"School supply shopping looks a little bit different than it did when we were kids. For example, many schools offer school supplies delivery versus needing to head to Target before everything sells out. In other classrooms, markers, crayons, pencils, and glue sticks are communal supplies at the elementary school level. So even if your mom springs for the giant 96 box of Crayola crayons, you have to share it with all your classmates (which isn’t a bad thing, of course). However, some parents are noticing some surprising items on their kids’ school supply list that definitely weren’t on our lists growing up.
a brand new HP printer and ink delivery for as low as $6.99 a month? yes, please.
This back-to-school season, one mom took to TikTok to address a surprising item on her kids’ list of school supplies, and parents on the internet—including many teachers—had a lot to say. Her viral school supply list video has over a million views, 60K likes, and thousands of comments and shares.
Theresa, a mom of three with the TikTok handle @momstersinc_, wanted to get one thing straight before she shared the weird item on her kids’ school supply list, “It’s not about the money, I’m happy to donate to the classroom, teachers are underpaid, they should not have to supply their classrooms. I can afford school supplies… I am happy to do this.” But she went on to pose a legitimate question about her son’s school supply list. Thankfully, plenty of teachers and parents weighed in with answers.
The Surprising Item on Her Son’s School Supply List
In the viral school supply video, Theresa asks why her son’s kindergarten teacher requests they bring 48 glue sticks. With 20 kids in his class, that means—if every parent buys them—nearly 1000 glue sticks. Not only does Theresa question the quantity—but also the classroom storage.
Was It a Typo?
Many commenters wondered if the school supply list had a typo. Was it meant to say 4-8, or just four or just eight? Theresa posted a follow-up video to show that, indeed, it was not a typo and that parents showed up with “a million glue sticks.”
Why Do Kids Need This Many School Supplies?
We already know teachers are underpaid, and many are expected to outfit their classrooms out of their own pockets. Additionally, not every family will be able to afford all the supplies from the list, especially with rising costs. The National Retail Foundation estimates that families will spend an average of just under $875 on back-to-school purchases this year. Theresa shared that a 30-pack of glue sticks is $8.27 where she lives—so the 48 glue sticks are only about 1.5 percent of the total cost of back-to-school for families.
However, cost alone isn’t the only factor. Some of the top liked and engaged with comments are from teachers themselves sharing the (often funny) reality of what happens inside their kindergarten classrooms.
“First grade teacher 🙋🏼♀️. If a parent brought me this many glue sticks I would kiss them. I promise we need this many!!”—@Kat C.
“1 kindergartener = 1 glue stick per craft 😂”— @Kelsey West.
“As a former kinder teacher, I promise she will still need more later in the year”—@Holly.
“I wish I could tell you what my kinder students do with their gluesticks. But I can assure you I go through 1,000+ in any given year. I keep them in a plastic bin!”—@at3178.
“They disappear so quickly!! After being in a classroom this seems reasonable to me. 😂 They dry out. Get smooshed. Go missing. It’s crazy,”—@Heather.
“I teach pre-k! We’ve been in school for 10 days & have already gone through almost 2 dozen glue sticks in my class of 17. 😵💫”—@AB.
“Second grade teacher here! And yes! They will be needed! And if you don’t ask for them all at the beginning of the year, then most won’t bring them later!”—@Stacy.
What Were Some of the Other Surprising School Supplies?
My third-grader’s list was pretty standard, except for one item. Her teacher requested 72 sharpened pencils, which seemed like a lot at the time. But after watching Theresa’s video, I’m going to guess pencils get broken and lost nearly as often as glue sticks, so perhaps it was a reasonable request. However, it looks like I’m not alone on the pencils. Fifth-grade parent @Shawna Wildes wrote, “104 pencils. I’m with you on the thought of 104 pencils per child….20 kids in a classroom that’s 2,080 pencils!!!!”
Here are some of the surprising school supply items other parents shared:
“iPad stylus”—@Sarah
“Two sets of headphones 😣”—@staceefrazer
“I feel this way about the 4 boxes of tissues per child lol”—@sarahbliss817
“Large ziplock bags for accidents”—@Amber reddon.
Final Thoughts on This Viral School Supply List
As many parents in the comments stated, I’m all for supporting teachers with their requested school supplies, Amazon Wishlists, and more—especially because I’m fortunate enough to have the budget to do so. Theresa’s posts also offer a good reminder to check in with your child’s teacher later in the year. There’s a good chance they may need more supplies, especially those disinfectant wipes and tissues during sick season—and probably even glue sticks after all the winter holiday and Valentine’s Day crafts are behind them.
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
A mom of two, Kathy is passionately committed to sharing the honest, helpful—and often humorous—stories of motherhood, as she navigates her own everyday adventures of work, marriage, and parenting. She honed her creative and strategic skills at advertising agencies in Detroit and Chicago, before pivoting from marketing to editorial. Now instead of telling brand stories, she’s sharing her own, with articles published across popular parenting sites—including hundreds of stories on The Everymom.