As the last week of summer is upon me, I started thinking about what I wish I had known at the beginning of the year as a new teacher. What are those top 5 survival items that every classroom needs? If I was to create an Amazon Wish List as a new teacher, here is what I would include. By the way, Tip #1, create a wish list of your own on Amazon and share it with your family and friends. You don’t even have to wait until the holidays!
1. WATER BOTTLES– Not only do you want your own cute small water bottle (trust me, kids look at these things, so have one that shows your personality), but you also want back-up water bottles to keep in your room. I keep a few of these in my room for many reasons. First of all, you can never be sure when you will have time to refill your little bottle during the day. Heck, half of the time you will spend that time between classes waiting in line just to use the bathroom. The other reason I always keep extra water in my room is because we live in the age of lockdowns. I always picture being in my room with 30 students and only half of them have water bottles of their own. Can you imagine your students not having water to drink for hours on end?
I like this bottle because not only is it big, but it tells you how much water is in it. If you want to be conscious of how much water you drink a day, this will be helpful. Link to Amazon.
2. ELECTRIC PENCIL SHARPENER – I don’t know about you, but hearing the grinding of pencils being sharpened in the manual one, provided in the classroom, is enough to make me want to poke my eye out. Sometimes, I picture kids using it, while just smiling at me, and watching me twitch from across the room. In my classroom, I also have to have a student chair by the manual pencil sharpener. I get it; it’s a fun toy. It also dumps the pencil shavings on the carpet when you play with it. Right now, Amazon is having a big sale. This one is a must for me!
3. LAPTOP BACKPACK –Yes, there are cute teacher bags out there. I used to have one. That is, until I started attending conferences and meetings. I quickly learned that carrying around my laptop, notebook, water bottles, snacks, etc, became very heavy throughout the day. Last year, I bought this backpack, and I love it. I thought the price made it too good to be true, but it is sturdy! It has a cable organizer bag and a USB charging port. On that note, it is perfect for your own kids too. It is my favorite bag that I have ever carried to work each day.
4. BLANK SPIRAL JOURNAL – A good friend and colleague showed me how she used hers to stay organized, and I never turned back! At one point, I thought I would go totally paperless, and for the most part I have, except for my favorite journal. I take it with me to meetings, but mostly I use it to create a “To Do” list at the end of each day. I leave it on my desk or put it in my backpack, and then each morning, I go through my checklist right when I get to my classroom. It’s also a great place to doodle during those dreaded, I mean exhilarating, staff meetings. I just looked through mine from last year, and it made me giggle. It’s like a teaching journal of what I thought was important each day.
5. PRESENTATION CLICKER/REMOTE – This is snobby, I know, but it drives me crazy when teachers walk over to their computer just to switch to the next slide on their presentation. Clickers/remotes are cheap and fit to almost every computer. Mine is old, so I can’t post the exact one, but this one looks similar. It makes you look more professional, you save time, and you can also let your students use it when they present to the class. My students think they are very cool when they use the remote, and it has helped many a nervous student get to the front of the room, just so he can use the clicker.
Of COURSE there are other items that every teacher needs in their classroom or desk (deodorant, mirror, chapstick, directions to the nearest liquor store), but just remember, you’ve got this! You don’t have to start out with the most beautiful classroom in your hallway or have your lesson plans completed before the start of school. Figure out what you need for your classroom to make you and your students happy, and you will be ready to go! Good luck this school year. If you would like an idea of how to start the school year, check out my post, “TEACHING TIP: MAKE YOUR CLASS THE ONE THEY TALK ABOUT FROM DAY ONE!
