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Post by beanbuddymom on Aug 6, 2014 19:45:05 GMT
DS (10) teacher for this year is asking for them to bring notebooks for their own use, but that the pencils and pens that they bring in (5th grade) will be communal supplies. NOT A FAN because of the germ factor. I told DD (14) about it and she was like, "Oh. Not a fan. Everybody and the chewing and.... yeah. Gross."
I'd rather my kid be using his own pencil all day every day than have him using pencils that Johnny used earlier that day or the day before after wiping his nose or scratching his ear or chewing all day - !! Sorry not to sound germ phobe but I just would rather on a regular basis my kid used his own pencils. I don't even lick or chew on my OWN pencils, I for sure don't want my kid to have to use a pencil little Larry the Licker used yesterday.
No other grades use communal supplies, DD has never had to do this before. She was grossed out so I clearly am not the only one with issues. DS really doesn't care but he does have asthma so I really try as hard as I can to keep him well. I know they touch so many things during the day (desks, door handles, etc.) that I realize he can't be in a plastic bubble, but I really feel your daily writing instrument is more of a personal thing.
I so want to send a box of pencils in to the teacher saying something about the fact that here is a box for donation for the communal supply, but that also my DS would be keeping a stash in his desk for his personal use. He's also undergone years of OT for writing so maybe I have an out with that, he uses a special grip, etc.
What would you say to the teacher - I don't want to be "that mom" but I really would prefer to have him use his own stash.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Aug 6, 2014 19:49:16 GMT
Are you sure communal supply means they get one out if a bucket each time they need to use one as you're envisioning. At all the various schools my kids attended, communal supplies just meant where extras were kept and when you lost or used up your pencil, you obtained a new one from the communal supply and kept that one until you needed a new one.
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raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by raindancer on Aug 6, 2014 19:50:13 GMT
I'm with Darcy, that has always meant the extras go in a bin for whoever needs one, not that each day you turn in your pencil and share it.
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Post by theboydbunch on Aug 6, 2014 19:57:01 GMT
Are you sure communal supply means they get one out if a bucket each time they need to use one as you're envisioning. At all the various schools my kids attended, communal supplies just meant where extras were kept and when you lost or used up your pencil, you obtained a new one from the communal supply and kept that one until you needed a new one.  If not, I wouldn't be upset if a parent sent me a note with extra pencils for their own child. I'd think you were thoughtful enough to send in some for the "community" supply also  |
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Post by melanell on Aug 6, 2014 20:01:51 GMT
I don't think communal supplies necessarily means that, either. Although I recall so much sharing & swapping of pens, pencils, etc. when I was in school, that we basically were doing just what you described. |
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Post by honeyb on Aug 6, 2014 20:18:45 GMT
ehh, I don't worry about it too much. I figure what doesn't kill them will make them stronger  All kidding aside, if this is an issue for you, I would recommend you send in some for the communal supply and then send some very distinctive pencils with your kid. Colored, logoed, whatever. This way your kid could keep track of their pencil without worry of sharing it. My daughter doesn't like to share. She brought in her own pencils and her teacher told her that it had to go in the bucket to be sharpened (students were not allowed to sharpen their own pencils- it was someone's job). She skirted this rule by just bringing her pencil home every day and sharpening it at home. She kept a few spares in the pocket pouch of her binder just in case. Worked for her. |
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Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 22:19:20 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2014 20:23:37 GMT
I agree with the other - that's not how communal supplies usually work. And also, there are so many other ways kids share germs in school, this would be incredibly low on my radar, unless I had an immune-compromised child or a child with life-threatening allergies.
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Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 22:19:20 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2014 20:29:38 GMT
If your kid is old enough to keep up with and sharpen his own pencils (and 5th grade should be), then I'd say fine.
I'm a first grade teacher and while I understand the germ thing, I do.not.have.time to sharpen 25 or more pencils every day and most little ones don't do it well on their own.
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Post by lorieann13 on Aug 6, 2014 20:56:30 GMT
At the kids school, communal meant you get a pencil and then put it back into the bin. Get a crayon, put it back. This was kindergarten-3rd. Then in 4th and 5th the kids were required to supply their supplies to keep track of to prep for Jr high.
With dd's health, I provided her own everything so she wouldn't catch a cold or some other virus or bacteria. Scissors, glue, etc. All her own. Teacher did not mind and understood why. And I did provide some for the class too. I always do.
Dh is a teacher so I know how little they get for supplies now a days.
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Post by kristi on Aug 6, 2014 21:04:56 GMT
I wouldn't mention it to the teacher.
I bought all the supplies per the supply list that will go to the teacher. I also bought my son a zipper pouch for his own pencils/markers/etc for him to keep in his desk.
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
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Post by CeeScraps on Aug 6, 2014 21:10:52 GMT
FYI--when pencils are put down or dropped anyone uses them it's not only the original owner. When I child moves from seat to seat pencils are fair game! It's just the way it is in a classroom full of children who don't take care of things (that's the majority).
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chasetsun
Junior Member
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Post by chasetsun on Aug 6, 2014 21:12:38 GMT
As an elementary teacher, you can't even imagine the things I have seen kids do. Touching each others' pencils is going to happen no matter wbat the intention is. They drop on the floor and another kid picks it up. The neighbor asks to borrow it for a minute, or to use the eraser. If it makes you feel better, let the teacher know. However, realize that the little kids touch everything constantly.
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Post by *KatyCupcake* on Aug 6, 2014 21:18:19 GMT
My son's teacher did that last year. It wasn't returned every day. They just all put their pencils in a bucket at the start of the year and took one. When they needed a new one, they took a new one from the bucket. They didn't return their used ones to the bucket.
The germ factor exists simply because classrooms tend to be an incubator of all kinds of germs. We have discussions about washing hands and how to sneeze etc. You do what you can, and send the teacher little gifts of hand sanitizer and soap for the classroom sink and extra boxes of tissues. But germs will be shared regardless of how supplies are used.
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Post by SabrinaM on Aug 6, 2014 22:32:39 GMT
Between the desks, lunchroom tables, library books and various other germy surfaces, a shared pencil is the least of my worries!
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Post by gar on Aug 6, 2014 22:36:50 GMT
Between the desks, lunchroom tables, library books and various other germy surfaces, a shared pencil is the least of my worries! I'd agree. |
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Post by 950nancy on Aug 6, 2014 22:38:04 GMT
I wash my hands like crazy at school and still managed to get a staff infection in my eye. Pink eye can run rampant in schools. You just never know how careful you are.
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Post by ferblover on Aug 6, 2014 23:07:14 GMT
Communal means communal at my school. Last year every pencil went in one bin, all the crayons in one bin, all the glue sticks in one bin and then the kids were to get their needed item out of the bin when it came time to use the item. All shared, all the time.
This year it is broken down into groups of 4 students at least. Well except for the art smocks. We were required to bring in an extra large shirt for Art. It was not to be labeled with our child's name and it will be used by all in the Art room. This one I am more worried about--LICE!
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Post by pretzels on Aug 6, 2014 23:55:58 GMT
Are you going to forbid your kid from using door knobs, too?
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Post by doesitmatter on Aug 6, 2014 23:57:11 GMT
Are you sure communal supply means they get one out if a bucket each time they need to use one as you're envisioning. At all the various schools my kids attended, communal supplies just meant where extras were kept and when you lost or used up your pencil, you obtained a new one from the communal supply and kept that one until you needed a new one. That's how it's done at our school as well. |
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
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Post by CeeScraps on Aug 7, 2014 0:55:59 GMT
Schools are just one big petri dish. Remember even if your child is clean and takes care of himself there are sick children in his classroom, hall, lunchroom, gym, bus, etc. It is just the way it is in a school. Is it right? Nope.....but germs are all over the place.
Just think of their desktops.......oh, and if they use computers, well the keyboards are horrible.
Don't worry about pencils........a teacher really doesn't have the time to deal with it. Besides just imagine the teacher's reaction when your son gives her the note.
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Post by happyOCgirl on Aug 7, 2014 1:20:43 GMT
I had an 'allergy cluster' last year. Every single time you entered the room, you had to wash your hands. Every person, every time. We did not share a single supply among the 34 first graders. The students also wiped down their desks at the end of the day. Parents commented all the time how I must have the healthiest class in the entire school. Nope - we had the same amount of absences as everyone else. We were the only class that didn't have at least one person with 100% attendance! You think your child doesn't pick their nose, lick an eraser, sneeze or cough without using their elbow for cover, keep their hands out of their pants, play with the soles of their shoes, guess again.  I'm grossed out by teeth marks on pencils. So, I'm all for keeping your own supplies. We have a drawer with pencils for when a student needs a new pencil to use. |
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Post by theboydbunch on Aug 7, 2014 2:23:20 GMT
I wash my hands like crazy at school and still managed to get a staff infection in my eye. Pink eye can run rampant in schools. You just never know how careful you are. No matter what I do, how many times I wash my hands, I, too, end up with pink eye several times during the school year! I teach 7-8 year olds and they love showing me how much they love me, which means hands all over me |
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Post by Minnesota*Mom on Aug 7, 2014 2:49:30 GMT
Maybe you could get mechanical pencils for your child instead of regular pencils so that they aren't part of the communal supplies. You could still donate regular pencils to the classroom stockpile if you so desired.
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eastcoastpea
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Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Aug 7, 2014 3:04:07 GMT
When I read about communal supplies on another thread yesterday I thought about the germs too. One year strep was so bad in one class, the whole room had to be sanitized, because kids kept getting it again and again. My youngest was out a mandatory (per the school rules) total of six days that month. Up until that point, the same child had never missed more than two days per year.
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Post by Dixie Lou on Aug 7, 2014 3:11:11 GMT
I keep a bucket of sharpened pencils for anyone to use. They should turn in their used pencil into the needs sharpened bucket but usually we just pick a bunch up off the floor to sharpen. Every so often I go around to desks and have the kids give me all of their yellow pencils except for 2. They of course get to keep their special pencils. I only sharpen special pencils once or twice a week.
GERMS ARE EVERYWHERE and I am so excited to have a sink in my room this year. We are told that the kids should use soap and water instead of germ-x, especially after using the restroom. I buy the good smell ones at Bath and Body Works. I'm new to the grade level this year and I see on the class list is germ-x so now I am wondering what I will use the germ-x for. Cleaning desks, I guess!
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Post by my.unquiet.mind on Aug 7, 2014 3:12:31 GMT
I'm a teacher. In my experience, classmates end up sharing germs no matter how much effort is put into keeping things clean and disinfected. It's not that I think using a pencil after little Johnny stuck it up his snotty nose an hour earlier isn't gross (because it most certainly is!!), but rather that I imagine little Johnny's germs are probably already circulating amongst his classmates. When that many kids are crammed into such a small space, the only way to ensure that your child is exposed to as few germs as possible is to send them in a kid-sized biohazard suit. With that being said, I don't think the teacher would mind your son having his own supplies---as long as he is 100% responsible for them and is able to use them without causing a distraction. All it would take is for one kid to notice that your ds is using different supplies than everyone else, and chaos would more than likely follow. |
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Post by julieinmd on Aug 7, 2014 3:21:31 GMT
I teach 5th grade and don't ask kids to place their own pencils in a communal classroom supply. I do have a basket of pencils that are communal though for those kids who come to class without a pencil or can't find their own. Unfortunately some kids do not keep track of their pencils and have to "borrow" from the communal supply that I create out of pocket. I have kids sharpen them at the end of the day and part of that job is wiping them down with a Lysol wipe or hand sanitizer. It may seem silly but I'm pretty adamant about wiping down desks and learning tools at the end of the day. It does seem to cut down on the germs that get spread through the classroom. I hate to say it, but no matter what I do, school is a pretty germy (but happy) place.
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All kidding aside, if this is an issue for you, I would recommend you send in some for the communal supply and then send some very distinctive pencils with your kid. Colored, logoed, whatever. This way your kid could keep track of their pencil without worry of sharing it.
