I used to teach in a small town with a corner drug store less than two minutes away from my school. My first year of teaching I figured that if I needed something, I had a convenient store just down the road.
What I didn’t realize was that there would be days I would never sit down. I didn’t know that lunch breaks would be the time for grading papers, helping students or completely non-existent. My convenient little store wasn’t so convenient if I couldn’t find the time to get there.
So, I found some old makeup cases and a tote and packed up the necessities to hang in my classroom closet or put away in my desk.
Below are a list of my necessities based on embarrassing experiences or painful days I needed to work through.
10 Items I Must Have:
- Medication/Vitamins: Don’t allow a headache or a stuffy nose take you down! To avoid looking like you own a pharmacy, fill up a small pill box of the necessities: ibuprofen, aspirin, antacid, anti-histamine, etc. Label contents over the days of the week. I used file folder labels but masking tape works just as well.
- Mirror (for the day you go to school with your shirt inside out)
- Deodorant (for the day you forget)
- Bandages (for the day you wore new shoes)
- Safety Pins (for the day your zipper breaks)
- Hand Lotion (for the daily over-use of hand sanitizer)
- Chapstick (for everyday because it’s the best)
- Disinfecting wipes (for the day a student sneezes on your desk)
- Dental Floss (for the day a co-worker tells you that there’s lettuce in your teeth)
- Hand Sanitizer (for the day a student sneezes on you)
My list is everything I keep in the classroom. Other items to consider: lint roller, feminine products, hair spray (for stray hairs and static cling), hair ties/pins, make-up, nail file, tweezers, sunglasses, cough drops, eyeglass case and repair kit, SPF, bug spray.
Be prepared! You will be surprised how often you will need these items or be asked if you have any.
Easy Classroom Planning 