Back-to-school shopping can be a chaotic and stressful affair. It seems every year, kinds need more specialized supplies for specific classes, which are always tricky to find since every other parent is looking for the same things. This is one reason why so many parents look at their checked-off supply lists with a sense of pride. And when these parents send their kids off on their first day, chances are they take extra time to label these precious supplies with their kids’ names.
However, one mom recently asked if she was in the wrong for making a fuss over her child’s teacher taking her daughter’s labeled school supplies and dispersing them to her classmates.
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A New School Year
Aside from the end of Summer, a new school year also means a trip or trips to stores for school supplies. Most parents don’t look forward to this chore, but it’s something our children need, so we go ahead and get it done. And many of us still remember when we were in school and how our parents cautioned us about not losing or sharing our labeled supplies. Well, it seems some teachers don’t feel this tradition’s essential anymore. One angry mom recently addressed the “Am I The A**hole” subreddit group to determine if her reaction was justified after learning her daughter’s school teacher confiscated her supplies and gave them away to other students.
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Checking off Her List
The mom explained that her 6-year-old daughter received a specific list from her teachers of the supplies she would need to start the school year. While shopping, the mom did notice the teacher’s note advising parents not to label their children’s school supplies, but she ignored it.
A Dissaproving Teacher
On her child’s first day, the mom got an email from her teacher about not following instructions regarding the labeling of school supplies. She explained that she shares the supplies among her students and asked that the mom send her entire stock of supplies instead of only a few to manage them. It turns out the teacher also took the little girl’s 12 folders notebooks and gave her two new ones (not bought by her mom).
Mom’s Response
And the Point?
The mom continues explaining how her daughter’s favorite notebook was forced on a boy who didn’t even want it because it was pink.
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However, she does acknowledge that her child can be a little possessive when it comes to her stuff. However, it does sound like classroom supplies are being taken away from students, pooled together, and dispersed at the teacher’s discretion to other students.
Frustration All-Round
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The mom replies to the teacher’s email and asks if it’s possible to pick up her daughter’s labeled supplies and replace them with new ones. She said her daughter could use the old ones at home. However, the teacher refused to tell her that the other students were already using her daughter’s supplies and once again asked that she send in the remaining supplies so she could add them to the class pool.
Am I Being An A**hole?
The mom explains that the school should have found a better way to communicate on this matter as she had no idea the supplies she was buying were meant to be shared by everyone.
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She also asked Redditors if she was being an A**hole for not purchasing extra supplies for the other children while putting her daughter’s name on the ones she bought just for her.
The Response Was Pretty Unanimous
Redditors, by in large, said the mom was not being an A**hole, and many expressed shock upon learning that her kid’s school supplies were being pooled and shared.
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They also mentioned how this never happened when they were schoolchildren. Others noted how this served as a wrong lesson, akin to teaching children to steal.
However, Some Folks Said the Mom Was In The Wrong
A few Redditors were siding with the teacher, saying that while the mom may have made an innocent mistake, she should have simply owned up to it instead of harassing the teacher. They also said that the little girl would likely be ostracized in class because of her mom’s behavior.
What do you think? Was this mom in the right or wrong? Also, please be sure to pass this story along to your friends and family.