It’s that time of year again! BACK TO SCHOOL Season! As a teacher who recently left the classroom, I still can’t help but think about all of the teacher must have supplies that I would normally be buried up to my eyeballs in.
This article is a round-up of 13 teacher must haves that should be on your shopping list for the beginning of the year.
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1. Laptop Backpack
This cute and professional looking backpack is a teacher must have for back to school that has plenty of storage space and keeps your electronics safe in the padded compartment.
2. Flair Pens
Is there a teacher alive who doesn’t love flair pens? A set of these is definitely a teacher must have for back to school!
3. Sterilite Drawers
When I was in the classroom, I literally had these drawers all over my classroom! I bet I had 15 units! They are great for storing papers to be passed out, graded, center activities…pretty much anything you can think of!
4. Velcro Dots
Just like Sterilite drawers, I also had Velcro dots all over my classroom. I feel bad for the teacher who came into my classroom after me, because they probably spent a good amount of time either picking these off of the walls or figuring out what to use them for. I hung my quotes of the week on them and it worked great! I also used them because the paint in my classroom wouldn’t hold any other type of adhesive..and I tried everything!
5. Hot Glue Gun
Every teacher must have a glue gun! I always love using the cordless kind. This one comes with a stand and a USB charger.
6. Colorful Magnet Clips
I absolutely loved these magnet clips when I was in the classroom! They are super strong and beautiful! I mostly used these to hang anchor charts on my whiteboard.
7. Heavy Duty Magnet Hooks
When I say these magnets are strong, it’s an understatement! They are powerful. I used them to hang curtain rods on my classroom doors but they would also be great for hanging anchor chart paper pads.
8. Colorful Clips and Bands
I am a sucker for anything colorful. This set of paper clips, binder clips, and rubber bands is so fun!
9. Mesh Zipper Pouches
These mesh zipper pouch bags are great for keeping student supplies organized. I actually used these bags as student “wallets” in my classroom. This is where my students stored their classroom money and coupons.
10. Wireless Presenter
This wireless presentation clicker is convenient for the teacher who loves to walk around the classroom and not be tied to one corner right by the computer.
11. Dry Erase Pockets
These dry erase pockets are great for allowing students to use one sheet of paper multiple times. This is especially useful for teachers who are departmentalized and have more than one class of students each day.
12. Whiteboard Clipboards
If you like multipurpose tools then this set of whiteboard clipboards definitely should be part of your toolbelt. These are great for when, unlike the dry erase pockets, you don’t have a paper handout for students to use and you need them to have a blank surface to write on.
In addition to being a whiteboard writing surface, they also double as clipboards. Anything that lessens desk clutter is a great investment! These are one of my favorite teacher must have supplies.
13. Magnetic Dry Erasers
If you are going to use the dry erase pockets and/or whiteboards in your classroom then you are going to need to have some erasers for each student. In the past I have used socks as erasers, which was always a good conversation piece for people who visited our classroom.
This set of erasers is special because they are also magnetic. When I bought these for my students, I used the extras on my big whiteboard because they were so easy just to stick on.
This concludes the list of items you should check out to get prepared for Back to School. I wish you the best school year ever!
Comment below with your favorite resource for back to school – even if it’s not on this list!
Since you are getting ready to go back to school, maybe you are looking for some fun reading activities. I have created a FREE GUIDE for Teaching Reading Strategies Using Picture Books. The guide is full of ideas and resources to get your students started off as strong readers and give you the confidence and tools you need to help them be successful readers.
