• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

August 7, 2017 Ask a Teacher

What's in Your Teacher Desk Drawers? Building a Survival Kit

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Aimee Cribbs

Dr. Aimee Cribbs has twenty years of elementary classroom experience in Georgia's Title I schools. She's taught in a diverse, urban setting and a small rural system. She currently serves as an Education adjunct for Piedmont College and the Morningside College Applied Research Center. She is also a teacher candidate supervisor for Dalton State College. Her research focuses include teaching creativity, educators as the instruments of reform, and graduate writing self-efficacy. She is an advocate for teachers, who she believes have the single most important job in the world.
  • White Privilege and the Power of Revision in Education - June 4, 2020
  • Getting Reading Right: The Education Week Online Summit - February 4, 2020
  • Putting the S in PBIS - February 11, 2019
  • How Teaching is like Shopping at Aldi - October 4, 2018
  • Teaching Your Way through Controversy: Responding to Kaepernick's Stance - September 5, 2018
  • The State of the Teacher Union - April 15, 2018
  • Dear Madame Secretary DeVos: We Will Not Be Ignored - April 14, 2018
  • The Ins and Outs of Walking Out: Understanding Strike Law - April 11, 2018
  • Dear TER Readers and Educators: Let's Change the World - January 21, 2018
  • Blueprint for Reform: Building the Foundation - December 3, 2017

Do you happen to have 63 pipe cleaners (aka chenille sticks)?  Or a bottle of ketchup?  You never know what you may find yourself needing as a new teacher.  We are masters of thinking on the fly, especially when it comes to putting together a bang-up lesson, which means a lot of unexpected supplies.  As a beginning teacher, you have too much on your mind to worry about the supplies in your desk drawers. This list of unexpected things every new teacher should have on hand was assembled by veteran teachers at The Educators Room.  You may even end up chalking up a few brownie points when you are the teacher on the hall who thought of everything.

Tool Kit  You’ll need a screwdriver with removable bits and maybe a set of Allen wrenches to change desk height.  Ikea has a self-contained tool kit that’s perfect.

Double-sided tape  Shhhh… don’t tell…but nothing else seems to stick to cinder block walls.

Toothbrush, deodorant and dental floss  These are a nice way to refresh when you have a parent conference or meeting after a long day at work and you can't make it back home.

Change of clothes and Stain-remover:You may also want to keep outdoor gear such as a rain jacket and hat and gloves handy for recess, bus dismissal or outdoor duty.  It also doesn’t hurt to be prepared for unexpected accidents with a full change of clothes.

Needle and thread and safety pins:  For missing buttons and other wardrobe malfunctions that may occur throughout the school day.

Magic erasers: They are probably radioactive since they can clean so much, but they really are magic.  They do a wonderful job on white boards and have even proven to remove Sharpie from a computer monitor screen.

Brown, multi-folded paper towels:  Nothing seems to comfort a child like a wet brown paper towel. A white one doesn’t do the trick and the ones on the rolls are just not the same.  You can find these on Amazon.  When a student complains of a headache or itch, save a trip to the nurse.

Nail polish remover: Yes, even if you are not of the nail polish-wearing variety, you need a bottle.  It removes everything from desks and table tops.

Sanitary Supplies  Depending on the age of your students, having a supply on hand might save your female students some embarrassment.

Quick foods:  For yourself and hungry students, things like granola bars, animal crackers, and fresh fruit beat a trip to the expensive snack machine.

Change: Then again, we are human, so there are moments when nothing will do but a soda or candy bar.  Don’t be caught off guard!

Hairspray and ponytail holders : Who knew you could get your MacGyver on with hairspray?  It removes glue residue, preserves leaves, flowers and chalk drawings and it’s great for removing lint.  Ponytail holders are a lot more durable than their rubber band cousins.

Flip flops You never know when you’ll need to pretend that you’re at the beach.

A folder of funnies  Keep your favorite notes from students, parents, and colleagues in your top drawer for the moments you need reassurance and direction.  You should also have a way to access something that makes you smile quickly...like favorite photos or funny memes.

Chocolate and Excedrin These are for you. Chocolate seemed to be the one universal from all veteran teachers.  You choose what small pick-me-up is perfect to have on hand.  We all know that nothing is worse than teaching with a headache, so be prepared.

If you’re not able to find each of these in time for the first day of school, don’t sweat it.  While it never hurts to be prepared, any veteran teacher will tell you that it’s more important not to sweat the small stuff.  Find confidence in a career that encourages individuality, find a colleague with a supportive ear and learn how to put on your flip flops and laugh about the challenging moments.

Find confidence in a career that encourages individuality Click To Tweet Find a colleague with a supportive ear and learn how to put on your flip flops and laugh about the challenging moments. Click To Tweet

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

The Importance of Communication For IEP Students and Parents Take One For the Team: The Need for Self-Care Band-Aiding The Mental Health of Our Children Teaching With Minecraft EDU
« Disrupting Thinking: Stop Focusing on Leveled Reading
A Comic Book Helped to Inspire the Civil Rights Movement »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.