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Mom calls out teacher for giving her son a 'zero' for not providing class with school supplies

Her viral video sparked a debate as to whether or not providing school supplies should be mandatory for parents.

@shanittanicole/TikTok

A zero grade for not providing school supplies?

The debate as to whether or not parents should supply classroom supplies is not new. But as prices continue to rise, parents are growing more baffled as to how they can be expected by teachers to provide all the various glue sticks, colored pencils, rulers, and other various items the incoming students might need.

What’s even more perplexing, however, is penalizing the children of parents who won’t (or can’t) provide them. This was the case for Shanitta Nicole, who discovered her son received a zero grade in his new school for not bringing school supplies for the entire classroom.

school supplies, school, pencils, paper, markers, paperSchool supplies is important and expensive.Image via Canva.


Nicole was especially surprised by this reaction since she had already gone through the effort of making sure her son had every item he needed from the school’s supplies list, which was slightly different than the one they previously had.

To Nicole's surprise, her son's seventh grade teacher informed him he was expected to provide for the whole classroom, not just himself. And, thus, her received a zero grade for failing the assignment, so to speak.

Even though Nicole thought the rule was “weird,” she went out and bought the bulk items, which included tissues, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, pencils, Expo markers, and red pens. And yet, the next week, her son still had a zero. Concerned, Nicole emailed her son’s teacher.

“I’m like, ‘hey…my student has a 83 in the class and everything else in the class is 100s and 98s and he still has a zero for something called ‘classroom supplies.’” she said in a video.

“‘We bought the supplies anyways, but I don't feel like it's the parents' responsibility to supply your classroom. And I definitely don't think it's appropriate to assign a grade to students based off of whether or not they've supplied your class with supplies. That doesn't make any sense.’”

@shanittanicole

Am I doing too much? #fyp #school

While Nicole’s email did get the teacher to reconcile the grade, there was no acknowledgement about her other concerns regarding the responsibility of parents to provide the entire class with supplies.

“So, I emailed the principal because I just, I might be extra, but I just want to see what's going on. Why do I have to buy supplies for the classroom?” the frustrated mom asked. Nicole’s video quickly went viral on TikTok, and several weighed in to agree that the teacher’s actions were misguided.

“That is so unfair!! Especially for the kids whose parents CANT afford groceries let alone classroom supplies,” one user wrote.

Another added, “You are not wrong. It is 100% ok for [the teacher] to ask for supplies, but mandate it for a grade? Absolutely not.”

This point is truly what Nicole took umbrage with, as she noted several times in the comments. It has less to do with being asked to help and more to do with her son’s grade depending on it.

grades, progress report, report card, grading, schoolAsking for supplies is ok, mandating it is not. Image via Canva

In a follow-up video, Nicole shared that the school principal did end up reaching out, notifying her that while, yes, teachers are allowed to ask for donations, it should never be mandated. What's more, as Nicole notes in the below video, her son was being penalized for not providing supplies for an honors class he only attends for one period (50 minutes) a day. This wasn't even his homeroom. Though that wouldn't justify the teacher's ask and attached grade, it might have made a little more sense.

@shanittanicole

Replying to @yafavv._.dancer😍😘💞😍😍💞 Graded Supplies Update #fyp #school

“What the teacher was trying to accomplish, but it definitely wasn't appropriate,” the principal told Nicole.

While the teacher might have not handled this situation in the best way, it goes without saying that this is a larger systemic issue—one that isn’t exactly fair to parents, teachers, and students alike.

Most public school teachers spend a significant amount of their own money on classroom supplies, to an average of $673 per year, according to a recent survey of more than 1,100 educators by the Association of American Educators (AAE). That number only goes up for teachers in high poverty schools.

At the same time, according to a 2022 survey with Savings.com (that was updated in 2024), the typical parent also spends nearly $600 on school supplies, not to mention other necessities like clothes, backpacks, haircuts, etc.

In the grand scheme of things, there’s no use placing full responsibility or blame onto teachers or parents because either way, students get caught in the crossfire. This is clearly a universal burden that needs attention.

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Pop Culture

American mom living in Japan shows her son's adorable required school supplies

Okay, these are so freakin' cute.

Photo credit: Canva

We all need those adorable hats and loafers.

July is almost over, which means that a return to school is just around the corner. That also means that back-to-school shopping has begun.

But what might that look like in other parts of the world? Thanks to the internet, we need not wonder.

Moriah is an American mom who began living in Okinawa, Japan, in January 2024 after her husband got stationed there. She regularly posts videos showing just how different daily life is in her new home, not least of which being her son’s school.

In a now viral TikTok clip, Moriah shared her son’s latest school supply haul. And let’s just say…it looks a little different than what we normally see in the U.S.

Moriah began her clip by saying that everything cost 65,000 yen, which roughly amounts to $420. That’s a pretty hefty price for just one kid, but wait til you hear what was purchased.

For the first item, prepare to be overwhelmed by cute kid fashion. Moriah showed off an adorable black and white “summer hat,” to match his summer uniform. In winter, he’ll have a different uniform, and a different matching hat. Plus an outside hat…Japan has their hat game down pat.

But wait, there’s more! Moriah’s son also gets a name tag that looks like it was plucked right out of a wholesome anime, which will be pinned onto his uniform each day, in addition to two gym shirts with his name in Japanese sewed onto the front, three pairs of gym shorts, two sets of the blue short overalls, two of the button-up shirts, an art smock and last but not least…a bow tie.

“They wear this during formal events,” Moriah explained.

Of course, the boy needs matching shoes for all these outfits, which are also part of the supply haul. Then his school outfit will be complete with an “itty-bitty” backpack.

And now, we get to the actual supplies.


@momentswithmoriah Japanese school supplies 🤩 #okinawa #okinawajapan #japanese #japaneseculture #shoppinghaul ♬ sonido original - SONIDOS LARGOS


First up: a pianika, which is a small, portable breath-powered keyboard that’s standard for most Japanese elementary schools.

“All of the kids get these and learn how to play them and then they'll have a school event where we get to watch and see what they've learned,” Moriah explains before playing a couple of notes.

Then there’s the drawing pad, a jump rope, art supplies like scissors, glue pastels, markers and clay, all of which fit into a nifty supply box that’s top also acts as a mold for the clay that they use. There’s even a pouch that holds onto all “communications for the parents.”

Because organization is clearly a priority, Moriah says that she has to label each and all of these supplies. But she luckily has her kid’s name in Japanese on a stamp to make that task a little easier.

And that’s it! At least, for brand-specific school supplies. Moriah said her family would later go out to stores to get things like her son’s lunch mat and water bottle, which could allow for a little more personal flair.

The mom then shared that when she first attempted this three months ago, it felt really “daunting.” But now with a bit more experience under her belt, she’s “actually excited to get everything organized and ready for the start of the school year in September.”

Though Moriah and her family might only be in Japan for 3-6 years (according to her follow-up video), she’ll certainly have racked up quite a few memories while there, in addition to fun videos for us! It’s always cool to see how different cultures navigate life. Granted, even within Japan, different schools are bound to operate differently, but still, this is a prime example of how the internet is a great way to celebrate and explore differences.

To follow along on more of Moriah’s Japan journey, follow her on TikTok and Instagram.

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Family

Funny mom lays down the law by giving her son 7 back-to-school rules that every kid must hear

“What we not gonna do is complain about the lunches that are packed for you."

via ThicNicJack/TikTok and Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels

Nicole Jackson's back-to-school rules

The beginning of the school year is a time of positive anticipation for many students and their parents as they look towards what they hope will be a great year. Maybe this year, we can learn from all of our past mistakes, grow up a bit and make it the best year ever.

Or, we can fall into the same habits and deal with the same frustrating situations until June.

To avoid the same problems she’s had with her then 13-year-old son in the past, Ohio mom Nicole Jackson made a “PowerPoint presentation” of her seven things that won’t be happening in the new school year, “Coz this ain't that.”

The video went viral in July of 2022, but it resonated with parents everywhere, so it’s being shared again as a pep talk for the 2023 to 2024 school year. “It doesn’t matter what race, color, or creed—motherhood is the thing that unites us,” Jackson, 43, tells TODAY.com.

Here are the seven things “We not gon' do [this school year], coz this ain't that.”

@thicnicjack

THIS AINT THAT BACK TO SCHOOL ADDITION! #parenthood #backtoschool #denofbigboys #foryoupage #fyp #foryou

1. Faking being sick

“What we not gonna do is change up our stomach energy. You’ve been living on a diet of hot chips, chicken nuggets, and every popsicle and disgusting drink known to man, without one stomachache. You’re not about to come to me talking about ‘my stomach hurt’ like you’ve got the intestinal tract of a geriatric Crohn’s patient,” Jackson begins.

2. Start sleeping in

“What we not gonna do is act like we can’t wake up. You’ve getting up at 6:77 every morning—and yes, I said 6:77 because it’s some ungodly hour that doesn’t exist—asking me about some breakfast,” Jackson says. “This ain’t that.”

3. Forget to have your clothes ready the night before

“I’m not about to have a slight heart attack trying to rush us out the door to get you on time for the bus,” Jackson says. “This ain’t that.”

4. Run out of school supplies

“I literally just spent $75,000 making sure everything on the list was there,” the mother says. “You’re not about to keep losing everything.”

5. Tell me about things the night before

"I'm not about to get my blood pressure up running around here to get all these supplies, find an outfit or do a project into the wee hours of the morning,” Jackson says.

6. Complain about lunches

“What we not gonna do is complain about the lunches that are packed for you,” Jackson notes. "I literally took you to the store and asked you if every separate item was OK, but then when I went to put it together in a lunch that’s nutritious, now all of a sudden, it’s trash.”

7. Ask if dinner is ready

This year, Jackson warns her son to stop asking if dinner is ready “55 times” when he gets home from school. "I told you to eat the lunch that I provided, that you told me was OK, but now is trash," she says.

Jackson’s video connected with teachers and parents.

"Can you please speak at every school?????" Gregisms wrote.

"Ma'am, respectfully, do you do presentations via Zoom?? Cause my boy needs this," Whitty added.

"Omg, as a teacher, can we get copies of this slide show for our students for the first day!!!” a teacher wrote.

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Education

Keep it simple: First grade teacher warns parents against 'distracting' school supplies

“As a teacher, I’m here to tell you that the more basic you go, the more your teacher will appreciate it,” she said.

via Anastasia Shuraeva/Pexels and _adaywithmissa/TikTok

A teacher explains why its better to get the basic, wooden ruler.

It’s that time again when even though it feels like summer is just kicking into full swing, the back-to-school section pops up at your local Target. It’s a grim reminder that life will soon return to the stress of homework, shuttling kids to and from extra-curricular activities and the dreaded school drop-off line.

The good news is that first grade teacher and content creator Katie Alburger wants parents everywhere to know they don’t need to break the bank when shopping for school supplies. In fact, she says that teachers actually prefer it when parents purchase the standard supplies instead of going overboard with funky-scented markers and pencil boxes that do more than just hold Ticonderoga No. 2s.

Alburger drove the point home by filming her school supply video while walking through the aisles at Target.

@_adaywithmissa

PSA: when school supply shopping, pls pls pls get standard items! Save the fancy for home and they can use that for homework and free time🤪 (dont mind me walking all around target to record this.. it was so crowded and I get camera shy, thx) #teachersoftiktok #momsoftiktok #teacherlife #schoolshopping #schoolsupplies #teacherlife #targettok #targetmom

“As a teacher, I’m here to tell you that the more basic you go, the more your teacher will appreciate it,” she said before sharing some examples.

“For example, if your child’s school’s file list has a ruler, this is what they’re talking about,” she said while holding a basic, old-school wooden ruler. “Not a snap bracelet ruler that is going to end up hurting someone.”

“Almost every school’s file list is going to have glue sticks, right? We don’t need colored, scented glue sticks because for 40 more cents, you can get 12 of the regular glue sticks—and chances are your child’s teacher probably does community supplies, which means that would come in handy to have 12 more than four,” she explained.

She also warned against getting too creative with pencil boxes.

“OK, they need a basic pencil box,” she said. “It can have a character on it if they want to get a little bit more personalized, but a fidget pencil box is going to become a toy and your teacher’s worst enemy. So, please don’t do that to them. I completely understand that Pop Its are a fidget that some children need. They just don’t need it on their pencil box.”

"I appreciate you for letting us parents know. I wouldn’t want to send my child to school with distractions and take away from her learning time," Norma Jeronimo replied in the comments section.

The video comes at a time when many parents are stressed out over the cost of back-to-school supplies. In 2022, the average parent spent $661 per child on ensuring their child was equipped and dressed for the school year. But this year, parents are looking to spend an average of $597. They expect to spend less on clothes and tech and more on necessities like school supplies to compensate for the cost of living increases due to inflation.

The high cost of school supplies also shifts an even bigger burden to school teachers, who already have to spend hundreds of dollars on school supplies every year. Studies show that the average teacher expected to spend nearly $820 on their classrooms during the 2022-2023 school year, nearly double what they paid eight years ago.

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