it is a discipline.

I have a thing for this and if C's pencil or any kind of stationery goes missing because she has misplaced them after using them, I get very crossed with her.

I believe that it is good discipline to be prepared in class: to have proper stationery ready and to have them at hand whenever and wherever she needs them. C does a lot of craft at home hence the scissors and glue stick, she also uses her pencils for writing and colour pencils for drawing. So, she is expected to have all these in her pencil case.

It's not easy because she does take them out during the day and forget to put them back and in the evening, when I am doing work with her and I can't find her pencil or glue stick, I will be really peeved! And then I will send her out to hunt for that missing glue stick till it's found. If she had to miss the activities planned for that evening, so be it. That glue stick must be found! Okay, I am that anal and I have a good reason to be.

A lot of my pupils come to school without a pencil case. Some don't even have a pen and I wonder how is that even possible. When I need them to do work, I see them walking around the class, begging... no, not even that. They just take whoever's pens. They don't even bother to ask. They don't have writing paper to do their work on and some teachers have got around that problem by taking writing papers to class to distribute.

Is this the right thing to do?

Isn't it the duty of these pupils to be prepared for class? To at least come to school with writing paper, pencil, pens, and other stationery? Do I also have to go to class with a box of pens to distribute to these kids? It's amazing how we have to spoon feed them these days. I think, in time to come, teachers might as well sit for their exams, right?

If I am the parent of that child whose pens are always stolen or whose writing papers always finish so quickly, I will be pretty upset too. Yes, I have had parents who complained.

So how?

Be prepared and risked having your items abused?

I think I will insist on C being prepared for class. It's part of good discipline.