Parents… We Need to Talk: Let’s Set Your Child Up for Success

The Bellringer Podcast | Season 2

Parents… We Need to Talk.

Subtitle: Let's Set Your Child Up for Success

Back-to-school season is almost here, and parents, this episode is especially for you.

As educators, we know that a successful school year starts long before the first bell rings. In this episode, we're sharing practical ways families can help children feel confident, prepared, and ready to learn from day one.

We'll talk about simple habits to start now, including re-establishing bedtime routines, reading every day, limiting screen time, and encouraging independence. Then we'll pull back the curtain on what teachers wish every parent knew—from the importance of communication and attendance to sending students to school ready to learn each day.

We'll also discuss preparing children beyond backpacks and school supplies by building confidence, teaching responsibility, showing respect, and developing a positive attitude that sets the tone for a successful year.

Of course, we'll have a little fun with a rapid-fire round as we answer questions about common parent misconceptions, must-have school supplies, favorite first-day traditions, and one thing every parent should do before the first day of school.

Whether you're sending your child to kindergarten or high school, this episode is filled with encouragement and practical tips to help your family start the school year strong.

Remember, parents and teachers aren't on opposite teams—we're on the same team. When we work together, our students win.

Thank you for listening to The Bellringer Podcast. Don't be late!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

I'm Miss Jane and I'm Miss Duran. And welcome to the Bell Ringer. Class is officially in session.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Hi everyone. Hi, y'all in Podcast Land. We are back with another episode of the Bell Ringer Podcast. Yay! This week's episode is entitled Parents, we need to talk. Let's set your child up for success. Yeah, we gotta talk. We gotta talk. But before we get into today's topic, yeah, summer is flying by. I am in the Nile. I am somewhere in Egypt in the Nile River. Because all these different stores has their back to school, and we're gonna get into that. They're back to school. I heard one parent talk about they getting their their child in the routine. I again, our district did not get out until June 10th. So summer wear, like, and then if you had a summer job, some of our district summer schools just got out with last July 9th. No, I'm not ready. I'm already my mind is already set on Labor Day. Okay, but we wanna since since y'all so ready to go back, this episode is going to be geared towards you know, just making sure that you all as parents are getting ready and some tips and some topics that will help you as a parent get your child ready for back to school from a teacher to a parent, okay? Okay, so without further ado, let's go into our first segment. Take it away, Miss James.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

All right, so let's get into the first thing. Parents, you might as well start now. You might as well start now. The new school year is upon us, so what better time to start preparing? And honestly, if you prepare and do those little things now, August, when it's time to actually head out the door, it won't be so tough on you. So, first things first, re-establishing bedtime routines. And girl, I gotta do this one myself because that's why you got this topic. Yeah. Um, because I let my I let my girl stay up late, real late, let her sleep in in the morning. But you know, eventually we'll have to scale that back and start getting into that bedtime routine. And that's the girl, a root I love a routine because really a routine is what I really had to start establishing as a parent. And when you establish routines, it makes everything else so much better. When they get a good night's rest, they can wake up in the morning and they can, you know. I like to start, you want to start your child's day off without yelling. And if you are yelling, if you are yelling at them to move and yelling at them to get up to move faster while they're moving slow, they're sleepy. So fix that by re-establishing, re-establishing those bedtime routines, um, making sure they're you know in the swing of things. Um, if your child didn't attend a summer program, if they did, that's great. If you kept them at home, that's cool too. But I hope that not just reading every day, but math, we got to up our math game too. So I hope that you guys have been reading and working on math skills too, because the summer slide, that's a real thing, but help your help your child by still implementing those things at home. Are you reading with them? Are you working on math problems with them? We have reached the point of multiplication, which would make me cry because that my child is going to third grade. Third grade. So, you know, multiplication, multiplication facts are a big thing. Multiplication facts, really the foundation of them being successful in other areas in other areas when it comes to math. So making sure that they're doing those things, um, limiting screen time. Everything is so everything is so digital now, but make sure they do touch grass too. So make sure that you are you know doing activities and things with them outside of the screen. That's very, very important. And the last thing, practicing independence, and that's really important if your child is oh, if your child is starting school for the first time, if they're headed to pre-K um or if they're headed to kindergarten, um practice independence with them. Or Nova see, and I it was very important, but what I loved about Nova's teacher in kindergarten, she wouldn't help them, she wouldn't help them open like um juice straws or packets or things like that. She wanted them to open them on their own. So little things like that, yeah, little things like that matter. Um making sure they can open and close things, tie in shoes, those little, you know, those little things to give them some independence. That way, when they enter the school setting, you want them to, and I'm gonna talk about that a little later, those other things that they need to be prepared for, but practice that independence with them that way when they enter the school building, they can be more successful and they can do things on their own. And they're not waiting, you know, they're not waiting for someone to help them with everything. And mind you, it's one to class sizes are ranging now. Some may have 15, some may have some may be touching 30. Who knows? But it just makes it a smoother process when you can support your child and being independent in those spaces.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

So those are all good things to know. That's good because, and only thing I would comment on is like I literally stepped off a plane and had to do children's church. And I don't know if I told you this, Miss James. I no longer do 9 to 11, I no longer do 5 to 8. I do age walking to four years old. Oh yes, look, I'm only doing it twice a year. They gotta take me off the schedule, but this reminded me of a parent recently on Sunday. Um, I don't know how old her baby is, but she said her baby started daycare. Now I know she's walking, like I know her baby, like either is one or two years old, and she's starting daycare. So cute little girl. She just wanted to know how did she do because she said she was starting school. But look at how or starting daycare, but look at how that parent is even taking the initiative to make sure that her child, her daughter, is prepared to go to school, you know. Even parents, I didn't realize you got to get, and that's gonna go into what I'm talking about. But as far as like having their supplies ready and those routines, like one thing I learned in the nursery group is that they have parents have to pack their bags every day with like juices, diapers, even if their child is potty trained, get them a snack, even though we provide them a snack, they they give a snack. So I just thought that was some good, some good tips, especially. I think my sister was even talking about um re-establishing that bedtime routine, like they gotta get enough sleep. But I think that is just in general. Now, my thing about it, maybe it'll change was I have a child. I never want to break my routine, like I still want to naturally get up at like six, even if that means I'm taking a nap later on, because I'm the hardest person to train, and I just feel like maybe my child may be like that. Like, I like staying up late, but it's like okay, you're gonna stay up late, but you still gonna get up. But I like to ask for parents, and I I feel like now was a good time, even before it's a good time to get started, and um I think I think all that was good, okay. So now we're gonna move into what teachers wish parents knew. I'm ready for this one, yeah. So, what teachers wish parents knew? First things first, we want your child to succeed, and I'm gonna add a tippet on to this majority of your teachers' parents have done this before, so we may have this like nonchalant, it's gonna be okay type spiel. Like, it's gonna be okay. Like, my my parents, I didn't think about this till you said it. My parents who baby is starting kindergarten or pre-K, but especially kindergarten if they're at a K through six, K through five, K2 school, you know, the big people school. Trust me, that kindergarten teacher got a little age on them. They've done it before. They know, you know, they know how the child is going to the restroom, that it may be a little struggle for them to go to the restroom. Um, what's some other things they know? They know that the child may cry, they are used to all of it, they are the local parentis, they are the parent while that child is at school, so they want your child to succeed. I I saw a person post about like how their child is starting kindergarten, they was like, Oh, I hope like no kindergarten teacher wants to see your child fail. But I love what you said about creating that independence. Make sure your child knows how to go to the restroom. I dealt with uh I heard of a teacher that deal with a student where that child kept using it on themselves in the restroom. Keep in mind, like in kindergarten, they're supposed to really be learning like the foundations of of reading, but the child would go to the restroom on themselves almost every day because they could not go into the kindergarten restroom. So typically a class will have a kindergarten restroom so that child can go in there because they got little feet, they got to walk away down, like it's easy for them to go in. But I thought about that teacher and how they had to that's a big inconvenience because what happened? They had to get their child, the teacher cannot physically take their child to the restroom. I taught third grade and I had 20 students. I'm not going into the restroom after every child. I said all that to say the teacher had to assign a monitor. So who's the monitor? Another kindergarten student. So why every time that child had to go to the restroom, instead of them just going right to the restroom inside the classroom, they had to, you know, get a monitor. And I just want to keep y'all in mind, kindergarteners don't go to the restroom and do like in like in first grade where you're lining up, sitting outside the door because they typically have that classroom, and then by the like for them to go to a big restroom, that's a whole event. So I love what you said about them being independent because what a lot of parents seem to not understand, and this is why I go on to that next point. Communication goes a long way. Even teachers, I I remember I had this parent. Well, these are people I just know, and the kindergartner kept playing in the restroom, and the teacher said, She always played in the restroom, she always played in the restroom. Why you just won't go in there with her? And I communicate and I say, Hey, that teacher is 20 kids to one teacher, and kindergarten teachers don't get an aid, they're not required to have an aid. That's pre-K. Who has time to go into the restroom? And there's girls and there's boys, and really you pushing it if you go into the if you the opposite sex going into the that that restroom, anyways. So, this is why I say communication is very, very important because another thing is like I know a kindergarten, and I'm not why I'm on kindergarten. I know a kindergarten teacher that had to get the union brought in because that parent wanted that kindergarten teacher to change her child's diaper. No, no, ma'am, no, sir. We're not doing that. So I even love how you said like putting in a because me working with like the little babies, putting the straw inside of a juice, and this is a teacher that was on Facebook and she made like a like a little video. Yeah, go on TikTok, go on these social media sites and type in what my child needs to know from a teacher, like on TikTok. And this kindergarten teacher, she says, like they need to know their age, if they can know their their home number or cell phone number. It's so they need to know their real name and know their name is not their nickname.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Yes, girl, and honestly, that is like um, yeah, that just struck a nerve for me. It is so important for them to know those things. It's also important for them to know their parents' real names. Oh, good one. That it's very important for them to know their parents' real names. Um, there was this camp I was working one time, and this child was accidentally dropped off at the wrong school. And yes, he was dropped off at the wrong school, and he couldn't tell us. He knew the mask, I think he knew like the mascot of his school, but he couldn't tell us the he couldn't tell us tell us the name of his school. They need to know those things, their age, their name. There, it's so important. It's so important, and sometimes when you're live like day to day and when you're comfortable, you don't really think about it sometimes, honestly, as far as names, but it's it is so important that they know that. And honestly, with cell phones now, you know, if you notice, a lot of people don't um have numbers memorized anymore because all everything is in your cell phone. But for children, especially when they're in school without a phone, it's so important for them to have that that information on hand and be able to repeat it to someone when needed. And girl, that's not just for school, girl. That's for life, that's for life, too. That's life, that's life in the theme, just wherever you go. Your child needs to know their name, your name.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

If you think it sounds ridiculous, like they it's stuff we could sit right here and think about that parents' name, if they have grandparents' grandparents' name, like first and last name. And I'm sorry if they got a different last name from the relative, that ain't our fault. But hey, then they know how to spell their name. So if you name your child Quintanisha Lalaka, let your child know how to spell their name and at least know how to write their name. Because if you depend on the teacher to do it, the first day of school, you gotta call Roll. If they don't know that happened, that happened to me once in the after-school care program. But this baby just ended up being very smart. I said, Baby, what's your name? Because I called Roll. It was only two people in a row, and she never said anything. I said, Baby, what's your name, Mama? I said, Baby, what's her real name? Like I had to get real, but she knew what her real name was. So I think this goes into another crucial part. Parents, label your child's belongings and supplies. I don't want to go too deep in supplies, yeah. One little name across on a little label, that's all that matter. Please do not try to. I'm just put it like this if it's not on a school supply list, that's why you got to communicate. If it's not on a school supply list, but you still got crayons and pencils and things like that on there. Get get your child a little nice pencil box or something and put their name on and communicate with the teacher because a lot of teachers do community supplies. I have stopped doing community supplies, but your typical community supplies, which some districts allow, some districts don't. Your tissue paper towels, you don't gotta write your child name on it, okay? If you don't want to write one little name, like that's going to community supply, they're not gonna have paper towels and stuff like that. This but label, label your book bag, and so what I did one year, I took a zip tie, zip ties cost like a dollar twenty-five at the at the store at the Dollar Tree. I typed it up, but you can get you um you can get a staple, or I prefer zip tie, honestly, or some type of label, label your child's book bag because when Walmart and Target made your child's book bag, they made 30 more in stock, okay. Everybody's gonna have a a pink K pop book bag if your district allows it. Um, but label the book bag. I had a student who food, this was middle of the year. Their food was taken out of their bag, and I had to ask the child, Did your mama pack you this lunch? Did they pack you this food? And they oh, I don't think this ain't your book bag. And so what I did was I went into my classroom on and it wasn't on a break, and I made a label for that child because people don't think, parents don't think label your child's stuff is very important, and then you want to get mad at the teacher, but again, we have 20 plus students that we had to deal with, and you guys back to school is the most crucial time, and that goes to attendance. But back to school is the most crucial time because you're learning it's like job orientation, you're a job doesn't want you missing orientation because you need that, and once you get orientation, you have to practice. But if you decide to be wishy-washy until after Labor Day, that's an issue, and so I brought that up for another reason. This school, my former elementary school, Greenwood Elementary, made a one-pager on their Facebook page. I wish I could show it to you all, but Greenwood Elementary is in Beltsman, Alabama. Look it up. They have put their calendar out, but they put out all dates. So, like for Labor Day, they put out that's a three-day weekend, like they put the actual dates on there. They did Christmas break. Well, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, fall break. We have a fall break in the city of Birmingham because we're out for the match to the classic, so everybody gets a Friday out. So they put all that out because they said we want you to capitalize on your instruction time. So if you're trying to plan vacations or plan dentist appointments, plan it the Monday of Thanksgiving break. That's what they said, plan it for Christmas break because attendance matters, and a lot of people don't realize this, but I believe it's September. September is attendance awareness month. Why is that important? We need every child named on that role. If this class was set to have 25 kids for this one teacher to have, but only 15 is showing up. That's 10 kids that are offered. What if every class does that? And that's a ripple effect. And what happens is the government, whoever they be, whoever look, whoever doing department education is part, but the state, the national government, they're looking at the numbers and they say, Mm, Miss Durden's class. Well, we have this position because she's teaching five kids. Well, only 15 kids showed up because they're using September attendance. So, what are we gonna do? Miss Durden's not needed. Them other 15 kids can go to this class and they don't even think about it. It could be two units, it could be two units, it could be two fifth grade classes, but we're gonna get rid of a fifth grade, we're gonna get rid of one unit. We know that first grade is busting out the seams and they need another unit, but we're taking away like it's the way the math works for attendance is all over the place, but then your butt decides to show up in October. So now what happens? The falling school year occurs, and now we have a classroom of 40 kids that's not even under state law because y'all didn't want to come in September. So go ahead, get your rest, get your supplies, label your supplies, and then be ready to learn day zero one free day. That means show up at open house and show up. And like I say, don't take your first break until September Labor Day. Go ahead, because I'm off, I won't stop it. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Oh, that is so funny, but that's really good. The they um I was looking at um bib county did that too. They called it a vacation planner, and they pulled out um they pulled out all the the breaks and the long the long three day weekends and all those things. That's good, and it helps with planning. I'm like, oh, let me look at this so I can plan.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

I was looking at it too. I said it doesn't my dish, but that makes sense. Bessmer, bib county, they all buy each other. That makes sense why they did that.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Yes. Um, so that is really good. So um we talked about the supply. And making sure that they're prepared and things are labeled, the importance of attendance. But let's talk about preparing beyond supplies. There are some things, and honestly, and I know supplies are a big thing when it comes to schools because I hear over the years a lot of debates about what schools ask for, what teachers ask for, parents, you know, saying they don't want to contribute to community supplies or they don't want to send anything. Honestly, what I always say is, parents, I guarantee you that whatever you spend on the school supply list, I promise you that teacher has spent so much more on the whole room. Right. They have spent so much more on the whole room. Um pupil supply money doesn't come in until later in the year. So teachers are coming out of pocket. That's why you always see um classroom donation lists because teachers want to create nice spaces for their students, but they're having to come out of pocket. So they create donations list donation lists so that the community and their families can help them build that environment for your child. So just remember that and remember you're not the only one um spending money on supplies. And if financial, um if there are some financial issues and you can't get everything on the supply list, um, you know, organizations and churches usually do some type of back-to-school event. And guess what? And this, I know I can only speak for myself, but over my time in the classroom, if little Tommy pulls up at the school day one and he doesn't have supplies, guess what? I got something for him.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

Like I'm gonna have, I always had extra folders, extra, extra journals, extra sticks, extra, extra everything. Because honestly, at the end of the day, it ain't that deep. I want them to have all that stuff so it can be labeled and everything can be um in uniform. But if they don't have it, they're still welcome and still they'll still be provided for and they still won't go without. But I did want to talk about preparing students beyond supplies. Preparing students beyond supplies, and that's so important. And parents can't forget that that you are your child's first teacher, and we don't want to talk about that as an elementary thing and it's stopping there, and this thing should carry on through middle school, it should carry on through high school. Honestly, if your child is in college, pick up the phone and give them a call too before the semester starts because it can be tough. So, first things first is building their confidence. It is so important for you to build their confidence. And honestly, if you pour into your child, like if you pour so much into your child, nothing can break them when they go beyond the house door. Like you want them to go into the class, you want them to go into the classroom prepared to take on challenges. Will it all be easy? No. Whatever, whatever they're learning throughout the year, you want to build that confidence so that they know that they can do it. And honestly, and when you do that at home, it makes it so much easier for them to be successful and navigate um in the classroom when they get around, you know, other children and their personalities start. That's when the issues come up when their personalities start mixing. Build that confidence at home. Um, also respect, teaching your child to make sure your child knows to respect and not just respect adults, but respect each other. Like, respect isn't an age thing, it's a human thing. Like, make sure that they're conducting themselves in a respectful way, making sure that they're um, you know, when you talk about bullying, you know, people throw around bullying a lot. I know they throw around bullying bullying a lot, but I think we should just go back to teaching children the common courtesy, how we should treat others. Um, you know, I don't like I'm not a fan of all that um joking on somebody because of what they wear. I always tell my students like you're all children, none of you are responsible for what you have on. An adult is you know what I'm saying? And we can't put, we can't make others feel bad for what they're for what they're wearing, and you're not there for that. So really just teaching respect, teaching them to be, teach them to be kind. Like it costs nothing to be kind, it costs nothing. So just making sure that you're showing that and also modeling that. So not just telling them to be, don't just tell them to be good, be respectful, like model those things, model those things for them too. Because if they see you do it, then they can do it too. Um, responsibility is a big thing, keeping up with their materials, their belongings, um, lunch boxes, just lunch, not learning their lunch number, um, just teaching them responsibility and to keep up with their things, and not just the because some kids can get into a well, oh, if I lose it, I can get another one. You know what I mean? Like, oh, this is replaceable. Like, no, keep up with what you have, take care of the things that you have. Um, and that'll really help. Um, I know responsibility. We had swap night already before the school ended, school year ended for Nova, and her going into third grade, she's about to try to swap classes. And so my only question was for her teacher, her teachers was um, was there anything I needed to do to prepare her for going into that um mode, like switching classes and having her things? And she was they were like, No, because they established those routines, you know, they established those routines. Um and once they practice, you know, once they practice and go through it, they'll have it. So responsibility is a big portion of that when you start swapping classes, like making sure that you have what you need and paying attention. Like we got to make sure we're instilling these things in our kids. And the last thing, a positive attitude. You set the tone for how your child school year will be. Um, when you start getting the information for the it starts with the school supplies, don't be talking negative about those school supplies. If they don't matter to you, then that's gonna fade, brush off on your child too. So a positive attitude when it comes to how you relate, connect to the teacher, communicate with the teacher day one. Beforehand, if the dojo's already set up, go ahead and start reaching out. Go ahead and start reaching out to them, build that relationship because that's the most important thing. Relationships are important in order for our children to be successful. We need to have you know relationships between the parent and the teacher, the parent and the principal, the teacher and the child. Like all of these relationships are important and they all work together to produce positive outcomes. So just make sure that you're promoting a positive attitude, even when things get tough, because things will get hard, they always do, but teach your child to have a positive attitude and perseverance because perseverance can get them through those challenging moments when they face those.

SPEAKER_00 29:16

Awesome. Okay, so we have down here rapid fire. I'm gonna ask Miss James this question before I elaborate on some final things. Biggest parent misconception. What do you think that is? Because you are a parent and I don't want to guess.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

I would say um what I hear, or like, you know, a lot of and you were talking about attendance. Um a lot of people think that as children come into the school setting that they're just a number. That they're just the number that they just want they just want the money. And although I don't know why people say that, because girl, it's not the money is not coming to any adult in the you know what I mean? Any adult in the building. It's not something that someone can go and spend. This is all school funds um that has to be used for school. It's nothing, it's nothing like that. But um, I think the biggest misconception, like your child is more than a number. Like your child is your child is more than a number, and I want you to understand how intentional your child's teacher is for the school year to be successful. We talked about how teachers are some teachers don't stop, that they go right into the summer preparing for the next. Um, once your child, once your teacher starts um receiving their roles, they're preparing, they're praying for your, they're praying over their roster, they're hoping, they're preparing for a great school year. So we really have to shift our perspective from oh, she always wants a problem, or she always wants to pick with my baby or she wants to pick with my baby. Like that is not the intentions of most. Shame on you if you are that educator. I'm not talking about you, shame on you if you are, but but I think that's the biggest misconception misconception. And I really want parents to go into the school year with a positive outlook and look for those relationships to build to help the children be successful. Like I would say, like sometimes the adults and like the adults are a lot of times the child's biggest downfall. Reality, when they the decisions that some that adults make, how we communicate, how we treat each other, we're sometimes the biggest downfall in their lives. And I don't want that for the children, I want them all to be successful. So I need the adults, the parents, teachers too, to make sure that we're being putting forth our best self so that they can be successful.

SPEAKER_00 31:57

That's good. That's why I wanted you to wanted you to put that out there. Um, because Miss Jane, she is a teacher and she's also a parent, but she's a parent first. So as we get ready to go out, um hey, I just want to put a little tidbit out there. I I would say go to Pinterest for this. Um, be remindful of like the first day school traditions, whether I didn't have one going up. I think mine was just eating the breakfast. That was the only day after the year I really could eat a breakfast because my mom also worked and had to be out the door. But when you're posting your signs of your child's first day of school, please, please omit. And you're posting on social media, please cross out, scratch out, black out the child school, really their name, their teacher. Because I think, and I feel like the police department and the sheriff's department always put out like a notice saying, Hey, when you do the first day of school sign, omit the following things because you don't want somebody to see your child and see what school, class, age, and everything that they are in. So that's just for safety. I also want to leave this for school supplies. I know the churches are going to give out the school supplies. This is what I need you to do when you go to that church's drive-thru or you get it from church. This is what I need you to do take it from the child and lock it up until the first day of school. Because what little Johnny, Becky, and Rebecca are doing is they're taking the pencils, they're taking the crayons, the markers, and the scissors, and they're playing with them, and you just send them to school on the first day with a book bag, and nothing is in it. Also, please educate, label your things, and please educate to your child whatever your teacher wants you to do with this, do with it. I had a student who tried to keep all the notebooks and said, My mama told me to keep everything. Like, I know that was a story, but for a first year teacher, they don't really realize, and then honestly, the child used the stuff anyway, so I didn't even want it. When I open up my notebook on the first day of school, I don't want to see that your child has written in it, and also, parents, I want you to be mindful of this. Yes, the church is giving out stuff, but sometimes those are not the best um grade of supplies, and what I mean by that, they may be rose art markers. We like Crayola, and I'm not trying to be funny, but Crayola will last longer through the school year. So, what you can do is use those supplies for at home because what happens is children go to school turning all their pencils, and they never take a pencil home, or they're taking a classroom pencil home. And if 30 kids are doing that, like for me, I have 55 kids that I teach. If 30 kids are taking a pencil home every day, then the 900 pencils I have for the school year end up disappearing. So, what you need to do is keep supplies at home. Also, know what are your consumable supplies? I'm gonna put a new term on it. We have consumable books, meaning books that they can write in and they take home with them, but consumable supplies are like pencils. That little 12-pack that the church gave you is not gonna last all nine months of school. So, glue, I think glue, sometimes even scissors, color pencils, markers, crayons. If they're not keeping them at school, have a regular check-in on that child to say, Hey, you still got your glue, you still got this. This what this is true story. We had headphones. We don't have to use our headphones to a certain part of school of the school year, anyways. We try to save them for testing or something like that. One parent said, My child went to school with headphones. You need to constantly be checking what did your child do with their supplies, are they supplies in their locker? Also, this is a helpful tidbit, and I'm going if it may not be on a supply list, but check in if it is tissue, soap, hand sanitizer, especially when October comes, and it's sad, but a lot of the students that can't afford the supplies, who parents haven't taught them uh customer service, it's like the ones who didn't buy it are the ones who mostly they're using it. My mom used to send me to school with tissue, my own personal tissue, for when you know flu seeds and stuff like that came around. But I love those parents that are always regularly checking in and starting. Do you need any glue? Do you need any tissue? Do you need any paper towels? Because those are things that we do run out of. And the best pencil sharpened, the best pencils to buy, I will say, are the pre-sharpened pencils, you guys. That's the best supply that I could um uh that I can give. But I know that was a lot of information, just rewind it. And those for me as a teacher are some tips that I would that I would give to parents so that they wait, so that way they can understand, like, okay, supply, like as Miss James says, supplies cost, and if your child doesn't have it, it's coming out of the teacher's pocket. But if the teacher is constantly paying for it because you're not taking care of those supplies, and you think, oh, the teacher got it, it really hurts us in the meantime. So just lastly, take your supplies, put them up, have your home supplies, have your school supplies that are left at school, and also make sure that you're also refilling those supplies like pencils and glue and tissue and paper towels throughout the year. And so that's all I have, Miss James.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

Lovely. Well, you guys enjoy preparing for the next school year. It is upon us, it'll be here before you know it. Um, and please remember parents and teachers are not on opposite teams. You are on the same team together, and we will all want the students to win. Until next time. And in closing, I'm Miss James.

SPEAKER_00 38:21

And I'm Miss Durden.

SPEAKER_01 38:22

Thank you for listening to the Bell Ringer. Class is officially in session.

SPEAKER_00 38:27

Don't be late.