Monday, August 19, 2013

A Contest! No Prize!

Once again, for the 6th time, back- to- school shopping rolled around in my life. This year, I did things a little differently. Designed to maximize my comfort and reduce personal stress, I set myself up with a clipboard across from the teeming mass of supplies, children, and parents that reminded me of a maggot infestation. I called out what was needed and assigned a name. The called upon child then raced through the aisles, tossing aside ugly pencils and weird notebooks to acquire the needed item. The child brought the item, told me the price, and I approved it for the cart.

It went well!

Typically I require the cheapest, store brand  junk available but I allowed them each one "luxury item" this year. They could pick one special, fancy, pricey thing. They both chose pencil containers.

I present to you the selections.

This is Teena's. She loves color in a mind altering way. I find my eyes seizing up just looking at it.

 
This is Genea's. She loves wallpaper.
 

And amazingly, she managed to find a reflective, metallic bag that practically glows! The full glory could not be contained to just one photo.




Last year for some reason, Genea's room teacher requested 48 pencils. The language teacher requested a set of 24. Other teachers, music, pe etc, requested a few pencils here and there. The grand total pencils I sent my 9 year old to school with that year was 78. All of which had to be sharpened!!! I was flabbergasted. However, I regretfully have to acknowledge that Genea "ran out" of pencils around January (code for *hucked them in the trash thinking she would not have to do work that way*) and expected me to buy more. Without sympathy, I told her to dig around under her bed until she found some. It had become one of her "things".

Anyway, the contest without a prize is the most ridiculous item on your childs school supply list this year. It should be known that I am prone to announcing contests in this vein only because I myself believe I have the winning entry. With that disclaimer, I give you my submission:

3 empty 2 liter soda bottles. Not green or tinted. Rinsed, with the label removed.

Huh?

I could go off on childhood obesity and blah blah blah but that would be too easy. My objection here is, we don't drink soda. If I buy it, I actually go find those little half- size cans. Sometimes clear soda in bottles for a sick kid. That's it. I surely do not ever buy soda in liter measured quantities.

I'm guessing they are for some super cool experiment, or to make a lesson of I dunno', gravity or something. It's just strange. (3) 2 liter soda bottles, 963 individual tissues, only 56 pencils, and some folders that she will bring home in June of 2014 untouched by human hands. Etcetera.

SPECIAL BONUS NON PRIZE to the first person who can tell me how to get those cool social media icons embedded in a post (and working of course). I can get them to show on a sidebar, but using the gadget things, nothing shows up when I drag it over. It shows on my template, but not on the live blog. Argck!

23 comments:

  1. 5 BOXES OF 24 COUNT CRAYONS FOR MY DAUGHTERS K CLASS.....overkill at my expense?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 125 crayons? For a 5 year old? Maybe they are meant to last all through elementary school! Ridiculous!

      Delete
  2. I've got you beat. Third grade requires 100 #2 pencils. And last year somehow Princess STILL managed to come home with pencils that were not any of the 100 I sent in. Also, I can beat you on the soda bottles, because I had to send in green ones. The only person in my house who drinks soda is Josh, and he only drinks diet pepsi. From cans. And I still don't know why, as I never saw anything come home made out of said bottles. Although that may have been Pricess-specific.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will not cede victory until I know how many bottles you had to collect.
      I may also require proof, if it appears you might beat me.
      LOL!

      Delete
    2. It was either one or three. I totally expect you to go with one, lol.

      Delete
    3. I might call it a tie. But it could happen that neither of us wins.
      Probably unlikely though. LOL!

      Delete
  3. Ah! (Former teacher here, thinking - What a great way to always have enough pencils for the whole class! Make the cooperative people take care of everyone else!)

    Our list just says three packages - so that is probably 30 pencils in all. Do I get a prize for the most reasonable?

    I suppose my submission would be: Public Library Card

    I got mad at the public library and refuse to use it....they won't let us keep a book over three weeks, OR remew a book, thus making reading aloud of most classic literature impossible. Their inability to understand this sent me packing.

    Well, I sent him without the library card last year, and never heard any problems, so I guess that will work again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. a package at Target is 24, so you might be looking at providing 72 pencils.
      I just remember being in school with the dinosaurs and all, and we had 2 pencils. We worked those sticks down to the nub. And still, usually came home with half of one left at the end of the year.
      Our library has a 3 week rule but I thought they all allowed renewals! Our issue is returns, renewals or not. I know for a fact we are tagged in their system. Probably wired directly to the police.

      Delete
    2. I guess they're teaching democracy early, Annie. :)

      Delete
  4. Our list was a non specific "lots" of pencils.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SEe, now that is totally reasonable! I would probably send 10. She could lose/break/destroy one every month and still have something to write with at the end.

      Delete
    2. Sadly, she will break one or two a week, most likely. I recall asking in an IEP meeting if they knew where I could order unbreakable pencils. I can't imagine when she gets to middle school and destroys pens...cause that won't be messy at all...

      Delete
    3. Let me know if you find those unbreakable ones!
      Pens..... I don't even want to think about pens.

      Delete
  5. Let me see, my kid in art school is required to take in 3 posable figures from IKEA. He already took in three last year. We have one at home, and it's impossible those three have been worn out already.

    Last year (we homeschool this year) one of the kids had to take in used or new, blank label CDs or DVDs. They were used for Sukkot decorations. Since we always label ou CD's I had to buy all new ones.

    100 toilet paper rolls for the two in gan, each. No idea what they did with those. 1 kg of potatoes for the 4th graders each. At least I know they used them for a stamping project.

    2 bags of wallpaper glue. When my kid went to school in Hungary, a class of 30 pupils used a bag for a whole year, and then the teacher had enough left over to glue wallpaper on the beaten up wardrobes to make them presentable for the following year.

    Hevel from kosherkola.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Folks, I think we have a winner!

      I'm just stunned... 3 posable figures from Ikea pretty much takes the non-prize. But add the potato's, toilet paper, cd's and wallpaper glue, I can't imagine anyone beating you here. It sounds more like someone is moving into a new house than going to school!

      Delete
    2. Apparently they will use the glue in Physics. I just had to email the teachers. :)

      Delete
  6. Last year my 13 yo went to school every morning with a handful of pencils, but at conference his first period teacher said he never had a pencil???? Gone on the school bus????? This year, I am giving him a new one each week and he has to make it last! Don't know who I was supplying last year, but they are on their own this year. This mom is getting cheap!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One pencil a week is still far less than I am sending this year. I think our total was about 50 per kid and school is what, 37- 38 weeks? Your way is better, and I might try it myself next year!

      Delete
  7. we start every 2nd and 3rd grade year with 72 pencils each. what on earth, I ask you, does a child need 72 pencils for in 2nd and 3rd grade? we also have to deliver a package of dry erase markers. i'm a teacher. my junior high is directly across the street. every year I ask my students to have paper, pencils--colored and graphite, scissors and a glue stick. we use every bit of that. where do 72 pencils x 22 kids go? I suspect there may be some weird voo-dooing going on across the street!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm, interesting theory. Could they be setting fires with the pencils? Using them to heat the school?
      Those dry erase markers make me nuts. We have to send 4 black ones but they come in packages of 4 colors- black, blue, red and green. Finally I found packs of only black this year. For a few years I successfully "forgot" them rather than buy 16 just to separate out the 4 I needed. Ahem. Maybe I shouldn't admit that publically.

      Delete
  8. I got a note the first day of school, after I had already delivered all of the supplies, that my son needed 36 cute/ cool erasers. I was flabbergasted. First, I have no idea what she means by cute/cool but I am guessing the large pink ones are not it. Secondly, I had sent in 4 pink erasers and each pencil already has an eraser on it. I did find shaped erasers (trucks, purses, telephones) at the dollar store. I am sure they will be horrible at actually erasing anything.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that deserves a turn at the wtf award (not offerered, no prize lol). Maybe they are to give away to the class for something? That makes no sense. Lemme know if you find out, this is really a strange one.

      Delete

I love comments! If you agree or disagree, comment away! However if you are a butthead about it, you may be excised.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...