Thanks to new, cutting-edge technology like portable flash drives, it’s easier than ever for the dog to eat your homework.
Some of the additions to today’s school supply lists may seem alien to parents raised in a notebook-and-pencil era, but school administrators said there’s a good reason for them. An expanding curriculum and widespread computer use in schools has caused teachers to revise what goes into students’ backpacks.
“Flash drives, that’s an obvious one to me,” said Lisa Sundquist, principal of Edgewood Elementary School in Harford County. “A flash drive to me is just another version of a notebook, it’s how you do the work you do. I think that’s just an upgrade.”
At St. John’s Lane Elementary School in Ellicott City, Principal Deborah Jagoda said kindergartners still draw pictures and have quiet time, but also learn basic writing and math skills.
“It’s a different world our children live in,” Jagoda said. “Most children that come to us have some preschool experience. We have a full-day kindergarten, versus a half-day. Children are ready for more academics.”
School administrators said they’re also aware of the financial pressure families face.
At Edgewood Elementary, computer work that requires items like a flash drive is done during school hours. Sundquist said teachers make time for students to complete work in the school’s computer lab, and encourage students to use the public library.
Sundquist said she considered doing away with a prereleased school supply list in favor of letting teachers tell students what they require on the first day of school. But she said the school makes it clear that the list isn’t ironclad, and even a few new items can make a student look forward to September.
“Some of the traditions about school are important,” she said. “Even if you’re in a household that doesn’t have a lot of money, going to the store and getting new crayons … helps build the anticipation of school. Taking that away is a hard thing to do.”
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