When I started first grade, a cigar box was on my school supply list

[fncceo]

Remember when Pipe Cleaners was a common household item?

 

[Seymour Flops]

They are plastic pencil boxes now, but same concept. Some of the school supply lists have gotten insane. I recall even before COVID each parent supposedly needed to buy a gallon of hand sanitizer and a gallon of elmer's glue for the classroom. It felt like they were expecting the parents who actually bought everything to buy for 5 more parents who wouldn't buy anything.

That is exactly the idea.

Teachers don't necessarily think, 'isn't this great, how we're teaching the kids the value of collectivism,' when they take all the individually supplied boxes of Kleenex and put them in the closet to be brought out one at a time for use by "everyone." Maybe a few do, but most don't think that way. They think, 'if the kids don't supply, them I'd have to buy them myself.'

We always have some kids in our class whose parents refuse to parent them, expecting that they can drop off their child in whatever condition and it's up to us to provide everything they need for the next eight hours. For those kids, we can either parent them ourselves, or we can deal with unparented children. So, we take the path of least resistance and get through the day.

 

[1srelluc]

I'll be dammed, OP is 100% correct, I had one too.....1959.....I used it for years.