We’re living in a new world, post Covid-19, that has made us take a close look at how we interact with each other at school and the new types of supplies that we need to be safe and successful in a, “In Person”, learning environment.

Nobody likes wearing a mask all day at school, however, most of the school supply lists that I’ve seen are requiring students to not only wear a mask throughout the day but have enough clean masks to last each week. Of course trying to maintain a 6 foot social distance is a challenge, however, we’ve seen after a full year of this practice, that it does help, and that there is nothing better to preventing getting Covid, than remaining a safe social distance from our friends at school.

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The masks are another hot issue, both literally and figuratively. Wearing a mask all day is exhausting and uncomfortable, however, it is being required by every school supply list that I’ve seen since the outbreak and is just something that our, “In Person” learners will have to accommodate. My teacher friends have told me that they do provide mask breaks throughout the day and take the kids outside, spread out and take their masks off for 5 or so minutes to get a break from mask wearing. Now that the vaccines are being administered, let’s hope that we won’t have to wear masks for much longer but, for now, the schools are all asking that the students wear them so let’s all mask up!

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Another huge difference in “In Person” learning has been the “No Sharing” rule. I remember being in school and constantly asking my neighbors for a piece of paper or a pencil, etc. Those days are gone. For the younger learners, especially Kindergarten, sharing has always been a part how school supplies are distributed and used throughout the year. Teachers are now asking parents to keep their child’s school supplies labeled and in Ziploc bags, gallon size, and periodically taking them home to be cleaned. This is a new way of doing things and the good news is that starting this habit as a Kindergartener will insure that they will carry those habits throughout the years they are in school. It’s a bit more challenging for those of us that were used to a different way of doing things but we have to adapt to the new way of learning and the new way kids are using their school supplies.

Now let’s talk about hand sanitizers and other germ killing school supplies that are on all elementary, middle and high school supply lists that I’ve seen over the last year. Constantly using hand sanitizers is a good habit to get into anyway, and most Kindergarten teachers have been using them for years, so now it’s just a matter of the rest of us catching up and making this new habit a part of our daily routine. Wipes and paper towels are other newer items on most school supply lists, especially for the older kids.