Buy the Book

Jeanne Peterson knows the grim reality of the week before school, when her kids reconcile themselves to returning to class and she reconciles herself to her own daunting role: hunting down school supplies.

“At my son’s old school, it was incredible,” said Peterson, who lives in Laguna Niguel. “They had a very specific list. We had to buy a Rubbermaid container we put everything in . . . then a dry-erase board, dry-erase markers, a special dictionary. . . .”

This time of year can be pressing, as well, for teachers such as Covina’s Dina Tobias. By the end of last week, she had spent $400 out of her own pocket on supplies for her second-grade classroom, from a laminated number chart to books and marking pens. It seems to her the only option.

“Last year, I asked every student to have a little supply box: markers, little rulers, that kind of thing,” Tobias said. “But not one of them brought something in.”

It provides small comfort to either of them that they aren’t shopping alone. Every year, Americans spend $6.2 billion outfitting children with classroom supplies, according to the National School Supply and Equipment Assn. in Silver Spring, Md.

Though California state law requires public schools to provide necessary learning materials for free, the lean pickings in most school supply closets lead to lengthy teacher wish lists in the more affluent areas and lengthy teacher shopping lists elsewhere.

Private schools range over the spectrum too, with some outfitting classrooms handsomely and others expecting parents or teachers to provide the basics.

At the elementary level, some schools supply students only with a stack of paper, eight crayons (not marking pens), a pencil each month and half an eraser a quarter. At the middle and high school levels, supplies for courses such as science and art often come up incredibly short.

So parents or teachers are left to choose notebooks, erasers, pencils and rulers. And rumpled checklists being carried around local stores this week also include peripheral back-to-school needs: backpacks and lunch boxes, file folders and computer software, dictionaries and other reference books.

Teachers are buying special fade-proof paper for their bulletin boards and stickers to use as rewards, new maps that reflect the changing world and apple-topped pointer sticks.

At Lakeshore Learning Materials in Pasadena, Aida Cano picked up a math workbook to refresh the skills of her daughter, a soon-to-be second-grader. She also plunked in her shopping cart a 96-color box of Crayolas and special ballpoint pens required by Our Lady of Lourdes School in Tujunga.

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Though the advent of year-round scheduling means the school year starts for some as early as July, this still is by far the busiest shopping time, with most Southland students beginning classes in the next two weeks.

Parents are aware, of course, that procrastination doesn’t pay. But many put off taking the first step until now because buying school supplies symbolizes more than acquiring necessary tools. The shopping frenzy is the moment they officially shift gears from unstructured summer to the hectic fall routine of getting the kids up early, packing lunch boxes and shuttling the children off to school or onto buses.

“It feels like summer’s almost over,” Cano sighed.

For large families, such as that of Claudia McElwee of Mission Viejo, gearing up for school is especially challenging. McElwee has six children--two in high school, one in kindergarten and one each in the third, fifth and sixth grades.

“Once you get into the store, you see all the gimmicky things, which can drive you crazy and send the prices skyrocketing,” McElwee said. “I’ve also learned that if you wait until the last minute, everything has been picked over so thoroughly that you run the risk of finding nothing.”

The dreaded ritual can be worsened by accidental purchases of wrong items.

The Los Alamitos school district tries to prevent that by issuing detailed supply lists to all parents over the summer, then posting the lists at stores in town.

But Marquez Elementary in Pacific Palisades keeps its list as general as possible, circulating it through the parents organization--Friends of Marquez--with a promise that financial assistance is available to any who need it.

“We really try to stay away from being too specific. We want people to substitute whatever works for them,” said Friends President David Eagle. “As long as they have all the primary colors in their marker box and the ruler is 12 inches long, we’re OK.”

West Covina teacher Cathyrn Tarazon thinks in practical terms. She lets parents of her third-graders know the maximum size pencil box that will fit in students’ desks and asks them not to send pencil sharpeners, which inevitably leave shavings beneath students’ feet.

But John F. Dean, superintendent of the Orange County Department of Education, sees the supply lists as reflecting a bigger, pedagogical issue. “Uniformity and standardization are extremely important, critical components in the teaching of a lesson,” he said. “The instruction has to make sense to the students, and it won’t make sense if 30 different students have 30 different supplies.”

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Concerns about violating state law and about the poverty of many parents lead the Los Angeles Unified School District, and many of the surrounding public school systems, to caution teachers against requiring supplies.

“It’s really, really hard to expect [supplies] from parents in an area that’s very low-income,” said Kathy Reyes, who teaches at Heliotrope Elementary in Maywood.

But Chatsworth school activist Diana Dixon-Davis thinks that’s a mistake.

The mother of three teenage sons, two still in L.A. Unified schools, Dixon-Davis occasionally is asked for something tough to find--like a fancy music book--but most years only needs to supply a notebook and pens.

“The requests are so minimal, it’s almost embarrassing,” she said. “I really think most parents poor or rich would be willing to pay for supplies if they knew that if they did, money would go for books and other things.”

The shopping frenzy is the moment they officially shift gears from unstructured summer to the hectic fall routine of getting the kids up early, packing lunch boxes and shuttling the children off to school or onto buses.

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Lunch-Box Biggies

When they are asked, youngsters--no surprise--say they want to see fast-food takeout fare in their lunch boxes. But a survey of parents found some more practical--and sometimes more nutritious--packings that prove popular, as well.

What Kids Say They Want

Fast-food burritos

Fast-food burgers

Pizza

Pizza kit

Chocolate-wafer and chocolate-chip cookies

Pressed fruit snacks

Potato chips, corn chips

Bananas

Watermelon slice

Oranges

Turkey sandwich

Peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich

What Savvy Parents Pack

Sliced fresh vegetables with cream cheese

Puffed-rice cereal bars

Rice cakes

Pretzels

Carrot sticks

Grapes

String cheese

Juice boxes

Nuts with raisins or other dried fruit

Fruit-flavored gelatin, pudding cups

Sliced salami, bologna

Muffins

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Suggestions for Returning Teachers

Here are 10 tips for returning teachers from the 50,000-member California Retired Teachers Assn.:

* Send a note to your students: As soon as you get your class roster, send a note to all of them, welcoming them to your class and outlining some of the activities the new school year will include. It’s also a good time to provide information to parents about your availability and to give them a phone number to contact you.

* Get the classroom ready before the first day of school: A bright, inviting classroom is fundamental to a positive learning experience. When the students first walk in that class, they should see interesting bulletin boards and colorful displays. A small animal in a cage is always a hit.

* Learn every student’s name--by noon. The one unique thing about every student on the first day is their name. You’d be surprised how the shy student will blossom and the potentially unruly child will behave if you can call them by their name. If you’re not sure how to pronounce someone’s name, ask them and then write it down phonetically so that you will never mispronounce it.

* Don’t just be prepared, over prepare: Few things can bring chaos to the classroom as trying to fill empty time, such as when students complete that two-hour assignment in 15 minutes.

* Learn to lip read: Every classroom has its inveterate hand-raisers, students eager to answer every question. Those students are a blessing, but remember the shy students who also know the answer but need some encouragement. Often, they will mouth the correct reponse. If you learn a little lip reading, then you can catch them being correct and call on them.

* Establish rules the first day and live by them all year: Most students unconsciously desire clear and consistent rules of behavior. Set the rules the first day--let the students help you here--and live by them all year. Discipline is important and unless there is physical violence, infractions should be handled in the classroom, not the principal’s office.

* Return work quickly: Tests should be returned the very next day or they lose their instructional value. Students can better track their own progress, and be motivated to do better when they receive their work back quickly.

* Enlist a support network: As a teacher, you should concentrate on teaching. Many of the students’ parents are just waiting to find out how they can help. Don’t be shy in recruiting their assistance. They can sort a weeks’ worth of papers, put up bulletin boards, be responsible for organizing field trips--all you have to do is ask.

* Understand that your work won’t always be appreciated: All the time, work and effort you put into helping Johnny or Jane learn to read or master a math concept will usually be seen as the child’s achievement. Learn to take silent pride in the fact that you are often just as responsible for academic achievement as the child.

* Recognize that teaching isn’t a job, it’s a calling: The pay’s not the greatest, the hours can be demanding and the stress can border on overwhelming. Nonetheless, most teachers can’t wait to get back into the classroom. If you don’t look forward to each day’s work, find something else to do. An unhappy teacher causes more harm than good.

Source: California Retired Teachers Assn., Sacramento