Thanks to Amazon for sponsoring this post
It’s school time! As to be expected I have
So. Many. Thoughts. And. Feelings.
First, how? How is a new school year already here? I ask this question every year, and every year the summer seems to fly by. So here we are, in August, and it’s time to start a new school year. This school year I have a 1st grader, 4th grader and our Macyn Hope Arpi Avis is going into SIXTH GRADE! As in JUNIOR HIGH! Excuse me while I go curl up in a ball and cry!
Okay, I’m back! While sending our children to JUNIOR HIGH is already a thing no parent should have to face, we are all now “sending” our kids to school during these unique times. I know every school district is starting school differently, and for us here in Southern California, our kids are all starting off the year with distance learning. Can I just pause here for a second and say “Lord have mercy!” and “Jesus take the wheel!”
If you’ve been following along here for a bit then you know that school can be (or always is!) complicated for our kids who have Down syndrome. And if you decide to hang out with us a little longer then we are about to find out the exciting new challenges headed our way when our family goes head to head with Distance Learning. As they say, these are unprecedented times.
While I have so many more thoughts on this unprecedented school year, I want to take a moment to say, teachers are heroes. Let me say that again a little louder for the students in the back, “TEACHERS ARE HEROES!” Teachers have always been heroes but dang it, the task at hand for teachers starting the 2020 school year, it is the work of people in capes and tight shiny suits...heroes I tell ya.
I for one am ready to come alongside our teachers this year, more than ever, and show them just how much we love, support and appreciate them. Which is why when Amazon reached out to ask if we would want to partner with them to celebrate teachers by helping them get ready for the new school year, the answer was, 100% Yes!
I’m excited to share with you some of the ways you can give back to deserving teachers and educators with Amazon:
Clear The List: Okay friends, if you haven’t heard about #ClearTheList movement, let me tell you: Clear The List is an organic social media movement that encourages customers to give back to teachers by purchasing items from their Amazon Wish Lists. So cool right? If you are a teacher and want to create your own Amazon Wish List you can get started at amazon.com/WishList. And don’t forget to head to my latest Instagram post to submit your Wish Lists.
Shop with AmazonSmile: I know a lot of us are not in a position to give right now no matter how much we love and support our teachers, and that is okay! If you find yourself in that boat, and you can only afford to get the supplies your kids need right now, then let me tell you about AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a way to give back at no extra cost to you. As you are shopping on Amazon for school supplies for you kids all you need to do is head to smile.amazon.com/readyforschool and a portion of the purchase price of eligible items will be donated to your selected charity. With more than 150,000 eligible education-related charities like schools and PTA’s, simply head to smile.amazon.com/ to find the one you want a portion of your purchase price to go to.
Donations with Alexa: And finally when it comes to giving to our favorite charities let’s talk about our favorite gal, Alexa! She’s here to make donating a breeze. Simply say, “Alexa, I want to make a donation” to any Alexa-enabled device and she’ll help you get started!
Here’s to a new school year, to teachers, to students and the loved ones helping them grow and learn.
