Are your kids back in school?

Some schools started their classes this week. Some will start next week. Still, there are those whose classes will start much later.

Since most parents are now thinking about going back to school issues, I’ve decided to write this post to help fellow parents.

This is also my way of extending the discussion on the preparations parents need to do for and with their children for the new school year which I started during my latest interview at Sakto’s Balik Eskwela or Back to School episode.

As usual, we had limited time to discuss the topic so I am writing this blog post to discuss more tips and to elaborate on the ones I mentioned during the show.

Let me first share tips on how families can save money during this time of year.

Back-to-School Money-Saving Tips

Let me discuss this first in this blog post because many parents are budget conscious at this time of year. This is particularly true for those with multiple children who already go to school.

1. Make an inventory of what school supplies or uniforms you still have and can be reused for the new school year. – We understand that parents and kids can be excited to welcome the new school year. In our excitement, we might think that we need to buy ALL the things that the kids will use for the new school year. But that is not true. Making an inventory of your child’s things for school will help you find out what you really need to buy. Most of the time, there are things that you can reuse. Do you really need to buy your child a new school bag or shoes? Can your child reuse his/her bag and shoes from last year? Do you really need to buy your child a new pencil case with pictures of a popular cartoon character? What’s the state of her/his previous pencil case? If your child can still use it, why do you need to buy a new one?
2. Buy only what is needed. Differentiate between wants and needs. – This is a good exercise for both parents and kids. It reminds both of what is essential. Calculate the amount of money that can be saved by following this principle. Then, check what other necessary expenses you can use that money for. If there’s none, how about saving or investing that money? You can use that in case of emergency or you can make that money grow interest, which you or your child can use in the future. I learned this the hard way when I was a little girl because I came from a poor family. We didn’t have money to spare. But my parents made a way to provide for all our needs. I learned not to be wasteful. I learned not to be materialistic and early on, I learned to differentiate between needs and wants. Sometimes, growing up with challenges is a blessing in disguise.
3. Check what you can recycle or upcycle. – Sometimes, just a bit of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking can make old things become reusable or new again. This is what my mom taught me when I was a little girl. One particular story became memorable to me that I even wrote a children’s book about it. the title of that children’s book is Maliit na ang Palda ni Isay. It’s about how my mom and our neighbor dressmaker upcycled my small skirt so I can use it again in the succeeding school years. You will learn and discover other ways how to upcycle things for the new school year when you buy and read Maliit na ang Palda ni Isay.
4. Buy pre-loved items. – I learned this also from my mom. She bought pre-loved or secondhand textbooks that are still in good condition. She would only buy brand new workbooks.
5. Look for stores that offer back-to-school sale to get discounts. – If you must buy things for school, why not buy at discounted prices to further stretch your budget? Also, make a list of what you NEED to buy when you shop. Without a list, you might get things that you do not really need but looked attractive. Making a list ahead would help you be reminded of the items you need to buy.
6. Plan for your kids’ packed snacks and lunch. – I once wrote that giving your kids packed snacks and lunch will not only help your family save money, it will also ensure that they eat right while in school. This is something that my mom did for me and my younger brother when we were students. She would plan what our baon will be. Then, she will buy them in bulk from the grocery. That strategy meant more savings for our family.
7. Homeschool your kids instead of sending them to a brick-and-mortar school. – Now, this one is a bit radical. Don’t send your kids to a regular school. Instead, educate them at home. Be their teacher. Homeschool them. Do you know that there are already thousands of homeschoolers in the Philippines alone? Do you know that there are many successful people who were homeschooled? You may about this here and here. Do you know that almost all parents homeschool their children from birth? Yes, you read that right. That’s because parents are normally the first teachers of their kids. We were the ones who taught them basic skills like talking, standing, walking, eating, etc. Why not extend your homeschooling to teach them more about life and academics during their elementary or high school years? Do you know that there are Ivy League schools that prefer homeschoolers? If you don’t believe this, I invite you to read this article and this article.

Now, let me share with you next the values that we can and should teach kids during this time of year.

Values to Teach Kids

I believe that we don’t only prepare the tangible things that our children need at the start of the school year. More importantly, we need to prepare them with the right attitude and perspective as the new school year starts. Let me enumerate some values that I believe we need to introduce to them or remind them of.

1. The importance of education. – This is one of the most important things we need to discuss with our kids as we start a new school year. Helping them understand the value of having an education helps them approach the new school year and all that comes with it with a better attitude. It helps them know why they go to school. What’s the purpose of getting an education? Thus, all the activities and sacrifices that are related to going to school become more meaningful. They will better cooperate when the going gets tough when they know why they are going to school.
2. Simplicity as opposed to materialism and entitlement mentality. – Sometimes, kids learn to be materialistic because they are raised by parents who model this kind of behavior. Then, parents wonder why their kids have an entitlement mentality. That’s partly because they made them used to the practice of buying new things at the start of each school year even when there is no need for them.
3. Thriftiness vs. Wastefulness – Teach kids that being thrifty helps not just in saving money but also in saving the environment. When we keep on buying things, these will just pile up in our homes. If we do not take care of our things, we would need to buy new ones more often. When we do that, we are contributing to a faster depletion of resources on our planet.
4. Resourcefulness – Teach kids to think outside the box and to look at the world around them with fresh eyes. This is a dying value in this present generation because everything is instant. Instant results and solutions kill creativity, resourcefulness, and patience.
5. Hard work – Remind kids that all things that are worth doing and learning require hard work. Success requires hard work.
6. Being green or eco-friendly. – Our planet is a gift from God. We need to take care of it. If we destroy it, we will also suffer. Even the future generations will suffer the consequences of our actions.
7. Having a dream and a goal. – It’s good to inspire and encourage kids to have a dream and a goal at the start of the new school year. Teach them to visualize what they want to happen or achieve this school year. That gives them direction and drive. If it comes from them, they will be more committed to doing the tasks necessary to achieve their goals and dreams.

One of the reasons I started the #IsayGoestoSchools advocacy is because I want to positively influence the next generation. I want to pass on the values that I learned to them which I believe would help them succeed in life. You may read more about my advocacy and how you can support it here and here.

How to Teach These Values

1. Be a role model. – This is, of course, the most effective and powerful way to teach values because values are best caught.
2. Through conversations. – This is most effective through storytelling. Not necessarily preaching but simply connecting and sharing stories.
3. Make these values part of your family lifestyle/habit. – When you integrate the living out of these values into your lifestyle and make it a habit, your kids will no longer think about living it out. Doing it would be as natural as breathing.
4. Through books like Maliit na ang Palda ni Isay. – Buy books that highlight the values you want your children to learn. Storybooks help parents teach their children in a non-preachy way. It’s a gentle way to introduce or talk about the values or topic that you want to teach. My children’s book Maliit na ang Palda ni Isay teaches kids and their families to be thrifty, resourceful and to value their existing resources or things. It promotes the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle). To buy a copy of Maliit na and Palda ni Isay, click here.
5. Through activities like outreaches or workshops. – Sometimes, letting the kids see other kids who do not go to school because they could not afford it or showing them kids who are less privileged than them helps them gain a better perspective. They learn to appreciate what they have and become grateful for even the little things.
6. Through projects. – Sometimes, kids learn more through hands-on projects. Let them do an upcycling or recycling project. Then, guide them in processing the project like the benefits of recycling or upcycling to the environment.

I hope these tips help you and your children prepare well for the new school year. Feel free to share in the comments your own tips that I have not mentioned here.

If you want to learn more about homeschooling and have access to free resources and tips, join the Homeschooling Parents Support Group PH or Catholic Homeschooling Support Group.