The search for school supplies

Pens, folders and notebooks are on sale which can only mean one thing -- school supply shopping!

It's that time of year when parents stock up on index cards, colored pencils and more glue sticks than they ever thought possible. I remember the year I sent my son to school with six boxes of 24 pencils. That's 144 pencils! My daughter topped it the next year with a list that asked for 15 glue sticks.

I remember when my school supply lists consisted of very little beyond folders, pencils, notebooks, loose-leaf paper and perhaps a binder (but never a Trapper Keeper). I had the decorated notebooks (a no-no at my kids' school -- only plain-colored folders and notebooks are allowed) and the only item I had to buy for the classroom supply closet was facial paper.

Today, students are asked to buy extras of everything, from printer paper and dry-erase markers to sandwich bags and hand sanitizers. Most of these items will make their way to the classroom supply closet, available to everyone in the class. It certainly shouldn't fall on the teachers to stock their shelves with these items, but is it fair to families?

I've talked with parents who said they are willing to make a monetary donation to their child's classroom supply closet, rather than hunt for specific items like multi-colored dry-erase markers.  As I search the city for plastic folders, it sounds like a great solution to me. Teachers can keep the money in an account and buy items as needed rather than have a surplus of one item (Will a classroom use 2,880 pencils -- 144 pencils per student in a 20-student classroom -- in 180 days?) and shortage of another.

By the way, anyone out there have a heads up on where I can buy

plastic folders (needed in the colors red, blue, yellow, green, orange and purple) and Vis-a-vis markers?