Update below.
If you have a child in school, you have come across that one school supply that is hard to come by. The one item that is so hard to find that you would give your left boob to just be done with the whole thing. This year our item is a Primary Composition Journal. You would think hey those are everywhere. You would be wrong. It is not the speckled black and white Composition book that we have all used in our higher grades. No, this one has a void at the top of the page and the primary lines that teach beginners the art of writing the ABC’s.
Many of us had bought the regular Composition books and were quickly corrected on meet and greet day. We were shown the ones we were suppose to get, which a few select parents found, and told we could find them at Walmart and Office Depot. I tried to convince them that the primary writing tablets that I used in school were just as good and plentiful at the stores. But, oh no, it has to be the Primary Composition Journal. No other would do. Frankly, I don’t see the difference, except the void at the top of the page. I wonder if these special books have magical powers that will make all the children write their letters perfectly.
Because I depise Walmart, I started my search at the Office Depot. I looked up and down the aisles with Sam in tow. I asked an employee and he told me that they do not, in fact, sell the item, but Walmart does. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Seeing my disgust the employee threw some sympathy my way and then left in a hurry. I guess he had more important things to do than to sit there while I cried and cried about the prospect of going to Walmart.
Today, I sucked it up. My daughter needs this book and I will get it for her. I am a mother and I must make sacrfices for my children. After school we stopped at the Walmart. I get all confused in the parking lot and get nearly run over, because even if you are going up the wrong way the other person has no responsiblity to veer from mowing you down. In my defense, the first two lanes I turned down were 2 way and there was no arrow direction on the third lane. Safely in a parking spot we get out of the car. I feel my chest tighten and my nerves start to rattle. We run pass some blow up contraption advertising Lay’s potato chips. After telling Amber that I would not let her bounce her way into the grips of the Lay’s people we were in the store.
The massive white floor disoriented me and I had to stop to figure out where I was. We manuvear around the backed up check out lines and start the search for the school supply section. Certainly they would have a whole section devoted to school supplies. I mean Target does and I have heard that Walmart is trying to be more like Target. And school has only been in session for a few weeks, surely not everyone has gotten everything their child needs, already. After wandering the store for what seemed hours, I decided it was time to ask an employee; yet, another hard thing to find. I went where I knew there would be employees chained to a desk. There were 3 of them behind the jewelry counter. I stood there waiting for one to notice me. One did. She turned, looked at us and finished her all too important conversation with the other employee, who never acknowledged our presence. Seeing that I wasn’t going to leave, the employee breaks her conversation to ask if I needed help. No, I thought I would stand here wrestling with my children and eavesdrop, because you know your conversation is that interesting. She pointed me to the stationary section.
The stationary section is made up of 2.5 aisles. Yes, a half. I walked up and down the aisles 3 times, because I just knew I was missing the notebook. It had to be here. The Office Depot guy said so. The teachers said so. I give up, after Amber and Sam tried to swipe anything at their level. As I was leaving, I pass another employee. My lucky day, to find so many Walmart employees in such a short time. She was pushing a grocery cart and seem to try and ignore me. I guess customer service is still Walmart style. I jump in her way and ask her if she has the Primary Composition Journal. She mumbles something that I couldn’t understand and walks off. Thinking that she didn’t just blantantly tell me to bite it and was helping me, I followed. She weaved in and out of the different sections, none near the stationary aisle until she lost me in electronics. I think it is safe to say that she was not helping me, just hoping that I would give up and leave her alone. Those Walmart employees are slick, they know how to get out of work like no one else. I have had enough. I am going to complain. Off to find Customer Service. HA!
I walk by and give up on the spot. The line is a mile long and there is no way I was going to wait to complain and get no action. We leave, avoiding the Lay’s bouncy trap, again. I get in the car very beaten, because I know that Amber needs this notebook and I will have to search other Walmarts in the area. I fear I will come up empty handed at each one and wonder if this journal is really in existence or if the teachers are trying to show us the aggravation they endure with our children everyday. I get it that is why I send my kids to school.
Why do teachers do this to us? There are special notebooks we have to get, special colors of those special notebooks, this name brand glue, this name brand pencils, etc. We are talking about Kindergarteners here, do they really need this book and not one that is close? All they are needing is the special lines and they come in many different forms that you can actually find in the stores. If I ever do find these books, I am buying the store out and selling them on a street corner near the school. As I figure it, they are worth more than crack to a crackhead. I am going to make a fortune.
Update: Mission accomplished. It only took 2 trips to Walmart, 1 trip to Office Depot, 2 cranky kids along for the ride and one mom that would have preferred searching for shoes than a Primary Composition Notebook.
Hahahah I absolutely love your story, because I am going through the same exact thing…and I hate walmart too
Nice one! My kid was in pre-k for God’s sake! he doesn’t even know how to write his name yet. And his teacher kept bugging us to find this Primary Composition Notebook. And that no other notebook will do. Well, all of us parents never found it, and we just used the ordinary ones. Which the small kids just doodled and doodled over.
Have you ever tried to read 22 first graders writing journal? Some letters are big, some are tiny, letters are all written together, etc. Primary composition notebooks are for teaching Kinder and first grade students the correct way to form letters. As a first grade teacher, I begin having my students write their stories in a primary composition notebook then transition them to a spiral notebook. I have purchased 22 primary composition notebooks for years because our schools would not add them to our school supply list. I am grateful that my school made the decision to add them to our list this year. I purchase my notebooks as soon as the stores put out the school supplies. I have purchased some for the parents who are unable to find them to buy from me at Meet the Teacher. I know it may be a pain, but thanks for being great parents and teacher supporters by taking the time to find and purchasing the Primary Composition Notebooks.
LOL! Your story caught my eye while I was online searching for what else but a primary composition notebook. It truly is that one item on the list this year that I can’t find anywhere. I’ve been to Staples, Wal-Mart, grocery stores, Walgreens AND Rite Aid looking for these things. I hope to find one at Office Depot. If not, I guess I’ll buy them online for $2.15 each and pay three times almost 4 times that in shipping costs…the things we will do for our children’s education!
Attention rich parents:
Go spend time volunteering in your child’s classroom. By doing this you may actually come to appreciate the time and effort that teacher put into a engaging and productive school year. As well as how difficult it is to manage and entertain a classroom of 7 year olds.
Teacher’s request certain materials, because they know what they need in order to best educate your child. Your child’s teacher will spend hundreds of hours over the school year just on your child’s education alone.
So, unless you want to give up your soap opera or blogging time in order to contribute to your child’s education, I think you should quit complaining about having to buy some stupid notebook.
First of all, why would you (teacher lady) think that all of the parents that have replied are rich? That is a completely ridiculous assumption. And whether we are or not should make no difference to this matter.
I have spent a great deal of time in the classroom helping my children (and many others) with their education. I am fully aware of how much time and effort most teachers invest in the future of our children. I also realize that teachers are not at the top of the pay scale, making it that much more honorable doing what they do. This does not lessen the fact that I get extrememly frustrated with some of the things on my childs list. Obviously, I am not the only parent.
The main post was a fun poke at the ordeal of having to find certain things on the supply lists. Teacher lady really shouldn’t be so defensive about it. No one is questioning your efforts or job, just expressing frustration in a fun manner. So to all; just be cool! It is all in good humor, no need for accusations or anger.
FYI-not rich but comfortable and grateful
does not watch soaps EVER (5 kids, no time)
love finding humor in stress (makes it bearable)
also HATES Walmart
I forgot to add that I also ran across this post looking for this “special” compostiotion journal that I can not even seem to find at Walmart.
love ur story!!!!!!!!! Ialso was not able to find this book. I checked at staples, walmart, target, office depot , etc Still No Luck.
(((
Loved the story. I laughed all the way through it, only because we all have been through the samething. My daughter has only been in school for a few days now and we can not find the “primary composition notebook” either. I have even had friends that live in other cities try to find them for me and send them to me. NO ONE HAS THEM!!!
I know what the teachers are doing to us, they have their connections within the stores that sale these notebooks and when the notebooks come in their connections call them and say hey– the notebooks are here hury up and get them. Then— the teachers print out their list(s) of supplies that us parents are going to have to buy and by that time there are no more notebooks. And all they do is sit back and laugh at all of us. They think this is a joke!!!!
I feel your pain. I love these notebooks, but alas — I too cannot locate one ! But, I will work around it. There is plenty of three holed stationary that does the same thing at School Box supply stores.
To the person who said that teachers put primary notebooks on the school supply list as a joke… Well, the joke is on me!
(I feel your pain.)
I AM a teacher and I was not offended by the original post. In fact, I found it quite humorous. I am in the exact same situation.
We ordered these notebooks through the main office at our school.
They never came.
I don’t know if the order was never placed, if they went to a different school by mistake, or if we just never got them.
I am still more than a little confused by this.
Anyway, we needed them for our Language Arts curriculum.
We decided that we would just go out and get them from the store.
I am now eating my words.
Believe me… I DO NOT have any store connections. No one calls to tell me when the shipment is coming in.
I cannot find these notebooks either! HAHA
It’s driving me crazy!
Thanks so much for the funny posts.
They made me laugh.
If you find a store that actually has these notebooks in stock (and they aren’t ridiculously expensive) please let me know.
I found this notebook at meadonline.com. My daughters teacher said I could get it at staples, but the employees there sold me the wrong book.
Your best bet is ordering it online with a few parents and divi up the shipping.
Good luck.
I must say my son’s school does not require these Primary Composition Notebooks but I wish they would. These notebooks are fantastic in teaching children how to write neatly. It gets confusing for their little eyes and fingers to follow those little itty bitty lines. I am frantically looking for these notebooks for my son. I have found that Mead carries them but the pages are half-lined with the top left blank for the kiddos to do some illustrations. He is in the first grade and when I handed him the regular composition notebook he said “Whoa! I have to write in those little lines???OMG!!!” Does anyone know of a primary composition notebook that is fully lined?
I would really appreciate it. Thank you.