Do You Buy Supplies for Your Classrooms?

Written by Venice Buhain and Jeanne Gustafson

I don't know about you, but last year, my son's "school supplies" included a package of Clorox clean-up wipes for cleaning desks, a (large) box of Kleenex, and snacks for the whole class, plus Sharpies, and a host of other items that you wouldn't necessarily put in a second-grader's hands.

According to USA Today, the phenomenon of passing along costs both to students and teachers is growing. About a quarter of teachers polled by insurance company Horace Mann reported that they spent $400 of their own money on classroom supplies, a three percentage point increase from the previous year.

We remember being in grade school at private Catholic schools, every year we'd get a list of classroom supplies that our family was asked to buy for the classroom to use -- items such as tissue paper and construction paper. And from interviews with teachers over the years, it is obvious that it's not unusual for teachers to spend hundreds of dollars of their own money on classroom supplies.

Teachers and parents, have you ever bought classroom supplies for your class? How much have you spent? What did you buy? Tell us in the comments.