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For a new teacher, there’s nothing more exciting than planning and preparing for your new classroom. It’s like a blank canvas waiting for you to throw in your creativity and colors to show and mark your style of teaching. So, I thought of discussing with you what should a new teacher buy for her new classroom?
Well, getting the essential items for the classroom shouldn’t be a hard task.
It might take years before you get to know the best strategies to be the best teacher you can be but everything can be learned and it starts by taking baby steps.
Since you’re still fairly new to everything you are facing right now, you might be asking yourself the question of what should a new teacher buy for her new classroom.
There are a lot of things to consider and you might get a bit overwhelmed along the way especially if you want everything to go smoothly as planned.
And so with that, I took the liberty of putting together a list of classroom essentials for a new teacher—because this is an exciting but challenging phase for anyone’s teaching career and I would love to help you go by to have a great and successful start.
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Looking for the most important supplies for an elementary classroom? We’ve listed up 16 items you needed most.
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15 Must-Have Items For A New Teacher In Her Classroom
1.) Cleaning Supplies
Of course, in any type of working environment, especially a classroom full of young children striving to learn, cleanliness should be the first and most important aspect a teacher should maintain.
So it’s best to have your classroom equipped with a few cleaning supplies like anti-bacterial or disinfectant wipes, tissues, hand sanitizers, or rubbing alcohol at bay any time of the day.
Because we all know that a classroom is inevitable from spills and splatters from food, art materials, and other elements that might need cleaning in a certain situation. So it’s best to always be armed with hygienic supplies to keep a classroom squeaky clean.
And you surely don’t want to teach in a grubby and smelly classroom, it will cause distraction not only to you but to your students as well. We want our students focused, not distracted.
2.) A Heavy-Duty Pencil Sharpener
I remember my fifth-grade teacher’s trusty sharpener back in the day, we would always fall in line to get our pencils neat and pointy, and I always loved how satisfying my pencil looked after a good sharpening.
And if you’re an elementary teacher, I would advise you to get one because you will mostly work with pencils on a daily basis. Also just make sure that it’s safe to use for kids and can be easily operated all by itself.
3.) A Variety Of Whiteboard Markers And Pens In Bright And Vivid Colors
If you ask a veteran teacher of how many whiteboard markers you should stock up for a whole school year, they will surely tell you to stock up as many as you can, because a teacher can never have enough writing materials for their classroom.
There’s no such thing as too many markers and pens for teachers, but be careful about using them all at once when school starts because you want to make your stocks last for the whole school year, so it would be a good idea to ration them and maximize the use of each marker and pen because they also cost money.
It would also be a good idea to have choices of colors that your students will surely enjoy using, this will get them more engaged and interact more because they will surely love it if they get to use their favorite color when writing on the whiteboard.
Having choices for colors will also help you highlight the things you want to be emphasized for the class, it will also then add a pop of color to your writing making you the cool teacher!
4.) A Reliable Printer
In the everyday life of a teacher inside the school, printing is also a part of their everyday routine. So having a reliable printer by your side will not only boost your productivity it will also save you a lot of time from lining up to the common printer that the faculty use.
You’ll be saving both your time and energy by getting a printer for your classroom. It’s best to get an all-in-one printer that can do all the work that might be required in your daily teaching life, like printing, scanning, and copying.
You can station it at home, or by your work desk at school. You can also print wirelessly via WiFi or Bluetooth nowadays and that’s convenient at your fingertips because you don’t have to hook up your laptop to the printer just to scan or print documents you need for the day.
5.) A Fun and Colorful Classroom Rug
Now, this one might be optional for some but I think it’s a must. A classroom rug offers many benefits especially for younger students who might not appreciate an organized seating chart.
A classroom rug will give them space for flexibility and encourage them to explore and discover their space in the classroom and it will make them more comfortable too. This will also add a touch of decor to the classroom that you will appreciate in your own way too.
They can absorb noise which is great and can help prevent children from slipping on the floor.
6.) Stickers and small tokens for rewards
A great way to motivate your students and to get them to participate more in class is by creating a reward system in which they will be getting something in return if they take part in any kind of activity you set for the class.
This can keep them engaged and will surely keep them interested if they know that they will get something in return especially if they do well on a particular activity.
Stickers, sweet treats, and stamps can be some of the prizes you can keep in your drawer if you want to give rewards not only for those who answer correctly but also for those who are trying and giving their best effort in class.
7.) Storage rack and bins for classroom supplies
With all the classroom supplies teachers need to stock up for an upcoming school year of course they‘re going to need storage bins and containers to keep all the precious materials they’re going to use every day in class safe.
This is also a great way to keep all classroom supplies organized and teachers will also know where to look for a certain type of material they will be needing for class activities.
8.) Educational Toys and Games
Children are all about toys. They love toys, and what more if they see and get to use toys inside the classroom? It will surely keep them more engaged and they’ll be learning while playing without them even knowing it.
Having educational toys inside the classroom to aid new teachers is a great way to make students more comfortable and immersed in what is being discussed in the lesson. You can try to use educational toys that you can align with your lesson plan for the day.
This will create a fun learning environment for your students and you will surely be their favorite new teacher in no time!
You can also try to plan incorporating games into your lesson, this way you will have them on their feet and exercising which is good for developing minds and bodies.
9.) EZ Grader
If you’re a new teacher, I would definitely recommend that you get your hands with one of these. This is the most amazing teacher tool invented to make life easier because you will say goodbye to countless hours just to compute for student grades.
The EZ grader is an ageless tool that will surely help you daily with all your grading predicaments. You’ll be able to divert all your time and effort to other important tasks you have instead of computing grades.
You’ll also be able to set any amount of number problems because there’s no limit to how many questions in the test you can take, the EZ Grader has you covered. This is perfect for quizzes, tests, and homework.
It’s a simple idea, yet a huge time saver. So it’s best to arm yourself up with the EZ Grader.
10.) Tapes And Lots Of It
Other things that you need to stock up on especially when you’re a new teacher are tapes, in all different colors and sizes.
Colored tapes are great tools to invest in because they are versatile and can almost be used anywhere. You can use it to jazz up your whiteboard or agenda board. Washi tapes are also great because they can come in different prints and colors.
For You!
And of course, if you’re going to need supplies for your classroom, you are also going to need some essentials for yourself.
Here are some of the must-have items for new teachers to use to make life and teaching easier and more enjoyable as well.
11.) Tech Gadgets You Can Use Both In and Outside The Classroom
Since technology is around us all the time, it’s also wise for you to surround yourself with tech gadgets that can help you make teaching more convenient and easier.
Flashcards are no longer the go-to tools of teachers, in today’s time, you can now use portable projectors to sync with your smartphone or tablets.
Instead of setting up wires and plugs just to stream audiobooks and to play other media, Bluetooth speakers are now used to replace them because they are more convenient and much more easy to use.
There are a lot of tech gadgets that teachers can use, just try to find the right one that you think will perfectly fit and complement your teaching strategies, this will also help your free time by working smartly and effortlessly.
12.) Comfortable Teacher Shoes
Being a teacher means you have to accept that you’ll be on your feet most of the time and with that in mind, you need to equip yourself with great fitting and comfortable shoes that will help ease the work and pressure that you are putting on your feet.
Your future self will surely thank you if you invest in great teaching shoes. Try to look for shoes with great arch support and provide foot technology to help ease the pressure on your feet.
There are a lot of stylish yet comfortable shoes, so you don’t need to worry about your choices being narrowed down when you’re out buying one. Don’t settle for less because your feet will be the ones taking the fall if you go for cheap ones.
13.) A Good Water Bottle
Keeping yourself hydrated is one of the most important things you need to do every day even if you’re at work. Some people forget to drink water especially when they get super busy but that’s not an excuse and the best way to beat that is by arming yourself with a great water bottle.
Bringing a water bottle along with you is also very practical because you just then need to refill it once it’s empty and you don’t have to buy single-use water bottles that will only end up in land-fill once you drink it up.
14.) A Trusty Teacher’s Tote Bag
The items listed here are just some of the few things a teacher must bring with them at all times, and with that in mind, you will need a trusty bag that can carry and secure all your teaching essentials whenever you are out and about.
It would be ideal to get a bag that is spacious and can carry all your items in one place, think the size of a laptop but a tad bit bigger so that it can accommodate additional things that you need to bring along with you.
A tote bag is one of the most recommended bags for teachers, but if you prefer using a different type of bag it’s okay too! Whatever floats your boat, as long as it serves its purpose and it doesn’t get in your way, you’re all set.
15.) A Teacher Planner
Keeping yourself organized is one of the main goals of teachers, especially new ones. If you’re not organized, you might find yourself in the middle of a crisis especially when it comes to events and meetings that you need to be reminded of.
You definitely don’t want to forget about the first PTA meeting you will have because that will surely be embarrassing especially for a new teacher.
A teacher planner can also help you in many ways, it can help you organize student information, grades, your lesson plans at a glance—and the most important part is that you can plan your days ahead so that you can get free time for yourself too.
Being a new teacher doesn’t mean you have to fully immerse yourself with work, you have to have a break too. Balancing work and life is important for you to stay on top of your mental health and body health.
Conclusion
And that’s a wrap! The first year of teaching is definitely an exciting time for teachers, mixed emotions are at hand and there may be bumps along the road but that’s part of the experience, and experience is the best teacher there is.
To make the best out of it, you have to be ready with some of the must-have items a new teacher should be including in their supply list.
What items are included in your list? Are you having a fun time creating your list of must-haves for new teachers?
Please sound off below.
Wishing you an amazing first year of teaching!
