7 ways to take advantage of textbooks when the course ends
The school year ends and there is a mountain of textbooks that we will not use anymore, do not throw them away! We can help a lot of people with them, even ourselves!
We say goodbye to one more academic year and we find several things before our eyes. On the one hand, the long-awaited holidays for the students, which are well deserved after a hard last term. On the other hand, a good pile of textbooks that are no longer useful to us. what we can do with them? We have a wide range of possibilities, all of them to give them more useful life or not to waste this material. We must remember that although they are no longer valid for us, or even painted, other children can benefit from them. Unfortunately, the useful life of a textbook is quite short, because publishers tend to modify them and release new editions every so often. Still, that’s no reason to throw them away or write them off. We give you, therefore, a series of ideas to take advantage of old textbooks.
Index
1. GIVE THEM TO A FRIEND, COLLEAGUE OR NEIGHBOR
As we well know, textbooks have a very high cost, because there are many that must be bought at the same time. Therefore, a very beautiful practice is to be in solidarity with the people around us, and perhaps we have an acquaintance, friend or neighbor who is going to start the next course the same one that our son or daughter has just finished. You can check if any of our books may be missing, and it will be good for you to save that expense. In the same way, maybe someone close to us will offer us their previous books , it is a very common practice among students of higher courses, such as high school. Young people understand the cost of books and have no problem using them, in addition to the fact that these books tend to have more text and the exercises are usually done in a separate notebook.
2. INFORM US IF THE SCHOOL HAS A BOOK BANK
It does not happen in all, but in some schools and institutes they usually have some second-hand books for students who cannot afford theirs , or for those who arrive in the middle of the course and find it difficult to find the necessary ones on time. We will ask the tutor , in the direction or in the Guidance Department, there they will inform us if they collect books, if there are students who will need them, or other alternatives that we can do with them.
In addition, if it is about institutes, language schools, or adult schools , there is usually a free notice board where we can announce that we are giving away or selling second-hand books.
3. TAKE THEM TO A BOOK EXCHANGE
Some municipal centers, NGOs, associations, etc. in each city, they have a book bank so that anyone can take their old books. Normally they give you a voucher so that you can exchange for those we need later, and so the whole neighborhood or community does each other a favor . In some cities there are real queues when the book exchange period opens , and it is becoming a culture to use second-hand material.
4. DONATE THEM TO AN NGO
Another way to be supportive is by donating the books so that other children can learn with them, without necessarily being within the school or institute. Many NGOs collect textbooks to use in developing countries , or to use in social centers as reinforcement, for the literacy of foreign children, etc. The options are endless, there are many areas in which to educate children, and they will surely appreciate our donation. This is of particular interest in young children’s books.
5. GIVE THEM AWAY OR SELL THEM ONLINE
If we do not have a center close to home, in our town or city, where we can leave our books, we can always use the internet, which connects us with people from all over the world. We can put ads on web pages , or there are even specific ones where people give away all kinds of objects that no longer serve them. We can also sell them if they are in good condition.
A slightly more classic measure, similar to the one we proposed with the institute’s bulletin board , is to use the bulletin board for public libraries and municipal centers.
6. SAVE SOME THAT CAN BE USED TO REVIEW IN THE FUTURE
It seems the least viable option, and surely the little ones do not find it a bit of grace to reopen one of those books that have given them so many headaches throughout the course. However, if there is a subject that resists them , it can be left as a review , for example, in English, French, mathematics or language.
We can also review with our son or daughter at the end of the summer some of the key points to arrive with fresh ideas for the new course . What does not seem like a good idea to our little one? But if we have this custom the days before the start of the course, it will cost less.
7. ULTIMATELY, IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO FIND A NEW OWNER, LET’S RECYCLE!
We have not managed to get anyone to be interested in our books, or we have not found a book bank in the city, and we do not place them in any home on the internet. If you have to throw them away, you have to remember how important it is that it be in a paper recycling place. Textbooks take up a very large amount of paper , and giving them the opportunity to turn into new leaves is a real savings for the planet, the environment, trees, the economy and waste companies (who do not have to store material that could be reused). We have to maintain a conscious and sustainable way of life, and in this way we will be giving our sons and daughters an example of responsibility .
In addition, there are cases of paper recycling companies that if they find books in good condition among what we throw into the container, they save them and donate them. For them, a book is also a treasure that cannot be destroyed.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.