Back to school is always a hectic time for teachers, but when you have your own children starting school at the same time, the stress level amps up even higher. I have two children, my daughter is now at my alma mater, FSU, and my son just started his senior year in high school, so I've had many, many, many years of back to school stress.
I mean back to school joy!
{Insert insane, evil laugh!}
Being a Navy family, some years they came to school with me, some years they went to their neighborhood school if I didn't get a position at their school due to a recent move.
This is my very favorite tip that I would like to share with you...
Every night when their homework was done, we put the backpacks at the door. Not on some hook or a bench at the door, nothing cute and adorable like you see all over Pinterest, but right smack dab in front of the door. That way as we leave in the morning, you actually have to trip over the bag to get out...no way your children can forget it! It can be your front door or like our family, the door to the garage.
As they got older, I placed two white 3M Command Clips on the door, one for the daughter, one for the son as shown in the picture. Since they had their own vehicles to drive to school and had part time jobs, sports, ROTC, etc. etc. etc. as high school students and were no longer driving to school with me, this became the place that important forms, SAT reminder notices, lunch money, ANYTHING, ANYTHING AT ALL is clipped to the door. My husband and I check it one last time before bed and the kids know to check it on the way out to school. Very rarely did we get a call from one of the children that they left something at home, which helps your work day run smoother.
I take a picture of our family door every year, no matter what house we've lived in, no matter if we used the garage door or the front door, and I take that picture to school. I teach my students that this is what we do at "Mrs. Smith's house" and encourage them to try this system too. Sometimes, when I've been at low income schools, many of these students have to get ready by themselves, so this system helps them gain a little bit of independence with out any financial investment.
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