Teachers take on Scholastic over commercialized book orders

Audrey,
While I agree that it is a waste of money to spend the money on posters, markers, etc....it is not the teachers' responsibilty to police the spending of the students; it is the parent's. In fact, I know that if I refused to let a student spend their money on what they wanted, the parents would be upset and let me kow it is not my place to do so. I can only guide them and give them my suggestions.

So you're punishing your child for doing what children do? When they get money and their own choice to purchase things? Of course children are going to opt for toys and things they actually might want and use over Laura Ingles Wilder. That's what children do.

Don't take your frustration with Scholastic selling out on your young'un. A healthy road to adulthood isn't always paved with what smarty-pants books they read back when they were too young to remember what they read. The healthy road to adulthood is always paved with a happy childhood consisting of parents not banning their children from activities concerning them over ridiculous, arbitrary and borderline elitist reasons.

How can a teacher keep a child from buying what they want when they have money they brought from home?
At my school we had no say what junk was included in the book fair. Sometimes a parent needs to take responsiblity and say this money is for a book only. Or even better come to school and help them make a responsible choice.

Jeff: What do you attribute the lowly standing of American children in the global academic competition? I know we cannot blame Scholastic, and now, I have found some renewed faith in the teachers. Our government, in the interest of leveling the playing field, reduced public education to the almost meaningless endeavor it has become. The curriculum and the methodology was changed, beginning 35/40 years ago, in order to give minorities the opportunity to "catch up." What happened is, all children have been robbed of the quality education they are entitled to, and did, at one time, receive. People come here from other countries to receive above standard health care. Will we now have to send our children to Middle East and Asian countries in order for them to get the education they deserve? If the current President was really concerned with the wellbeing of Americans, education would have been his first priority. As it is, he does the only thing he knows how to do. He throws our tax dollars down a black hole in his quest to realize his dream, regardless of the dreams of the American citizens.

the book fairs are a selection of books and also school supplies but your child also gets a preview of the book fair next time he has one ask him to show you the brochure they give them so you can help him pick other choices if you dont like him buying those types of things me personally i got lots of nice things from book fairs which include books stickers posters bookmarks its kinda like a bookstore for kids and the money helps the school

As a teacher, we don't have any control over what a student buys at a bookfair. Unless a parent asks me to make sure their son/daughter is buying a book-then it's up to the child.

Audrey! Teachers don't "let" kids buy anything. YOU, the parent, let your child buy stuff. Do what I do with mine: we have the talk---the money is for books, not stuff. It has worked for countless years through various book fairs.

Your kid, your money, your rules.

As a teacher and a parent, I agree! I have volunteered at the bookfair for 10 years. We finally told Scholastic enoiugh junk. This is a BOOk fair! They insisted that we take the junk. Fine. We just put it under the table after the rep left. :) Other than the juink books, they do have good selections at a heap price and it is an inexpensive books and a way for a teacher to build up a classroom library at very little cost. I have had a few problems with orders this year. Quality and customer service have slipped.

Teachers are there to TEACH your child, NOT to baby-sit them, NOT to raise them, or monitor how they spend money given to them by their parents. Get a reality check, Audrey. Have YOU ever taken a class of 20-30 children to a book fair? The teachers are too busy keeping the students from fighting, running, stealing, or sneaking away to watch them make their selections. Too many parents see school as a free baby-sitter. Plus, let's say that, in theory, a teacher WAS able to make sure that your child bought a book, not a toy. How long would it take for parents to start complaining that the mean teacher wouldn't let their precious child buy whatever they wanted? People like you are why the education system has fallen so low!

As a teacher, I try not to let kids buy the junk that is sold there. I don't think most teachers can police what 25 kids buy at a book fair, especially when some parents want their kids to spend it on whatever they want. If you want it only spent on books, specify that. I've been telling the kids to put down the $3 erasers and $20 secret recorder packs, but some parents want that. Scholastic has very few quality books in the class flyers. The option is to not send them home and encourage use of the local library and discount book stores.

Please don't blame the teachers. They can't tell a child what he can or can not purchase with his own money. And trust me, quite likely, the teachers' stomachs churn as much as your do when children waste their money on unnecessary junk. Perhaps we should turn this around a bit and give the responsibility back to the PARENT, who should have only allowed the child to buy an educational item. Teachers are already expected to be coaches, nurses, referrees, lawyers, probation officers....and now, I suppose they have to be scholastic police too! When do the parents take back the responsibility.

Well said Sandi! I do know that some librarians limit the amount of junk that they put out at the book fairs. If you don't open the box, then you can't sell it...

Sandi, you're right! I am also a teacher and I see the kids buying expensive erasers, posters, and pencils at the book fairs. Parents send in money for the book fairs ($20!) but can't send in a box of kleenex. I just have learned to ignore it.
Also, I see Scholastic selling the videos and toys more and more and don't even bother ordering anymore. Not to mention the sales have decreased meaning the teacher has to buy a bunch of stuff in order to meet the free shipping.
I do glance through homework, but do not grade (I have taught 1,2,3 grades). No research has proven that this is good practice, etc. I feel it's just enhancement, possible better if parents help at home. But some kids have no help at home so they should not be graded nor criticized for lack of it.
Enjoy your summer!

Regain control over what your kids purchase by promoting a bookfair with Barnes & Noble. My daughter's school had a bookfair with them and it was awesome. I was on the planning committee and let me tell you, it was more fun and a lot less work than planning anything with Scholastic. At the store, they hung student's artwork in the windows, the kids were doing storytime on the stage in the children's department on the stage, they had musical performances, and made a ton of money! The best part of it all, it was a family reading night and I got to be a part of what she purchased first hand. It's almost like the school's are pressuring the kids to purchase. They parade them through the bookfair during school when I can't be there to supervise and then they parade the children through again while all the students are purchasing. I thought having the school events at the bookstore was a great experience to show the students off in the community and get everyone involved. It was even set up like a shop and share so our school made almost a thousand dollars in 3 hours. If you ask me, down with Scholastic and up with the Barnes & Noble bookfairs for sure, we've got to get involved in what our children are reading and make it a celebration, not a pressure oriented junk fair.

What do you mean you don't grade homework? Granted I have been out of school 20yrs but when I was a student homework counted as part of the whole grade, even failed a subject for not doing it, a's & b's on all the tests but no homework no grade. I guess this is part of the no idiot left behind BS. I also remember Scholastic and still have a few in my library.

Way to go, Sandi! I'm a fourth grade teacher, and I always have a talk with my students before we go to the fair about being responsible with their parents' money. I will NOT let them go back and forth to the fair to purchase "junk toys". With that being said though, many parents send large amounts of cash without even looking at all the options available to the kids. Fiscal responsibility starts with parents. Many parents just dole out money because they feel guilty they don't spend any quality times with kids. They would rather the kids buy toys to keep them occupied than have to spend time reading and discussing books with them!

I agree with you, Sandi, I go with my kids (I have 6 boys, ages 18 to 9) even if it is to the News Center (our local bookstore). I am not a prude, but I don't necessarily want my 9 year old reading something my 18 year-old might want to read. And Jeff (#2) obviously doesn't have kids, so he views books as "elitist" (come to think of is, so did Pol Pot). I do not put a limit on what my kids can buy, as long as it is books. We have everything from "Captain Underpants" to "The Island of the Blue Dolphins", and the Lemony Snicket Series. All of these enrich my children's lives. It reaches out to worlds they may never see, since except on the pages of a book, they don't exist. I have complained to Scholastic Books, where are the titles we grew up with, "Zeely", "Ghost Cat", "Treasure In The Tree", "The Children of Morrow"... not to mention, "From The Mixed Of Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" and "Harriet The Spy". These helped shape my childhood, and dare to dream. These kids are missing that.

Twenty years ago I made this same comment. Our librarian was of the same mind and also limited the amount of "junk".
then the price of the books went up to the point that a LOT of the children couuld not buy anything save the "junk". then I started an incentive program where children could earn points all year that I would redeem for "Book Money". It cost me a fortune! TOTALLY WORTH IT to see their faces when they "bought" their own book. Over the next 10 years the idea caught on with parents. Some would help me (donations over gifts on holidays) others would come to the sales and help their children buy books. Even the low income families would pitch in with coins in the Book Jar I kept on my desk (found money from the playground, laundry change from home, etc.) By retirement many other teachers had joined me. Sadly, today, the price of teaching has come close to exceeding the pay. My last year I spent $7000 of my own money for lab & everyday supplies.
Scholastic needs to think about the children more than the $$$.