Hey there! Welcome to a brand new series dedicated to a very specific group of people.
This series is for the first year teachers about to enter the education profession. If you aren’t brand new, by all means please stick around and see what may benefit you here!
So, you just got your first job and you are preparing for your first classroom. You are probably tempted to visit the nearest teacher store / office supply store and go buck wild in the pen section. You are probably very tempted to start preparing all of the things that you think you need for your first year as a teacher like prizes, rewards, decorations, flexible seating, and the list just goes on and on and on and on. Well new teacher, let me tell you a few things before you venture out and use that 20% off Target discount code and save you time and some money!
There are vital materials and supplies that you need in order to have a successful first year of teaching. These are still vital to me and I am crossing into year 7. There are things that I *thought* I needed that just collect dust, or I sold, or donated. I’d love to help save you money so you can focus on the really important things. I also hope that these are things that you can just request from your district, but I understand that not everyone has that luxury. We will save my fight for educational justice for another post……so let’s dive in!
What if I told you that the #1 thing you need as a new teacher isn’t actually something you should be buying yourself at all? It should be a district purchase. Out of all of the things that I have bought myself over the years, nothing has ever even competed with this.
The #1 thing that you need to start the school year with is a solid curriculum and support in implementing the curriculum. The classroom decor and extras are fantastic and definitely contribute to a positive and welcoming environment. However, your job is teach. It is not decorate.
You will thank yourself later if you invest (*Your district invests*) in quality curriculum and materials that will save you time and energy so that in the future, you most definitely can spruce up those barren walls. I recommend getting one that includes a scope and sequence to help you understand the flow of the material.
I am going to recommend a few below. I receive no money from sharing these at all. These are just my recommendations from my experience as a World Language teacher. (PS. If you aren’t a WL teacher and you have ended up here, keep going!)
If you do anything to your walls, please let it be helpful posters and word walls. I promise your children will thank you! You can visit Profe. Zulita’s store to find all of the ones that I hang in my own classroom.
If you are a lone wolf and don’t have a department to work with, or you find yourself feeling unsupported even with a department, let me direct you to this post here to join PD for Profes.
PD for Profes professional development and a professional learning community where you will find REAL teachers supporting each other! Each month you receive a free resource and a PD session tailored to our content and profession. We promise to not make you sit through ANOTHER boring PD that has nothing to do with you….like the district Math testing scores 😉
The rest of the items below are on my Amazon Store Front. I am going to share my absolute must-have classroom favorites that I have used again and again and they never steer me wrong. Please know that I do receive a very small commission from Amazon when you purchase from my link. This $$ is what keeps the blog up and running so I really appreciate those who do but understand if you do not 🙂
Writing Utensils
Honestly to each their own here but these are my all time favorites.
Basic School Supplies
These are for the children. You hope that they bring these in for you but….we know that it won’t always work out that way.
Pencil Sharpener
You need a good one and it needs to be electric. Just invest in it or put it on your supply request forms!
Desk / Office Supplies
I’m not going to link specifics here because you may want things to match your room theme. I try to get supplies that are high quality because they last longer. I would visit your local Staples when their Back-To-School sale begins and stock up on paper clips, organizers, staplers, tape dispensers, etc.
A good desk chair
A physical planner and calendar
A fan
Thanks for joining me on part 1 of my First Year Teacher Series!! I am SO excited to help you on your teaching journey and I hope that there is something you can take away from these posts. Happy shopping!
