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by Rosemary Lee Potter, Ed.D.
Special to Tropical Breeze
Perhaps the dust of school opening never
really settles, but, by this time, the middle school, at least, has
pretty well settled down to some visible patterns. Not only what's
due when here and there in classes, but what "I" need to bring. If
folders were needed, they pretty much have been brought, labeled
and are in use.
However, there still remains an ongoing
problem, at least for some students. While many students have a
pencil case or bag, some attached to their notebook, many students
still struggle to keep track of a single pencil or pen, all day for
every class. This is no mean feat while traveling to each class,
lunch, and lockers!
Very often, even in the very first class
of the day, a student will not have a pencil among his/her things.
Usually the teacher has a small cache of pencils to borrow right
there in the classroom or maybe a nearby friend loans one. That's
fine, unless the teacher's small cache is already borrowed,
sharpened away, or someone forgot to return one. Then what?
Most teachers agree that they want
students to get right to work and have supplies at the ready --
several pencils, perhaps rules, and school writing paper.
The problem is when one or two students
appear every day or every period without a pencil. Soon, borrowing
even for that one period, becomes a habit. Even in this short
period of time since school opened some children are already
relying on the pencil or paper borrowing.
Is this borrowing important at all? Once
in a while? Of course not. Every day? Yes! It means that the
student is not planning ahead, organizing or keeping track of
necessary, very, very basic school supplies. The student is
becoming dependent on other people and their parents, and, as has
been seen, actually comes to expect this kind of help.
It does not occur to this borrower that
other people, maybe other parents are taking care of their needs,
when his/her own parents would no doubt supply the school items if
they know they are needed.
Here's what some parents suggest: Check
with your child each day to be sure that he/she has the supplies
needed. Know that such supplies need to be refurbished often, even
daily, if not weekly! One cue that the borrowing habit is starting
is if your child does not ask for any resupplying at all! From time
to time, you may want to send in a few pencils for the student to
keep in his/her locker. It's suggested that he/she not carry many
in a pencil bag, as that is asking for frequent generosity -- to
one of the habitual borrowers.
If you or your family is having a hard
time financially providing such materials for your child, please go
in to the school or call the guidance counselor and provisions will
be made for supplies. Schools and teachers want to help
diplomatically. However, they do not want to encourage bad habits,
poor self-care, and disorganization.
When I was preparing this column about
supplies, several parents said that not having a pencil or paper is
"not that big a deal." Well, yes. And, well, no. No, if you figure
it's just a few cents, right? However, big YES, if you figure the
price of just a #2 pencil times a student body of 1,100 students!
That's what corporate people have been figuring for some time.
Pencil "borrowing" adds up!
And, YES, if a parent wants to encourage
self-sufficiency in their child. Shakespeare once wrote..."Neither
a borrower nor a lender be." In these particular days in and out of
school, there's probably something to that, too!
Anyway, checking that your child has the
requisite daily writing tool and supplies for academic work helps
save time. Not having handy supplies, wastes one-two distractive
minutes hunting or borrowing, when the teacher says the famous cue,
" Take out a piece of paper and...?
How does even that minute or two of
scurrying about affect wait time toward start-to-think/work-time?
Being sure of your child's supplies promotes his/her progress, and
saves all that time wasted -- say two minutes a class? Times all
classes, times 36 weeks of the school year? Wow!
Parents who regularly check on school
supplies prove to their children that your family matters!
© 2008 Rosemary Lee Potter. All
Rights Reserved.
Rosemary Lee Potter, Ed.D., has been a
teacher since 1960, including 21 years at Safety Harbor Middle
School, and is now a reading teacher at Carwise Middle School, Palm
Harbor. Contact her at rosemary_potter@msn.com or by mail in care
of Tropical Breeze, P.O. Box 585, Safety Harbor, FL 34695.
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