(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Welp, It's That Time Again. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-07-08

The Fourth is over, we’re getting into the dog days of summer, and teachers everywhere are getting ready to ask their friends and social networks for help in stocking classroom supplies. This is our new reality, as this Vox article from 2018 illustrates. And when teachers have to crowd fund basic supplies for their classrooms while billionaires get huge tax cuts...I’d better stop there before I get carried away.

And Alas, I am no exception. However, I do get SOME money every year for new sheet music and other music class related supplies like that. But some things I have to source myself. In my situation, I would have to do this very piecemeal, ordering something like one item per pay period, two or three if I’m lucky.

So I’ve gone and made one of those Amazon Wish Lists for my classroom.

And what’s on that list? Folders for the kids’ music. The kind with the hole thingies like binders. That would work well as a cheap choir music folder. And of course a hole punch to punch out the holes in all that music. There’s also a restocking for me of dry erase markers and other markers. I haven’t done it in three years, so I’m due. Choir kids need pens and pencils to mark their music, and sometimes they don’t have one for their regular work.

One need that I have is for charging cords. I also teach piano and electronic music. We have state of the art going on 5 year old Mac desktop computers. And no matter how vigilant we are, the charging cords for the keyboards and mouses all go missing. The original ones were gone before two years passed. I talked to one of the district tech guys, and there’s a possible solution, because adapters are cheaper, and the district has a ton of extra windows keyboards and mouses they can attach to the Macs. But we’ll see.

There’s also some hygiene stuff. Tissues and hand sanitizer.

And finally, a lot of my kids don’t eat at home, or don’t eat much, because it’s hard times in distressed neighborhoods. So there’s fruit snacks and water, cause that’s a must in a choir class.

All supplies will get shipped directly to my school in care of me.

I’m sure this isn’t the last list you’ll see. I in fact will help out a friend’s list who is going into her second year of teaching. I may only be able to purchase one small thing off the list, but every bit helps. So please share the link to the list if you are personally unable to help. And watch your social media and emails and what not, especially if you have teacher friends and family, for their lists as well.

I only wish there was something to help those of my kids who live in fear that their parents or grandparents will be disappeared in the night. The least I can do is make them feel safe in my classroom.

But I’m rambling and maudlin now. Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance if you are able to help out.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/8/2332348/-Welp-It-s-That-Time-Again?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/