Today is August 1st. School starts in one month (for the children)! I officially head back to work on August 27th, but I have already spent a week working in my room (here) and countless hours on Pinterest and reading teacher books. What can I say? I love my job. Sure, summer is for relaxing and holidays and all that, but it's also about getting excited for next year! : )
I know schools in many areas start earlier than us, so my Pinterest is flooded with "back-to-school" ideas and blog posts. Inevitably I read them (all) and start to get excited and a little antsy to go back. I have some "Must Haves" not just for back to school, but for the whole year. These are things that I absolutely always have in my classroom.
School Supplies
Obviously, we teachers need a good stock of basic supplies on hand for our day-to-day work. I am fortunate to be given an order form and a spending limit and am basically able to order whatever I need. This is in addition to our student supplies, for which we receive another order form and spending limit. The supplies will be waiting for me when I return to school in a few weeks. I order things like pens, white-out, masking tape, Scotch tape refills, whiteboard markers, staples, paper clips, and sticky notes. I have many essentials that I re-use every year and do not need to be re-ordered, like staplers, scissors, hole punches, etc.
I always supplement my boring, standard supplies with some fun, exciting supplies...like a 24 pack of Sharpies (all different colours!!), Mr. Sketch Smelly Markers (did you see they have some new colours out this year?!?!?!), colourful ballpoint pens (planning is so much more enjoyable when you use a different coloured pen for each subject area...), and of course, a better selection of Whiteboard Markers (black, red, blue, green gets a wee bit tired....fuchsia anyone?).
Cleaning Supplies
We have cleaning supplies provided to us by our custodial staff. However, I am not convinced that the school board issued cleaner is all that great. I also don't like the way it smells, and the cloths that we are given just do not get washed enough (yuck).
Elementary School classrooms are disgusting cesspools of germs and illness waiting to happen. Right? I always have a healthy supply of cleaning wipes on hand. Always. I prefer the "no name" brand (Superstore) or "life brand" (Shoppers Drug Mart) to Lysol because of the smell, but any brand will do. I use these mainly to wipe tables, but also to clean other things and germ-collecting spots like door handles, computer keyboard and mouse, and even a good wipe of the communal supplies (pencils, scissors, etc.) to cut down the germ-sharing as much as possible. Side-note: I am thinking about running things like scissors and manipulatives through the dishwasher before school starts....thoughts?
"Kitchen" Essentials
No, I do not have a "kitchen" in my classroom (unless you count the one in the house centre...but last time I checked those appliances don't actually work...and the chairs are a bit small...) but I do eat at least 2 meals in my classroom every day. I struggle with getting out of bed in the morning, so I take my breakfast with me and eat it at work while I prepare for my day. I also eat lunch in my room most days, though one of my goals is to spend a little more time in the staffroom now that I won't be busy with lunch-time music rehearsals all the time.
When I got married 4 1/2 years ago, my hubby and I found we had duplicates of almost everything, since we had both been on our own for a while prior to meeting and getting hitched. Most of it we gave away or got rid of, but a few things came to school with me, like the microwave! It is really nice to have in the classroom to heat up my lunch, to make some oatmeal in the morning for breakfast, or...what I usually use it for....to heat up my coffee that I never seem to be able to drink! I have a single cup drip coffee maker in my room as well (I bought it for about $10 at Superstore a few years back and recently found one at WalMart for $10 that I bought to have at home after our Tassimo bit the dust). I also have a small collection of dishes at school like a couple plates, a bowl, coffee mugs and utensils.
Though I pack my food for breakfast and lunch most days, sometimes it just doesn't work out. Sometimes I can't bring a lunch for whatever reason, so I just plan to run out and grab a quick lunch from somewhere close. But....what happens when that doesn't work either? Unexpected meetings, parent phone calls that take longer than planned...then what? I always keep a few things in a desk drawer for these days. These also come in handy for those days when you end up staying way too late and just can't face the thought of going home and cooking dinner! They aren't always the healthiest option (instant noodle cups?) but it's better than going hungry! Here is a list of items that may be found in my desk drawer at any given time;
- Tuna Salad snacks (you know, the ones that come with crackers?)
- The aforementioned instant noodle cups or other instant soup cups
- Dole fruit cups (I try to find the ones packed in water, not syrup)
- Granola bars
- Fruit-to-Go fruit leather bars
- crackers
- a selection of tea bags and coffee grounds, obviously
This year I want to have some roasted chick-peas or something on hand for an extra protein boost that is nut free. Any ideas?
Kids bring their own snacks to school where I teach. Kindergarten is a half-day program, so they do not bring a full lunch. At least a couple times a week, there is a child who doesn't have a snack, for whatever reason (sometimes it just didn't make it to the backpack, sometimes you know it's because the family can't afford one). I always have snacks available for those students who may need something, but I have learned not to make the snacks too exciting. I have had trouble with kids lying about not having a snack so that they could get one from me, or even hiding what they had from home, etc. I will keep granola bars (nut free), soda crackers (boring!), and plain apple sauce on hand. I usually only offer the apple sauce to kids who can't have the granola bars or crackers (I had two kids this past year with severe gluten allergies). This past year I also went through a lot of plastic spoons because kids would bring yogurt, pudding, apple sauce, etc and hardly ever bring their own spoon! It got a wee bit annoying. I may include something about sending utensils in my Intro Newsletter this year.
Toiletries and Personal Items
I have learned over the years that it never hurts to be prepared. All these items should be fairly self-explanatory!
- Advil
- cough syrup (in locked drawer...for ME, not the kids!)
- Fisherman's Friend or other throat lozenges
- nail clippers and nail file (it sure sucks to go through a whole day with a jagged, torn-off nail catching on everything!)
- hand sanitizer (we also have bottles of sanitizer for the students provided to us)
- hand lotion (especially in winter around here...my hands start to look like I have dragon scales...)
- feminine hygiene products (unless you are a man...)
- dental floss, and a travel toothbrush and paste!
- a little travel-size case with deodorant, make-up compact (powder), lip balm, hair brush, bobby pins/hair ties, etc. Because sometimes you just need to freshen up.
Us teachers spend a LOT of time in our classrooms, right? It may seem silly to have such a long list of "must-have" items, but my room is my second home, and these things can help make the day go a lot smoother!
What are your must-haves?
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