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A must have for your classroom is the always versatile plastic bag. I keep about 20 of these on hand. Lower elementary teachers never know when an accident may occur. There also great for carrying things home when a backpack has been forgotten. I didn't think of this until I'd been teaching a couple of years, but they're great to have stashed somewhere.
Ibuprofen, Tylenol, or your favorite headache reliever. You never know when a pounding headache will attack.
A set of screwdrivers. I keep a flathead and phillips in my desk drawer. I couldn't tell you how often I've used them.
Ziploc bags!!! Loose teeth go into the smaller ones and I've found about a million uses for the gallon sized bags. Buy several boxes and you WILL use them.
I can't wait to read what else is what every teacher needs!!!
THE most wonderful I ever bought for my classroom was a PaperPro stapler from WalMart. They sell them at other places too..but WM also has them. EVERY new teacher HAS to have one! I can't tell you how many times I wanted to throw my stapler across the room because it just "dudded" when I tried using it on my wood cabinet doors... or in my wood classroom door as I hung bulletin board paper up. I remember whacking the stapler as hard as I could to make the staples go in. BUT, with the PaperPro it REALLY IS just one finger..even in wood!! I have several in my room... in various colors!
ReplyDeleteJo
Tiny Toes
Great Idea! I can see where having more than one stapler would be a great idea. Thank you so much for sharing!
DeleteNot only screwdrivers, but a hammer as well comes in handy. The plastic bags end up being used for so many different things. I store mine in an empty tissue box (read that in a Mailbox magazine), easy and free storage! Your most valuable resource could be the person teaching beside you. The best ideas seem to come when collaborating and sharing!
ReplyDeleteLindsey
Lovin’ Kindergarten
Now I've got to get a hammer! Great thought.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
You must have Velcro and magnetic board tacks if you have white boards. Also, I bought some 1/8 inch black board (chart) tape. I used this instead of drawing lines on the board. It's great and lasts all year (or more). Other teachers would ask me how I drew the lines on the board and made them last so long. :) It really looks good.
ReplyDeleteAlso, keep a first aid kit. I kept a temporal thermometer (no touch) in my bag and used it a ton of times when kids complained of illness. It was quick to check if they had a fever and report exactly to the parents (or school officials) what their temperature was.
There are so many things. More later.
Rick
Yes, please do share more as it comes to you. You have some great ideas that are sure to help a new teacher.
DeleteThank you for sharing!
Keeping pain killers on hand is a good idea. Here are some other things I kept in my closet just in case: contact solution, a bottle of water, and a few food items in case I forgot my lunch (or got very hungry during my prep).
ReplyDeleteOh that's very good. We must not forgot the food!!!
DeleteThank you for sharing!
Every teacher needs a hot glue gun and a BIG bag of hot glue sticks!! You can use them to attach labels to library book baskets, tubs, post stuff on the walls.. The uses are endless!!! I just used mine today to attach labels to the baskets I'll be using next year for journals in each subject area. Also every teacher needs cleaning wipes because messes happen :) Lastly, u can never have enough glue sticks. Stock up!!! -twh
ReplyDeleteOh yes! A glue gun. I have one and I don't know what I'd do without it.
DeleteThank you for sharing!
A good 3 hole punch! And a heavy duty stapler for stappling into bulletin boards or in my case into my walls because they are the movable walls that are covered in a carpet like material.
ReplyDeleteI think all teachers HAVE to HAVE a great stapler to start out or they'll just end up buying about 15 during the duration of their career.
DeleteThank you for sharing!!
I always add to the supply list - girls bring a package of paper plates and a roll of paper towels, boys bring a package of brown paper lunch sacks and a small bag of potting soil. That way I have enough extras for projects and centers.
ReplyDeleteThe Fun Factory
You can NEVER have enough paper lunch sacks. So many uses!
DeleteThank you for sharing!
Love all these suggestions, I have a hammer hidden between a file cabinet and the wall. My couldn't do-withouters are Spray bottles and nail polish remover. I have 3 spray bottles strategically placed around the room for wiping down boards and laminated posters. Also for giving the kiddos a cool-off squirt on hot days. The nail polish remover is the only thing that works to remove stubborn stains on white boards. I do a wishlist of household items on Back to School night and parents can choose to send in things like zip-lock bags, all sizes, wipes for kids, wipes for cleaning and soft tissues. One more tip: Toy catalogs (great for cutting out pictures for letter sounds) Toy catalogs are better than magazines because you don't need to worry about the dreaded underwear ads and the kids are excited about every picture! Great for centers. Wow, new Teachers you will be set after reading this blog!! Karen from Laugh and Learn with Silly Sam
ReplyDeleteToy Catalogs!!!! Shut the door I wish I would've thought of that. I LOVE IT!!!!
DeleteThank you for sharing!
I have started a list of things to bring with me when school starts for sure! I teach 5th grade and the students sit at tables, so I make sure to have Lysol wipes for cleaning tables once or twice a week. It really cut down on colds and flu this past winter! When I had student desks, I also kept a set of allen wrenches to fix student desks as students grew.
ReplyDeleteI always have pencil topper erasers to give to students and I always make sure I have a lot of loose leaf paper...I hate to hear the whine, "I don't have any paper." I also have a broom and dust pan for those spills that can stop a lesson; a dropped pencil sharpener, dirt from recess which seems to make my students unable to work until it disappears. lol
Sue Mescall
A broom and dust pan are great ideas. I need to get those.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing!
Chocolate.... Lots of chocolate! Even if you don't eat it, someone else will always be looking for it! ~ Lisa
ReplyDeleteThat is the best yet!!
DeleteThank you for sharing!
Yes, always support your friends and their chocolate urges! Very, very important... Another thing we are always looking for is TAPE. Living in the humid south, we have a hard time finding dependable tape. Oh, how I hate to place things just like I want only to come in the next morning and find them on the floor. BOOOO, hissssss!!!
DeleteYou are soooooo right about the tape. There is nothing worse than some humidity causing papers to hit the floor and setting off the alarm. :)
DeleteThank you for sharing!!
My first year was different than now, 10 years later - mainly because I began in Jr. High and now I'm in Elementary. I would suggest to all teachers to keep up with their grading/grade book. I'm horrible at it. That being said, I always get my grades in 2 or 3 days before they are due. Also, get a sub folder ready now...before school starts! My daughter got sick 2 years ago the Friday before school began--- aaaaahhhh! Yes, it can happen.
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest keeping good, sharp teacher scissors and magnets...yes strong magnets - not the wimpy ones!
Deniece
You are SOOOOO correct. Work on that sub folder NOW!!!! I always wait to and then I regret it.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing!
Very good suggestion! Scissors are so important because you use them CONSTANTLY!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Grade-Contracts-for-Middle-School-419558 This is different from my tip above, but this link is to a free grade contract that I use on the first day of class in middle school. I really like having my students take the time to think about what grade they want and how they will make it happen.
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful tool!! I love this!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing!
"Magic Soap", otherwise known as, hand sanitizer. Multiples all over the classroom :)
ReplyDeleteYes!!
DeleteThank you for sharing and helping to keep us healthy.
A bottle of rubbing alcohol - It gets marker off of just about everything except fabric - for that keep a tide-to-go or similar product right next to it. Also, a good pencil sharpener that the students or a student helper can use. It could just be me, but I do not like to spend my time sharpening pencils.
ReplyDeleteOh yes!!!! Both of those are great suggestions! I don't like sharpening pencils either. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing!
CLICKERS! I could NOT do my job without my set of classroom clickers from SMART. I don't waste my time grading multiple choice and kids get instant feedback. :)
ReplyDeleteI have to look into that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Your own set of never-can-be-touched-or-borrowed-by-anyone-other-than-you school supplies (Pens, scissors, dry erase markers, stapler, and 3-hole punch were my biggies). It's one battle you win in the fight against classroom germs, and you never have to track them down to someone!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't tell you how many things I've lost because I let someone borrow it. It's great to share, but I agree that you should probably have a back up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!