Whether you are looking to #treatyoself, add items to your wish list, or shop for the amazing teacher in your life, this is the list for you!
Here are 5 items I truly CANNOT imagine my classroom without:
1. PAPER CUTTER
This is one of those items that I didn’t know what I was missing until I had this in my life. I use this ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously, at least once a day. I use it to pre-cut interactive notebook pages and cut out lamination (all the task cards)… It is truly a major #timesaver.
Mine is a hand-me-down gift from a retired teacher, but it’s by Swingline. You can find a similar Swingline paper cutter HERE. It’s 15″, self-sharpening, and has a safety lock… win, win, win!
2. CORDLESS GLUE GUN
Yes, this is a thing. It actually exists. It works great, and it’s so handy. It’s so much more convenient than your regular glue gun that you’ll actually use this one more often!
Surebonder doesn’t make my model anymore – It’s 5 years old and still going strong – but you can find a newer version HERE.
3. STRATEGIES BOOKS
Okay, this may be a *little* less exciting than the other gadgets, but I truly LOVE these books. I use The Reading Strategies Book DAILY. I don’t use the writing one as much, but I aspire to! It’s great for writing conferences.
Honestly, I try not to spend a ton of personal money on my classroom, so these books were on my Christmas list last year, and Santa delivered. I am oh so thankful, because they are a literacy gamechanger!!
Click to check out The Reading Strategies Book and The Writing Strategies Book.
4. A CAMELBAK. Or maybe 5.
Recently, a student asked me if I have a different color water bottle for each day of the week, and I totally said yes. I literally have 7 of these in my house. I’ve been a Camelbak user for about 10 years now (!!!) and if that doesn’t prove my love for them, I don’t know what does.
For our health, it’s important to stay hydrated. For some reason, the Camelback straw helps me drink water faster than I would out of a normal water bottle or cup. Don’t ask why, because I don’t know, but my first Camelbak truly turned me into a fish and taught me how to love drinking water!
Here’s why I love Camelbaks in the classroom:
– The insulated bottles don’t sweat. Put it on your papers, on your planner, whatever.
– They don’t spill. I held my water bottle upside down the other day to amaze my students. (I was looking for the capacity label on the bottle, and they all gasped, not yet knowing how magical the Camelbak is.) That means you can throw it in your teacher tote at the end of the day and not worry about spillage. Whoohoo!
– Save the environment, duh!
You can find the style I like here. Add a monogram sticker for more fun!
5. COMFY SHOES
For teachers, comfy (but stylish) shoes are a MUST-HAVE. We’re on our feet all day long, which can get painful!
I have 3 pairs of these Dr. Scholl’s Madisons that I plan to wear all winter long.
What are your 5 things? Any must-haves I’m missing, besides a big stash of Advil and candy? Let me know in a comment below!
**This post contains Amazon affiliate links. By purchasing an item from Amazon using these links, I will receive a small commission on your purchase, although your price stays the same! I use that commission to keep my blog up and running. Thank you!**
