Back to School Season + An Exciting Announcement!
On a Capitalistic Cultural Sensation & Starting Fresh Anyway
I was in HEB a few days ago and shuddered a little to see that the seasonal aisle had already been taken over by school supplies. It’s pretty rare I’m in a brick and mortar store these days (curbside pickup is what saves me from impulse buying and unnecessary frustration of my brain + someone else’s organizational system = 💥), and the conflicting visceral reactions to seeing wall-to-wall notebooks, highlighters, and a thousand other school-related items were good reminders about why, sometimes, removing the opportunity to get accosted by unwelcome reminders is a useful tool.
I was - and am - a school supply kid; I like decorative notebooks and need color-coding to know what anything means and generally dislike spending money on anything that isn’t both practical and aesthetically pleasing. But I think that, really, I liked school supplies as a student because they signaled a fresh start: How can I fix things that were broken previously? How can I get off on a better foot with a new set of teachers? How can I be better in all the ways? And, while those may be all the wrong questions (though they are the ones I’m still asking myself, replacing “teachers” with “students”), the sense of possibility and a calculated space of release was signified by nothing better than school supplies.
Which is gross, because that means that I was signifying my fresh starts with capitalism. I didn’t know that at the time, and there’s very much a societal reason I know it now. And of course, I still do it. I still spend way too much money on a teacher planner for myself, I spend somewhere near the average amount that teachers spend on classroom supplies in August as well. I buy stuff from Amazon for school despite working very hard in the rest of my life to not buy from Amazon unless there are no other options. I hate the fact that teachers have to buy supplies to make their classrooms function, and I understand that putting my money toward those supplies makes me complicit in the problem. I will still, uneasily, prioritize having my classroom function over being complicit in the problem, because I have to do what I can with the kids in front of me, and if they don’t have what they need, we just really struggle to get anywhere.
Last week, those bright aisles freaked me out partially because I don’t like the idea that I settle into seasons, at least partially, based on products offered rather than outdoor sensations. But also partially because those aisles made me wrestle with the idea that I’m not ready yet. Mid-July is the Sunday afternoon of the summer for my state’s schedule. I have a long list of things I’d hoped to accomplish, overhaul, and re-work to have a true fresh start next year. I’m still working on those projects, and haven’t fully given up hope, but looking at the length of the list versus the days I have left is not particularly encouraging.
And yet. My contract will start when it starts, the kids will be here when they’ll be there. And we’ll just have to start with what we have and do the best we can.
For the record, if you are interested in supporting teachers at this time of year financially and are able to do so, Donors Choose is a great resource that I’d never heard of until I started teaching. You can find more general information HERE, and the links to my projects are below. Note that there’s no pressure to contribute financially, and no judgment about whether you do or not; just letting you know about a cool crowdfunding thing that’s benefitted my students and me enormously.
Organize Everything (my highest priority need before school starts)
Incentives for Growth (the thing the kids will like the most)
Headphones for Personalization and Focus (a highly specific solution)
I’d love to know what your favorite office supplies are, how you’re feeling about and dealing with capitalism these days, and what “Sunday evening” projects might be emerging as priorities to uplift or let go of.
I have some exciting news to share! I’ll be teaching a Yoga for Educators workshop at my home studio in Austin on Saturday, August 10th from 2:00-4:00 CDT. The workshop will be hybrid, which means that if you’re not in Texas, you can still attend if you like. Given all the other things I’ve mentioned around money and the beginning of the school year, this is a donation-based event, so you can pay what feels reasonable for you, including attending for free. Please feel free to share widely!
You can click on the graphic below to get to the website. You’ll need to create an account, and then you’ll be able to register. If you have any issues, let me know or feel free to reach out to the studio help on the website.
*(I should note that I’m lucky to be on a campus where I have access to the basic supplies I need - what I am buying are next level supplies, usually around organizational tactics that require color-coding, binders with dividers, that kind of thing. Those make my life and the kids’ lives easier and more able to focus on academics, but it would be possible to teach my classes if I didn’t spend that money. Not everyone has even that to work with, so I’m grateful to be where I am.)