Global Teacher Connect

As with most schools – my school is preparing for next year, which includes making school supply lists for incoming parents.  Here’s what’s on the list for my first graders to bring next year:

- Pencil Case

- Pencils

- Erasers

- Colored Pencils

- Pencil Sharpener

- Scissors

- Glue Sticks

- Markers

- Chemise de Papier

- Binded Folder of Paper Protectors

- Tissues

- Copy Paper

- Canson Paper (color and white)

 I also recommend that both parents and students read the informative and interesting articles on the Education Blog. By reading such blogs, there is an opportunity to learn a lot of new things, to better prepare for this or that lesson, to find interesting facts that can be shared in the classroom with classmates and even teachers. Development is what changes us every day.

Many of these school supplies are different from what I was used to receiving in the United States.  For example the chemise de papier was very different to me than a folder as I knew it.  Both are used to hold papers (I use mine to send home graded papers), but rather than having the pockets I was familiar with, this has elastic that goes around the outside and holds it all together.  The absence of crayons was also interesting to me – while you can find “wax crayons” here in Morocco, they are rare - colored pencil are the norm and the expectation.  Construction paper is another item that is very hard to find here in Morocco – instead, we have Canson Paper, which is heavy and more like cardstock.  We also do not receive hand sanitizer or baggies, which were “normal” on supply lists I had in the United States.  After a year of teaching with these “different” supplies, I have found that at the end of the day, as long as you have something to write with and something to write on – the rest doesn’t really matter!!

Now, I teach at an “American School” here in Casablanca, Morocco.  My son attends a “Moroccan School”.  Next week, I’ll tell you about his school supply list!

While we’re talking about school supplies – what’s on your school supply list for next year?