decided to purchase a few extra items.
Having put so much effort into preparing Mia’s backpack, the parent didn’t want its contents to be redistributed to other children, so they personalized the items. That, however, turned out to be a problem, and now Mia’s teacher is requesting a serious conversation.
Not sure how to approach it, the parent asked the internet for help.
This parent put extra effort (and money) into their daughter’s back-to-school shopping
Image credits: CDC (not the actual photo)
And they think it’s not okay for the school to redistribute the items to the rest of the class
Image credits: Van Tay Media (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CDC (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Bluecarrot002
The fun of back-to-school shopping can also come with an expensive price tag. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $864 on school items, or about $15 more than last year.
The organization’s data reveals that back-to-school spending has increased dramatically since the onset of the pandemic, as families adjusted to changes from virtual and hybrid learning. Compared to 2019, back-to-school shoppers are expected to spend $168 more on average, and total spending reached $11 billion.
Because of this year’s inflationary pressure, traditional sales events may play an even larger role for back-to-school and college shoppers. Most (81%) plan to use retailer deals to shop specifically for school and college items. Approximately three out of five (62%) said they will shop Prime Day deals on Amazon, 31 percent will shop online deals at other retailers and 20 percent will shop in-store deals at other retailers
Speaking to CBS, Jeffery Bailey, the Divisional Social Services Director for the Salvation Army said he can tell the difference in need, compared to the last two years.
“Absolutely, the need is greater— and let me explain why. The last two years, the kids have been doing some form of school at home – hybrid, some kids have gone part-time. But now this is the first year all schools are expected to have all their children back. There’s a much greater demand out there. The resources are a lot harder,” Bailey noted.
So you can certainly understand why parents would like their kids to maintain the items they spend their money on. However, to play the devil’s advocate, I want you to take a look at the situation from Mia’s teacher’s point of view.
A recent survey by the National Center for Education Statistics discovered that 94 percent of teachers spend their own money to stock their classrooms with the necessary supplies and resources. On average, a teacher will provide about $479, although 7 percent spent more than $1,000.
Maybe the system should take care of those students in need, not their teachers and classmates’ parents?
People think that the parent had every right to personalize their daughter’s things
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