When Thou Walkest by the Way: teacher ID for the homeschool mom

“Identify Yourself as a Teacher”

I have watched this scene, or a variation of it, unfold before.

Would-Be-Super-Homeschool-Mom stands in the checkout line with a stack of school books resembling the leaning tower of Pisa. Really-Intending-To-Be-Supportive-Homeschool-Dadstands behind Would-be-Super. He is already growing pale: not only from the stack of books he also carries, but from the dread of how much this “super homeschool education” is going to cost him. Really-Intending genuinely wants to be supportive; so he keeps his mouth shut. But as they get closer to the register he begins to see visions of his pocket book growing legs and walking right into the register drawer to take a long nap.

Finally it is their turn at the check out counter and Really-Intending watches as the numbers add up on the register. Every time a bar code is scanned, he hears the “cha-ching!” of an old time cash register. He feels dizzy and begins seeing dollar signs instead of stars. He glances around to see if anyone has noticed his compulsion to clutch his dollar-sign-imprinted money bags like Scrooge McDuck. But, thankfully no one has noticed, as he doesn’t really have any dollar-sign imprinted money bags stuffed with cash. It would be nice if he did, because Would-be-Super is just grabbing for his book-tower.

Ah, yes, homeschooling is, or at least can be, very expensive. Beyond the initial book purchases, it is the small items that seem to nickel and dime us. To add insult to injury, we already pay taxes for what the state calls an education. We do not choose to partake in their inferior product, therefore in the end we pay for each child’s education twice! In addition to this, most “professorial” teachers receive their supplies at a discount.

We are educators. We are REAL teachers too. How can we tap into some of these available discounts?

First of all you need photo ID. No, I am sorry, your drivers license will not suffice. You need a badge/identification type ID. You know, like the one the nurse was wearing round her neck last week when the ER staff removed the dried kidney beans from Tommy’s nose. That kind. It needs a current picture, your contact information, and your position (i.e. homeschool educator).

This is the method I chose (shown below). The card can be obtained for a nominal fee atpeah.com. The website also offers free card promotions.

So is all this worth the hassle? If Would-be-Super had a card like this could it really relieveReally-Intending’s high blood pressure and ward off impending marriage counseling?

See for yourself the receipt from my most recent purchase at Joann Fabric in Salem.

(This purchase was made with a “40% off 1 item” coupon as well).

In my opinion, this has been a most excellent resource as I have planned and made purchases for the coming school year.

Next, I will discuss where to get ID cards, what stores offer discounts and how to go about getting those discounts. I welcome your ideas for inclusion! Do you know of a homeschool group that offers ID cards to its members? Or a store which offers teacher discounts Please share! We are saving Really-Intending’s sanity, one purchase at a time!

sarah.beyondallmeasure@gmail.com

www.sarahatbeyondallmeasure.blogspot.com

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