7 School Supplies Every Teacher Needs

It's not just the students that enjoy getting new school supplies.

We teachers love a good cart full of fresh school supplies!  I love the smell of fresh crayons, the crisp corners of the crayon boxes, the sharp tips of pencils and the bright colors of cardstock and flair pens!  I don't know a single teacher that doesn't enjoy getting new supplies every year.

Here's my list of school supplies that every teacher should be shopping for before school starts!
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1. Pre-Sharpened Pencils

I don't know why it took me almost 7 years to buy in to these things, but man was my teacher life better once I discovered pre-sharpened pencils.  There is nothing teachers loathe more than standing at the pencil sharpener for 28 hours a day sharpening pencils. #badmathintended

When I bought school supplies for my entire class instead of kids bringing their own, this was at the top of my list.  And when I moved schools and the kids brought their own supplies, this was STILL at the top of my list.  Those kids that bought the pre-sharpened pencils to add to our stash? Yeah, they were pretty much immediate teacher pets! :)

2. Pencil Sharpener

But, alas, even the pre-sharpened pencils dull up... #wompwomp  And when they are dull, raise your hand if you still use this guy?
Yeah, no one?  That's what I thought.  This ol' guy was one of the first things to get taken down in my room my first year teaching.  Not only was it in the most horrible spot EVER, but I just can't even deal with the squeaks and squawks that go along with this guy. #realtalk

So, when my kids do have to sharpen pencils (I have a helper that does it every afternoon for me during our afternoon stack and pack time!), I love using this battery powered sharpener.  I don't have to worry about where to put it, and if my helper is still sharpening after our stack and pack time when we read aloud our chapter book at the end of the day, she can take the sharpener in the hallway to finish or in a quieter corner of the room!  Word to the wise though: I buy an extra one every year because every now and then one just dies on me.  Doesn't happen every year, but it's good to have an extra just in case!

3. Cardstock

Not much makes me happier than fresh, crisp cardstock arranged by color in my cabinets.  It's pretty much my happy place.  Astrobrights cardstock and colored paper are must haves on my list!  The only complaint I have is that I can never find a packet that has ALL the rainbow colors included!  Why do we always leave out purple?!? I need a complete rainbow, please!

4. Flair pens

My most favorite thing to write with.  Ever.  I love all the colors and I love that the ink doesn't leak and gel up like regular pens. #grossesmeouteverytime

My favorite part is using them for records and color coding.  I use a different color for each quarter on my report cards.  And I use different colors each time I do a running record to keep my records from running together!  See what I did there? :)

5. Colored Sticky Notes

Yes, I could use the banana yellow sticky notes my school keeps in the office for us, but what fun is that?  I'd much rather buy packs of bright color stickies that get the "ooooohs" and "awwwwws" out of my firsties!  We love using them to color code our class graphs, to respond to our books during guided reading, and to spell with color coded sticky notes during phonics!  I usually several packs of these to last me through the year!

Of course, I love writing odds and ends on bright sticky notes, but these are my absolute favorite for organizing guided reading.

They are slick like plastic and last the entire year...even through all of our flexible grouping switches and such.  Plus, I can color code them to match my color reading groups. #winning

6. Dry Erase Markers

I refuse to live in a world where only black, red, blue and green dry erase markers exist.  Since dry erase markers are my main squeeze for anchor chart drawing and writing, I have to have color.

I buy 2 packs of these colored markers every year and they last me all year.  Some years, I luck out and have enough left over that I only have to buy 1 more packet!

Even with my interactive whiteboard becoming my main source for number talks, calendar math, writers' workshop model lessons, and more, I still use dry erase markers enough to make this a must have purchase in my book!

7. Laminator

Am I the only teacher that loves to laminate?  From the smell to the warm film to the crisp edges when I cut it...I love every bit of it!

Having my own small laminator in my classroom was a life saver!  I still laminated things on our large school laminator, but when I didn't feel like booking it all the way to the library or was in a time crunch, this small laminator was PERFECTION!  The laminator is still going strong almost 6 years later and a pack of 100 thermal sheets was enough to make it through an entire school year for me (and sometimes longer!)

8. Paper Cutter

Last but not least is a paper cutter!  I bought mine as soon as I was hired for my first teaching job.  I learned from my mentor when I was interning that it's just not worth the walk down the hall to use a paper cutter you may have to wait in line for...and that is probably going to be dull and add those fuzzy edges to your cut.  You know what I'm talking about!  That's a major sad face situation for this girl.  I had my own and it stayed sharp and crisp enough all 10 years for me...and my teacher buddies loved coming to borrow my paper cutter too! :)

What's on your must have list of teacher school supplies?


1 comment

  1. Great ideas for supplies! Thank you as these supplies are used endlessly during the year. I especially love the sticky note idea for flexible grouping.

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