Back to School

With back to school coming up on parents and teachers alike I took to Facebook to see how people are feeling about school being back in session and how both parents and teachers are preparing for the new school year. 

“I start stocking up on items I know my kids and I are gonna need...school supplies, snacks, quick breakfast foods,” shared Ali Hyde who is both a parent and a third grade teacher in Marshfield. “We also make sure we have clothes, shoes and haircuts. I try to menu plan for the entire month so I have the supplies I need for lunches and quick dinners. My student is a swimmer and practice starts in early August, so I try to make sure i have lots of healthy snacks available.”

While most people said they don’t take advantage of the State of Missouri’s tax-free-holiday which runs Friday August 5-Sunday August 7, most people did agree that they will shop for back-to-school items at some point over the next couple of months. 

“It’s not worth. Messing with all the people!” exclaimed Jessica Ragsdale mother to two kids who will be in school this year. “We don’t buy clothes/winter clothes until October since we don’t usually need them until later in the fall season. I usually can get better sales then too vs. the little on taxes you save.”

Chyna Hall, mother to two boys agreed that avoiding tax free weekend was better for her family. “We did our school clothes shopping already because last year we waited too long and they didn’t find much we liked.” Hall who also works as a “lunch lady” says her plan to prepare is to try on her uniform. “As a lunch lady I’m about to try on my uniform clothes from last year and make sure everything fits and is good enough for a few more months.” 

While most people seemed to have some type of plan to prepare for back to school, there were a few who admitted to waiting to last minute. “(I) will be waiting until last minute and then stress shopping…” joked Kindra Millington. 

And the parents of entering kindergarteners shared a similar wistfulness. “My little is starting kindergarten…crying, lots of crying,” expressed Kelly Escamilla. 

As the summer begins to wind down, teachers are prepping classrooms and planning lessons. “My husband changed classrooms so he is cleaning, patching, and painting along with reading and researching and making up plans. Not to mention having to get different attire and supplies he will need,” shared Amanda Hankins who’s husband, more commonly known as “Coach Hankins” in Niangua, made the transition form Elementary P.E. to Social Studies this coming school year.

Most teachers purchase items for their classrooms from their own personal, household budgets, however this year I have noticed a new trend from teachers: amazon class room wishlists. 

Using this tool from Amazon, teachers are able to create a wish list of items they would like for their classroom but don’t have the budget for. They have been sharing them on their personal Facebook pages with a similar call-to-action. Expressing their need for items if anyone feels called to purchase something for the classroom. 

If you’d like to help teachers get ready for back to school-reach out to your child’s teacher(s) and see if there is anything specific that they need.