When you think of necessary school supplies as a teacher, what comes to mind?

For me, paper is probably at the top of the list. Alcohol is a close 2nd or 3rd. But without paper, an entire school can come to a screeching halt.

Can entire school go paperless? Technically yes. But my gem of a building has little working technology and as far as the teachers? Ha. Most dry heave at the thought of checking their email. The DOE’s WiFi is laughable at best. Oftentimes you walk in the building and pray to whatever deity that you may or may not believe in that it works.

It’s hard not to either laugh or cry when you hear the budget is so tight, we cannot buy paper until January. Oh and did I mention there are less than 25 boxes left for a school of over 1,000? You’d think the budget would allocate for that. You’d also think that a school that burns through paper like most celebrities blow through cocaine, we get our copies done quickly and efficiently. WRONG AGAIN!! This school requires at least 48 hours notice (which is reasonable, I guess) to get your copies done. On a good week, you’re lucky if you can get them done in 72 hours.

Is there a copier for teachers to do copies themselves? Yes, but it’s a bulk copier. Ya know, one where you’re really only supposed to make 100+ copies at a single shot. Yet somehow, teachers tend to make single copies, rushing through master rolls and ink like fat people going to Planet Fitness on pizza day.

Now it’s time to talk about the person in charge of ordering supplies. Think of a gremlin with a God complex. She’s the type of person that you would consider to be expendable during a hostage situation. She’s the type of person that, if you were to put them in a movie, you’d get out of your chair to clap for when they die.

My school is the physical embodiment of the Baby Boomer generation. It was once a beacon of hope for others. It had promise, appeal, looked like the future. But when the dust settled and the shine wore off, it really turned out to be nothing more than just sad. When the cracks started to show, instead of fixing them, they were just painted over. When the hope started to fade, instead of leaning on what made them great, fingers were pointed. Instead of lifting up, there was tearing down. Instead of doing what is right, they did what felt good. When the new generation came in with ideas, the boomers did what boomers do. They laugh, they belittle, they discredit you.

All in all, it’s not just about paper. Paper is just the latest tumor on the cancer riddled body that is my school.