When it comes to back to school shopping, it can be hard to figure out exactly what to buy, especially in middle or high school. With prices rising, it can also be expensive. When it comes to buying school supplies, there are 3 parts to consider: what is required, what is typically used, and budget.
First, and most importantly, people cannot buy what they cannot afford. Obviously, it is important to try to be minimal when it comes to this shopping. There is no point in buying supplies that never get used. It is also important to consider buying slightly more expensive items if they are better quality and prevent the need for supplies in the middle of the year.
Before school orientation starts, especially at Dover High School, it can be challenging to figure out exactly what supplies are needed. It is best to start with the basics, and get more specific supplies needed after speaking with the teachers. Here are some basic supplies that are great to start with:
1) Pencils are one of the most basic items used for school supplies. It is very important to have a nice amount of backups because this item is easy to break, consumable, and easily lost. One time I donated several pencils to one of my teachers, and by the time I returned the next day, one was left. Having multiple pencils is a great practice, and can help other students who forgot one. Unless it is for art, mechanical pencils tend to be the better option. While wooden pencils can be great, one of the worst experiences is trying to sharpen an old wooden pencil that has lead that keeps breaking. Another potential downside to wooden pencils is not all classrooms have sharpeners.
If you buy pencils, you may as well go and buy erasers. One of the most popular erasers right now is the white Pentel Hi-Polymer Eraser. It does a really good job erasing and is worth the price. When used carefully, one to three can last an entire school year. There are also a lot of fun erasers with pictures on them. Some are also meant to be at the tip of pencils which can replace an eraser when it runs out.
2) Notebooks are another simple item that goes right with pencils. They are a great way to write notes down. They can be better than other forms of paper because the paper is already organized. People with bigger handwriting and younger children do better with wide ruled, while others who write more in general or have smaller handwriting will want college ruled. When it comes to notebooks, more pages often help more than hurt, as long as the book can open and close easily. In the end, a pencil and notebook is a great starting point. Potentially, someone could survive a class with just these.
3) Pencil pouches are the next necessity. It is difficult to carry supplies without this. This can also be used for backup supplies in a locker. Unfortunately, pencil pouches are also notorious for breaking in the midst of the year, so having a backup is always key. The best way to take care of these is to keep sharp objects out of the bag and not to overfill it.
4) The next thing I recommend is folders. These can hold all sorts of handout assignments. While some may argue that binders are better, there are situations where this may not be so true. For school before college, many classes tend to be built more to the structure of the folder. Many classes go through assignments in a specific order and older assignments, especially graded ones, tend to be forgotten and useless as the year progresses. While binders can hold more paper, many papers that students receive are only useful for a short amount of time and aren’t needed for class once that time runs out. Students also have a very short time to grab papers needed for class and to put them back in. There is hardly enough time to open a binder and get out what is needed, even if a student is extremely organized. Another downside to the binders is that they are much larger, and do not fit a typical school desk well when opened. They also make the large load students have to carry from class to class heavier. There are many examples of when binders are useful, but for a basic class, they can be unnecessary. Folders are smaller and lighter. They are much easier to shove papers in and out of, which is what some students end up doing with a binder anyway.
5) Likewise, having a folder or a binder gives the ability to have loose paper. This loose paper can be extremely useful for certain projects. The college ruled or wide ruled rules are the same as with the notebooks. This paper is better for turning in assignments or working on a project. While this paper can be useful, it can also get extremely messy. Depending on how much independent paper is needed, it could be better to simply tear one out from a notebook.
6) Highlighters and dry erase markers can be great tools or useless depending on how often they are used. Using white boards in class is a great learning tool and can be a lot of fun to work with. It allows students more freedom than a basic sheet of paper and can be erased much easier. Classes with a lot of written work like higher math courses are good examples of classes that this method would work well in. However, if a class does not have whiteboard activities, there is no point in buying markers in the first place. Highlighters can also be necessary depending on its usage. They can assist with note taking to students who prefer this method. If you consider buying these, buy the multicolored ones. One color is rarely enough when using highlighters. However, highlighting methods are not beneficial to everyone. For some people, they just take up unnecessary time.
The main goal when it comes to back to school shopping is to know your strategy and what works best for you. The real key is to stay organized. Through middle school and high school, the time students have at a locker is minimal as is the time to take out an assignment. Another strategy is to keep your load as light as possible. Students in middle and high school have to carry their loads with them throughout the entire day. The less you have, the easier it is to organize, and the better it is to get through the school day. “Carrying around a lot can make it difficult to stay organized,” said Carleigh Carpenter.
