School Supplies Acquisition Tips

What supplies should I buy for my children? How can I save money from them? Where should I buy school supplies? These are common questions asked my mothers and students as school season is drawing close.

Going back to school is fun and exciting for students because aside from excitement of meeting new friends and teachers, they have the chance to accompany their parents in buying new supplies.

During this time, everyone find means on how to shop for school supplies and to save money as well. With the numerous things to buy for the upcoming classes, parents and students are looking for ways to budget their money efficiently to save money. In this article, we will tackle on essential school supplies and tips to save on cost when buying these things.

To avoid cramming, purchasing unnecessary items and avoiding unwanted crowds, it is best to shop early for school supplies. It is important for you to schedule your time to maintain unhurried ambiance.

During this time of the year, it is important to equip your student with the essential and important back-to-school supplies. These school supplies vary according to the grade level your child belongs. Every year, there are things which teachers require their students. Parents should remember that students perform their best when they have the right equipment and supplies at their disposal.

Because of the prevalence of low quality, toxic and imitation products, you be cautious and careful in your purchase. Make it a habit to read product labels to know what materials these supplies are made of and what age bracket it is suitable for use.

Common and must-have school supplies for students:

 

  • Backpacks
  • Notebooks
  • Clipboards
  • Pens
  • Lunchbox
  • Folders
  • Pencils
  • Glue
  • Crayons
  • Markers
  • Glue
  • Ruler

 

Tips on how to save on cost when buying school supplies:

 

  • You should buy on bulk. If you have two or three children, make it a point to buy their supplies in bulk because stores sold them at wholesale price. You can buy notebooks, pens, folders, staple wire, paper, brown envelopes, plastic envelopes and paper in bulk. You can also ask friends to shop along with you so you can buy supplies in bulk and in wholesale prices.
  • Buy on sale because items are sold at discounted prices. Read adverts and watch out for back-to-school sales.
  • Buy plastic folders over paper folders because they are durable and cannot easily bend. They can be recycled and reused several times.
  • Purchase plastic dividers instead of binders.
  • Start shopping early because best bargains often occur before the start of classes.
  • Watch for coupons and promotions. There are stores which offer coupons to customers. It can serve as additional discount on your purchase.
  • Buy washable markers instead of permanent markers because permanent markers cannot be washed off on clothes.
  • If you have old school supplies at home which can be recycled, be sure to reuse them. All you have to do is to clean and to redecorate them to give it a fresh look.

 

By considering the tips and techniques mentioned above, for sure you can save on cost on school supplies.

 

 

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Should We Have Standardized Tests for More than Just Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic?

Obviously, there needs to be minimum standards in our school system so that when kids graduate they can function as adults in society. Yes, they will need to be able to read and write, and they should be able to do basic math. After all how many times have you noted a teenager behind the counter who could not count the change back to you, but rather relied on the cash register to give them the answer? Yes, it’s happened to all of us hasn’t it? It is unfortunate because this is a statement of our public schools, as these kids are products of the local school district.

Maybe we should have standardized tests for more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic. Maybe we need that empirical evidence to look over, and see that the kids understand what they’re getting themselves into as they go to live on their own. First, it makes sense that they understand amortization tables, compounded interest, balancing a checkbook, and just a little bit of legal savvy so they don’t get themselves into problems later.

Indeed, one could say that part of the global economic crisis which was caused by American real estate bubble burst had to do with the lending practices and the ability for people who didn’t understand to buy homes they couldn’t afford. Oh sure, they understood that each payment each month was a certain amount, and they figure they could afford that, based on their paycheck. However that’s not all that’s involved in owning a home, and many of them were already in debt with their credit cards, paying 18% the wrong way.

Allowing them to take on more debt only will cause them to be broke for many decades without being able to save money. And in that case they will not be saving for retirement, or allowing their investments to grow to a point that they can ever retire. In doing this we’ve economically enslaved them, and therefore we have to pay all of their expenses when they reach a ripe old age. In this case we have failed in educating them in the financial reality of living in our complex and ever increasing complicated society.

If we are going to use the public school system to educate the next generation, we have to do a better job than just ensuring they can read, write, and do simple math. There’s just more to living in America that’s required. In one way you could say that’s the bare minimum needed to survive, but it certainly isn’t enough to do well in society. Maybe we need to do more standardized test to see what were dealing with here? Indeed I hope you will please consider all this.

 

 

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Characteristics of a Good Teacher – What Students See

What are the important characteristics students look for in a good teacher? In most academic and industrial educational settings, the question is interesting but not particularly relevant since students rarely have the opportunity to select their own instructors.

However, at the University level, students do have some choices when it comes to their teachers. Indeed, some enroll in a course because of the academic reputation of the teacher, particularly when it comes to published research or real-world experience. The anticipated knowledge and expertise of the instructor matters more than other criteria.

In the traditional model of education where the teacher has the role of knowledge expert one would expect knowledge to be high on the list of students when evaluating teachers. However, beyond the University setting, this may not be true.

Enter “characteristics of a good teacher” into your favorite Internet search engine and start reading. You will not find a single list that has knowledge of the subject matter as the most important trait or characteristic of a good teacher.

What’s more, where knowledge is listed, it includes modifiers like passion for the subject matter and enthusiasm about the subject matter. It would appear students would prefer a teacher who presents material with passion and enthusiasm over a more knowledgeable expert who appears not to care all that much about what he or she is saying.

There is no single trait dominating the top of the various lists you will find, but those appearing most frequently at the top appear to relate to three areas:

 

  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Inspiration

 

Good teachers have a way of simplifying the complex into understandable terms, both in the instructional phase of a lecture and in the questioning dialogue that good teachers incorporate into their presentations.

If teachers fail to identify and understand the collective experiences of their students, how can they appropriately target what they say? Teaching a graduate level course to non-majors in the field would imply the need for a different approach than teaching the same course to students who are majoring in the field.

Good teachers listen to their students and often seek verification from the students to ensure they understand the meaning the students are conveying.

Good teachers empathize with their students. Empathy is one of those hard to define qualities that you “know it when you see it.” It is the ability to of the teacher to identify with the feelings of a student. It is difficult to envision how any teacher could have empathy for his or her students without attempting first to identify and understand the experience base from which they come.

Inspiration is another quality hard to define but that students “know it when they see it.” Some see the ability to inspire students to reach new heights as a leadership quality. Students see it as arousing within themselves the belief they can accomplish goals they may have previously felt unattainable.

A common thread in these traits is the ability of teachers to immerse themselves in the experiences of their students.

 

 

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