Back-to-School Supply Lists Made Easier—and Smarter

Creating, collecting, and posting classroom back-to-school supply lists is one of those tasks that seems like it should be easier than it is. It often requires cooperation from several people, from teachers to the school webmaster. It’s not a first-line priority for anyone, but it has to be done in a timely manner.

Likewise, the way supply lists typically are shared doesn’t work that well for parents, either. A file posted on the school website isn’t easily viewable on a mobile phone, meaning the list must be printed from a home computer and brought to the store. And printed lists sent home to parents can get misplaced or end up crumpled or coffee-stained.

It’s not surprising, then, that the popularity of TeacherLists.com has exploded over the last several years. TeacherLists allows schools to post lists easily and parents to view them on any device. It has quickly become the solution of choice for thousands of schools.

The lists are simple for school personnel to update, and the biggest payoff may come with year-to-year management of the lists. The site notifies schools that it’s time to update their lists. With a few clicks, the lists can be changed as needed and prepared for the following year. They can also be updated and added to at any time during the school year, making TeacherLists a good solution for teacher wish lists, as well.

A new “Power Loader” option allows multiple lists to be uploaded in a single step.

“TeacherLists has made the school supply list process easier for everyone,” says Tovah Kunkle, a school secretary from Margate, Fla. Kunkle says that the school adjusted its process over the years, but couldn’t find anything that worked seamlessly until TeacherLists. As the person responsible for gathering and posting lists, she says, the TeacherLists process was a big improvement for her.

“Teachers know this makes their lives easier," says Pam Seeger, principal of Cypress School of the Arts in Hesperia, Calif. Parents have had a positive response to TeacherLists as well, she says. "Parents loved having the list online before school started for the year. Instead of waiting for a paper list to be sent home with students like we used to do, parents now can view lists over the summer, [to] better prepare and take advantage of back-to-school sales."

Once the lists are posted, they immediately become available online as well as at certain retail outlets. In addition, the site provides simple code that a school’s webmaster can plug in to make the lists display—in a mobile-friendly frame—on the school’s own web pages.

TeacherLists is a free service, and more than 25,000 schools share their lists on the site. To learn more about TeacherLists, visit ptotoday.com/teacherlists or TeacherLists.com/schools.