5 back-to-school realities we’ve all experienced

MANILA, Philippines – School days are back! A few days ago, parents and their children were scrambling for the best school supplies in bookstores and malls. Now, school buses are back on the road and we see children in school uniforms again.

Many students feel excited about going back to school but some may still find the transition from vacation days still challenging. But as parents, you can make school more exciting for your children and help them start the school year right, simply because you’ve also had your share of some back-to-school realities just like the following:

1) Getting new stuff for school is the most exciting part.

One of the best parts of going back to school is shopping for school supplies. And admit it: You couldn’t wait to pick out the best of the best notebook designs. You loved the smell of new crayons. And you wanted cool pens to use. You badly wanted to get to National Book Store as soon as possible because you wanted to get first dibs on the newest school supplies. 

2) Joining a school organization depends on a lot of things—including your crush.

Remember the recruitment day as a freshman when you get to check out different school organizations or “clubs” and choose the most fun one? Weren’t you considering a lot of things then: your parents’ consent, your passion or interests, class schedule, favorite subject, barkada and, of course, your crush? Didn’t the latter make you join a not-so-you activity all because you just wanted to be with him or her? Oh, those good old days!

Encourage your children to join activities in school and guide them in choosing the ones that will best develop their personality and skills. 

3) Entering the wrong class is very possible…and very awkward.

No one told you about the possibility of facing an awkward situation on your first day in college like entering the wrong class. You cannot be blamed for it. The place was new. The people were new. Your schedule (and how it’s different from your fixed and familiar high school schedule) was new.

Help your children avoid getting into this awkward situation by reminding them to create some sort of a cheat sheet where they can find their class schedule and all related details like room number, time, subject and professor in one look.You can find a lot of notebooks at National Book Store that has a class schedule template. That can keep them safe for sure.

4) Getting up early is a real struggle, especially while it’s still dark outside.

Vacation is over and saying goodbye to sleeping in is never easy to many students. Didn’t you hear your bed calling your name over and over once your alarm clock or mom wakes you? Surely, it was really hard, especially when Mr. Sun himself wasn’t even up yet.

The good news is you can help your children overcome the struggle by making them look forward to breakfast or encouraging them to develop the habit of getting to bed and waking up early weeks before school starts.

5) Meeting new people is actually fun.

You had fun meeting people during your time in school. You had those groupmates you didn’t know you’d work well with. You met the best barkada during high school that’s totally for keeps. There were also teachers who inspired you. And you were able to practice those social skills in college, especially when you met students from the different activities you joined.

If your children are quite shy, encourage them to interact with their classmates and teachers so they can start developing good social skills as early as possible, allowing them to experience the fun in meeting new people and interacting with different personalities.

Did you get a little nostalgic with these experiences? You can make the back-to-school transition for your children more exciting and easier. Like always, National Book Store is all set to help students start their successful school year right and achieve their goals. Here’s a glimpse of some of the new cool tools you can grab for your children and how they can use them to jumpstart success in their lives:

Check out other new back-to-school items at www.nationalbookstore.com or head to National Book Store, where learning starts.