A Simple Way to Help Neighborhood Schools

It might seem strange that our family collects Box Tops for Education to donate to a local school. After all, we’re a homeschooling family, right?

 

I think one of the greatest misconceptions of homeschoolers is that we’re all against teachers and public schools. And, while there may be some of us out there who are, the vast majority are just thinking about our children. We want what’s best for them, and traditional schooling doesn’t fit everyone.

Years ago, when I was a first-year teacher, I was visited by a member of the PTA. She sat down with me afterschool, and together we flipped through a catalog of supplemental supplies, chatting about the things I would love to have for my students.

 

There was a “Box Tops budget” from which new teachers could draw so that they didn’t have to buy everything they dreamed of to make their classroom a special place for their students. I was specifically told that this wasn’t for school supplies, textbooks, or other manipulatives. They had funds for those, too, but wanted to welcome me to the district with a gift.

Together we picked out some fun pillows, a CD boombox, and a beanbag to make my reading corner cozy. I played audiobooks on that boombox, had afternoon dance parties with my students, and watched them snuggle into that corner with great books all year long.

It was special.

And it was thanks to Box Tops for Education.

Collecting Box Tops is simple. When you head to Walmart, or wherever you shop, make sure you look for the Box Tops code on the packaging. We found a few that had bonus codes included. For every code the school of your choice receives, it can get 10 cents by turning them in. So, for those bonus-code packages I picked up, the school gets 50 cents.

 

We keep our codes in a mason jar in the kitchen, snipping them off when we open the packages. We collect them for our favorite school – Daddy’s school.

Education is important to our family. Teachers are working hard, and while my kids aren’t in the schools anymore and I’m not teaching in a school setting now, Brian is. He’s teaching little ones who struggle with reading. He works hard every day to do whatever he can to give his students the very best education he can – and so do most of the teachers I know.

 

Collecting Box Tops for a school in your area is easy – even if you’re a homeschooler. It’s such a simple way to help the kids in your neighborhood get the resources they need in the neighborhood schools where you live. Do you have a nearby school you can help by donating your Box Tops?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.