Things in my classroom that just make sense!

Friends, the school year is underway and I am THRIVING (except for my immune system)! This change was so needed and I feel excited to go to work again. The feeling of dread and sadness is gone and was replaced with the jubilation of being a teacher again. My coworkers are the nicest people I have ever met. The culture of this building is genuine and people sincerely want to be here to teach kids. The kids are phenomenal and I feel lucky to be their teacher. My classroom is exactly what I wanted it to be and it feels homey and bright. Things are really going well and I know that eventually the honeymoon stage will end, students will get more comfortable with their attitudes, and challenges will arise….but this year just feels really good. (I actually took my first phone today while this post was half written…honeymoon phase is coming to an end, folks!)

My classroom had some upgrades this year and there are many things that I haven’t done in the past that just make sense and I can’t imagine teaching without them. I did spend my own money on these things but I was happy to do so….AND these are not 100% necessary for teaching at all. You can most definitely be a great teacher without a Better Than Paper decorated wall and an ice maker.

DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. If you click and purchase the item from my link, I will receive a very small amount of $$. This money will pay for coffee, student loans, and things for my classroom.

1. First up, my labor-of-love wall covered in Better Than Paper that hid 10 years worth of pencil marks, paper machéd newspaper (yes, it was on the wall), and paint marks. 

2. A personal laminator: I work in a building that is actually 2 buildings connected by a courtyard. The LAST thing I want to do when it is raining or snowing is carry all of my lamination outside to go to the other building where the laminator lives. This Scotch laminator is the best investment and honestly isn’t that pricey. I buy the Scotch thermal laminating pouches and find that they are the best quality.

3. Poster of class Policies and Procedures from The Comprehensible Classroom. Martina provided this template this year in her editable syllabus product and I LOVE IT!!! It is a great visual reminder for students and is easy for them to reference if needed. Grab it from her Syllabus template:)

4. This flippable calendar set from Profe.Zulita! This is hands down my new favorite thing in my classroom that has saved me time and energy. I always forgot to change the date in the mornings. I tried just doing it on a Google Slide and I would still forget to change that…so in comes this product. The best part is that my kids can easily change the date, or the other teacher in my room (visually impaired instructor) beats me to it. The curtain rod is from Target and I just put push pins in the bracket holes! 

5. Tall drawer cart to organize papers – I love making all of the copies for the week at once and I organize them in this cart by day. If you plan on labeling them, just take into account that you will need to put the knobs through the label in the middle 😉 (Don’t by from Amazon! They are cheaper at Michael’s.)

6. An ice maker. Yes, I am well aware this is going slightly beyond “extra” but we actually had this in our apartment before we moved and didn’t really need it once we moved to Columbus, so I brought it into the classroom. Who doesn’t love adding extra ice to their iced cold brew because you forgot to drink it before it all melted #teacherproblems? 

7. A class set of dry erase boards/sleeves – There is literally a use for these in every subject. Need help coming up with one? I am here for YOU!!!! There is something so fun to kids about writing with Expo Markers. I personally think it helps their memory grasp onto the concepts more. I bought mine from the Target $ bin but Amazon has the better deal here! You can use paper protecter sleeves for these as well. I have also heard of schools going to Home Depot and cutting the boards to size from the massive sheets they have.

Again, these are some of my favorite things that I have added to my classroom this year. They have added some color, joy, and helped streamline some of my tasks that I hate doing (like writing the date). There is nothing wrong with wanting your classroom to spark some joy inside of you and spending $$ to do that. HOWEVER, you should only spend the $$ if you want to. Your district should NEVER expect that from you. If they want you to have the dry erase boards, then they need to fork over the cash. I will say that next year, I will be in a district where I can request the supplies and they will be purchased for me (obviously not the ice maker). Supplies like books, materials for students, and online subscriptions will be covered within reason. I am blessed to be in a place that does this and I know that is does NOT happen like that for others. Some options you have are creating Amazon Wishlists or Donors Choose lists. In fact, TMobile is working with teachers to CLEAR their Amazon wishlists RIGHT NOW! At the end of the day, I hope your classroom is exactly where you want to spend 8 hours a day with your kiddos. Happy school year!