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Former educator makes the case for writing your kid's name on their class school supplies

It's counterintuitive but many parents swear by it.

Photo credit: Canva, @marshforeverhome/TikTok

A former educator makes a compelling case for parents labeling their kid's school supplies.

Yep, we are already back to having all things back-to-school on our brains. Time flies, doesn’t it? As parents are prepping their school supply list, one heated topic is bound to come up—whether or not to label those supplies.

Some parents might want to get their kiddo special, personalized, perhaps even higher-end items, especially if said kiddo is picky or has a special interest. However, many teachers argue that it makes for an uneven playing field, and therefore request that everything be part of a shared, communal pot.

What’s more, educators warn that it teaches children to be selfish.

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Parents writing names on school supplies

Obviously there are pros and cons to each method, and therefore no one can fully agree on the matter…thus fueling what seems to be an endless war between some teachers and parents.

But former educator Tionna’s argument in favor of parents writing their kid’s name on school supplies ticks both those boxes—making a child feel special and building a bond with fellow students in a really satisfying way.

“As a former educator, I’d highly recommend writing your kid’s name on school supplies,” she says in her video. “That way when the teacher goes to the community closet, we can all know where it came from. And I can read it and say, ‘Look everyone, this came from Johnny. Johnny got us this new bottle of hand sanitizer. Everyone say thank you, Johnny.’”

“And then Johnny feels appreciated,” she continued. “He knows what it feels like to contribute to a community that he’s a part of. Now his friends get to say thank you. Thank you for contributing to our community. What a great friend. Everybody wins.”

@marshforeverhome

#fyp #backtoschool #community #schoolsupplies #teachertok #schooltok #trendingvideo #foryoupage

The video already has nearly 600,000 views and the vast majority of 4,000+ comments agreed with the idea:

“This is the best take on this topic that I’ve seen yet.”

“This is great middle ground of all the videos I’ve seen.”

“I’ve noticed a theme in life and it’s that we’ve lost a sense of community while demanding to be part of one.”

And of course, fellow teachers rallied to approve of Tionna’s message—many speaking from their own experience.

“My class LOVED when we celebrated them for new tissues, soap, or sanitizer!”

“I used to put a small sign on the tissue boxes ‘Donated by _____ Thank you!’ The kids LOVED seeing their names.”

“And for the families who cannot contribute, I write their name on one of the items that I’m providing.”

“Literally. Actually the kids love to share.”

Gosh, that last point. While we can probably name many times when kids aren't naturally inclined to share, research shows they truly do have a propensity for cooperation and acting fairly with one another. Imagine what might happen is we actually foster these inherent skills.

teachers, back to school, school supplies, personalized school supplies, kids, former educator What skills do we really want to teach our kids? Photo credit: Canva

Bottom line, this can be a great solution that helps individual kids feel special, while teaching them the power of nurturing their fellow classmates.

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American mom living in Japan shows her son's adorable required school supplies

Okay, these are so freakin' cute.

Photo credit: Canva

We all need those adorable hats and loafers.

July is almost over, which means that a return to school is just around the corner. That also means that back-to-school shopping has begun.

But what might that look like in other parts of the world? Thanks to the internet, we need not wonder.

Moriah is an American mom who began living in Okinawa, Japan, in January 2024 after her husband got stationed there. She regularly posts videos showing just how different daily life is in her new home, not least of which being her son’s school.

In a now viral TikTok clip, Moriah shared her son’s latest school supply haul. And let’s just say…it looks a little different than what we normally see in the U.S.

Moriah began her clip by saying that everything cost 65,000 yen, which roughly amounts to $420. That’s a pretty hefty price for just one kid, but wait til you hear what was purchased.

For the first item, prepare to be overwhelmed by cute kid fashion. Moriah showed off an adorable black and white “summer hat,” to match his summer uniform. In winter, he’ll have a different uniform, and a different matching hat. Plus an outside hat…Japan has their hat game down pat.

But wait, there’s more! Moriah’s son also gets a name tag that looks like it was plucked right out of a wholesome anime, which will be pinned onto his uniform each day, in addition to two gym shirts with his name in Japanese sewed onto the front, three pairs of gym shorts, two sets of the blue short overalls, two of the button-up shirts, an art smock and last but not least…a bow tie.

“They wear this during formal events,” Moriah explained.

Of course, the boy needs matching shoes for all these outfits, which are also part of the supply haul. Then his school outfit will be complete with an “itty-bitty” backpack.

And now, we get to the actual supplies.


@momentswithmoriah

Japanese school supplies 🤩 #okinawa #okinawajapan #japanese #japaneseculture #shoppinghaul


First up: a pianika, which is a small, portable breath-powered keyboard that’s standard for most Japanese elementary schools.

“All of the kids get these and learn how to play them and then they'll have a school event where we get to watch and see what they've learned,” Moriah explains before playing a couple of notes.

Then there’s the drawing pad, a jump rope, art supplies like scissors, glue pastels, markers and clay, all of which fit into a nifty supply box that’s top also acts as a mold for the clay that they use. There’s even a pouch that holds onto all “communications for the parents.”

Because organization is clearly a priority, Moriah says that she has to label each and all of these supplies. But she luckily has her kid’s name in Japanese on a stamp to make that task a little easier.

And that’s it! At least, for brand-specific school supplies. Moriah said her family would later go out to stores to get things like her son’s lunch mat and water bottle, which could allow for a little more personal flair.

The mom then shared that when she first attempted this three months ago, it felt really “daunting.” But now with a bit more experience under her belt, she’s “actually excited to get everything organized and ready for the start of the school year in September.”

Though Moriah and her family might only be in Japan for 3-6 years (according to her follow-up video), she’ll certainly have racked up quite a few memories while there, in addition to fun videos for us! It’s always cool to see how different cultures navigate life. Granted, even within Japan, different schools are bound to operate differently, but still, this is a prime example of how the internet is a great way to celebrate and explore differences.

To follow along on more of Moriah’s Japan journey, follow her on TikTok and Instagram.

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