Aminah's Back To School Tips: New Schools

Hey everybody! One week until Metro goes back to school. You know what that means? For high schoolers, it means starting your summer reading. For others though, it means starting at a new school with new people and a new building. Some of you may be moving from elementary to middle school, middle to high school, or from one district or school zone to another. Regardless of your situation, you're probably scared and you may not be looking forward to all of the newness that's about to come into your life. Luckily, I'm here with 5 tips on how to feel comfortable in your new school. Let's get started shall we?

1. Go to your school's orientation. Most schools have an orientation for new students to get their schedules, become acquainted with the building, and meet their teachers. Some schools even have multi-day programs where students, most likely freshmen, can learn all of the ins and outs of the school. These tours may include commentary from current students so that the new students can debunk myths they may have been told before arriving at the school. If your school doesn't offer this, you can also do a walkthrough of the school during the week, which is good because classes will be going on and you can really see how your days will be like at the school. Regardless of what program your school has, you should take advantage of it so that you don't look like a freshman or a new student on the first day of school.

2. Be prepared when school starts. You've never been to this school before, so you shouldn't expect any more or less than what you've been told by the school's administration. While it's a good idea to get to know some current students to find out things about the school, they're not always the most reliable sources. If your supply list tells you to get something, even if a current student insists you won't need it, get it anyway just to be safe. Save the receipt in the event that you don't use the item and return the item later. See? No one loses. Also, make sure you do all of your summer reading assignments and have a good idea of what the text(s) are about. You don't want to be that kid on the first day who thought they would just slide on by(AP World students?) on the first day just because you're new. You're more likely to be called on BECAUSE you're new, so you want to make sure that you have all of your material covered so that you can blend in as easily as possible.

3. Use social media to meet current students at your new school or other new students. We live in the age of technology and now is a better time than ever to use social media to aid you in your transition from one school to another. Hop on Facebook and make a post about being a new student. List the school name and invite current students or new students to give you any tips on the new school, such as where to eat lunch, which clubs to join, and other things you might want to know. More than likely, many students will be very nice and willing to give you some pointers on how to survive you first day. You may even find some lunch buddies or your year long chemistry partner through this technique. Don't be afraid of rejection and be open to meeting new people to see who you may want to hang out with during the school year. If you move far away from your old school and friends, this will be especially helpful for those weekends where you're lucky enough to not have homework and you want to get out of the house. Technology is here to help us, not hurt us, so take advantage of it.

4. Be open. As I stated before, you're going to want to make as many friends as possible before school starts to help you get through your first day. Don't shun the weird kid who wears all black, because it might just be their favorite color. Don't assume anything about anyone because you don't know their story. This tip can be applied to life in general, but it's especially helpful at a new school. Don't be afraid to talk to teachers just because of what other students say. Chances are the teacher may become your favorite teacher regardless of how other students feel about them. Don't depend on rumors to get you through the year and talk to everyone. It's good to be able to hang out with everybody.

5. Enjoy yourself. I know you're scared. I know you'd rather stay with your friends. I know you don't want to leave your band director. But trust me when I say that it will most likely be worth it. Especially if your parents moved you to a better school intentionally. You may cry, you may be angry with your parents for moving you, and you may have to sit by yourself at lunch for the first couple of weeks of school. I did all of this and two years later I can honestly say that I love the school that I'm currently at. The people are amazing, the atmosphere is inviting, and I wouldn't have known some of my best friends if I hadn't left my old school. I had to be open and attend school events and talk to random people. It took me out of my comfort zone, but it also helped me make friends. You have to be open. If not, you'll be #foreveralone. Ok maybe not, but it's a better experience with friends. Trust me.

I hope you all enjoyed this list of tips and I encourage you to check out my previous list of tips regarding school supplies. I also encourage you to be on the lookout for a post earlier in the day tomorrow, especially if you like nail polish. I have a way to get your $40 worth of nail polish and beauty products for only $2.99 in shipping. Stay tuned ;-) I hope to see you all tomorrow for that special post, AND for DIY Thursday. Get that summer reading done, meet some new people, and enjoy the rest of your summer. Until next time :-)

Aminah's Back To School Tip: Buying School Supplies

Hello! If you're a Metro student like myself then you know that we go back to school in 10 days(cue the tears). While it will suck to have to wake up at the crack of dawn again, it will be exciting to see all of your friends who you didn't get to see that much(or at all) this summer. If you're a nerd like me though, the most exciting part of going back to school is definitely buying school supplies. All of those brightly colored folders, all of the neat boxes of markers and pencils, organizing all of it only for it to look a mess by October. Ah yes, school supplies. For parents however, this can be the worst part of the entire school year. The random weird items that your kid will never use. The $159.99 calculator that you have to buy. TWICE. And if you're like my mom and you have an expensive high schooler and TWINS who ALL need new calculators this year(I'm the $159.99 one) then it's even worse. Luckily, I'm here to share 5 tips on how to take the hassle out of getting new school supplies at the beginning of every year.


1. Don't confine yourself to shop at just one store. Target has cheaper pencils than Office Max. But Office Max has cheaper composition books than Target. What's wrong with going to more than one store? Nothing! If you're on a strict budget for school supplies, or if you have more than one kid, or if you just don't want to break the bank before you even consider other things such as clothes, then you should consider shopping at more than one store for supplies. There's no sense in paying $1 per composition book at one place when you know you can get them for $.10 each at another store. You'll save yourself a lot of money and be able to purchase more than what you need in case of emergency or unexpected projects throughout the year.

2. Don't shun the dollar stores. They sell school supplies too, and while it may be appealing to shop the stores that specifically sell school and office supplies, such as Office Depot and Staples, you may find some of the best deals at places such as Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. My mom and I went shopping yesterday and one of the main things we didn't get was notebook paper, which is already cheap even at the bigger stores. We luckily live within a mile of both a Family Dollar and a Dollar General, and I'm sure that they have just as many sales on school supplies. Since their items are already cheaper than at other stores, the discounts will only save us that much more money. We will definitely use this tactic to stock up on some much needed supplies, which brings me to my next point.....

3. ......STOCK UP. If you know your child runs through a million and one packs of notebook paper throughout the year, or they have that one teacher that makes them write EVERYTHING DOWN, then you'll definitely want to take advantage of this tip. As I said in the last tip, for items such as notebook paper are already cheap, so if you can get an already cheap item at a DISCOUNT and you know for a fact that you use it A LOT, why would you not want to stock up on it. This can also apply to items such as pens, and if you keep them in a safe place at home and only take them as you need them, you can end up like me and not have to buy new pens for the next school year.

4. Don't wait until tax-free weekend to buy EVERYTHING. Tax-free weekend in Tennessee and other states is a weekend right before school starts when school supplies, clothes, and many electronics can be purchased without tax being added to them. This weekend is the smaller and much less violent equivalent to Black Friday, but still similar in many ways. If you wait to do all of your shopping during the tax-free holiday, you may have to pick through leftovers, and worse, you may not be able to find all of your child's supplies. While this weekend can be a huge money saver, it's not worth it to wait until this time to buy EVERYTHING. Clothes are a great thing to buy during this time. Items that everyone doesn't need are also good to buy during this time, as are electronics. But pens, pencils, and paper??? You'll be lucky to find much if you wait until the tax-free holiday to try and purchase these things. Do yourself a favor and buy some things early to be sure that you will definitely have them.

5. Don't doubt the list. If your kid's teacher says they need 150 straws, buy them 150 straws. I know that some items on supply lists seem ridiculous, but if the student didn't really need it, the teacher wouldn't list it. Save yourself the hassle of not being able to find these things later by just buying them when you buy all of the other supplies. Chances are, it'll be something only sold at a few places, and if you doubt the list and wait to buy it, it may not be there when you go to get it. Remember, the teacher is always right(most of the time).

Well that wraps up this installment of Aminah's Back To School Tips. I hope everyone is well prepared to start the school year. I hope everyone keeps their grades high and has a great 2014-2015 school year and I look forward to seeing you for the next round of back to school tips :-)