Parenting Issues Debate

My number one word of wisdom is to not buy anything on that supply list except for the most basic pens and pencils, and perhaps one notebook until at least the third day of school. Teachers frequently change items, or clarify them, or indicate that they are for use much later in the year and never get to them at all.

As my kids got older, they also found that they had their own preferences about notebook styles, etc., and if the teachers didn't care, we went with what the kids liked.

I would caution though, this is the first year that my kid's school has issued a supply list before the first day of school.  We parents have been complaining because the back to school sales are often before we get the lists, and the school supplies are incredibly picked over before we know what is needed.  One year we had a teacher that made the reasonable request that the children color code folder and notebook(red folder and red notebook for social studies, green folder and green notebook for science).  I ended up having to go to three stores in order to get things in the correct colors.  I know in the beginning of August, when the teacher was shopping, they were all on sale and readily available.  She said she felt terrible, she bought the folders for $.05 and the notebooks for $1.00.  It's too bad that the teachers can't be sure of reimbursment so that they could make sure each child has exactly the supplies they want them to have.  DD did have one teacher that bought extra's on sale and sold them.  That was really nice.