Imagine arriving at your first day of school as a child, entirely unprepared. Not due to your own fault, or because your parents couldn’t afford to buy you what you needed, but because your parents decided that your school supplies were not their responsibility. For some, this is a tragic reality. 

TikTok user Teresaplusfive insisted that she would not be giving any supplies to the schools after her kid got through the year using the extra supplies in the classroom. 

“Anything my kids need to succeed?” Teresa said. “You buy everything… The school gets grants, OK?” 

Imagine if every parent took this stance. With no supplies coming from the parents or the government, the only other possible adult these kids can look to is their teacher. 

Teachers could cover a child or two not having a few of the correct school supplies, but not whole classrooms. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage of a teacher is about $62,310 per year. While prices vary depending on school, School Supply Boxes state that an average elementary schooler’s supplies cost around $50 to $100. For a classroom of 20, that could mean one teacher spending $1000-$2000 on their students. 

Amy Weems, Ph.D., taught in K-12 and specializes in grades 6-12. 

“The funding that we receive to supply our classrooms never fully covers what’s needed in a school year,” she said. “Homeschool families can apply for funding, but you must go through the process. Covid was an exception.” Said Weems. 

With teachers under financial stress, a lack of government aid and stingy parents, children end up left behind. 

Parents are not teaching the teacher, or even the government, the lesson they think they are. The only person learning something in this scenario is the child, and they are learning that their parents will not help them when they need it.