A new teacher's list of must-haves!
Updated: Oct 12, 2022
Ok, Edumagicians. You asked, and we delivered! Hannah Sansom and I developed a list of materials and resources for beginning teachers to look out for during the summer. This first-year teacher checklist includes items you can purchase and mindsets you can make now.
Take a look at some of our new teacher shopping list:
Personal laminator: Scotch or off-brand. You can get Scotch Laminator pouches through your points via Scholastic Book Club.
Good quality teacher shoes: Clarks are my go-to for all seasons.
Good teaching bag: But don’t fill it to take home. There will ALWAYS be work. Learn a balance.
Stickers and stamps for grading and checking in-class work.
Colored pens for grading: Students use red ink for self-checking. I never use red….always pretty colors. Also, so that parents know what students check and what I check.
Organized student data binder and teacher binder: My teacher binder has class rosters, meeting notes, and important emails, grades. Student data has info from parents, student RTI notes, small group notes, etc.
Something motivational on your desk or teacher area.
A mentor: whether it is one you are assigned or someone else. And a good core teacher group. You may want to check out New Teachers connect on Instagram, a community for new teachers working to support one another.
Limits for when to work – set up boundaries. Don’t spend all day at school. Learn to say no and yes and set priorities as we talked about in #edumagicnt
Bins and containers! Get as many bins and containers as you can! Find them at thrift stores or dollar trees. You never know when you need a bin for your stuff!
Markers for your whiteboard – get quality markers in a variety of colors.
Items to keep you healthy and protected– Hand sanitizer (get some good-smelling ones from Bath and body works) and a face mask.
Sticky notes, either digital or paper, to keep all of those thoughts organized
Highlighters with purposes for each color. Think about how you can use highlighters to make your teaching job easier regarding organization content.
Coffee cup and travel mug - we have to have our teacher fuel!
A copy of EduMagic Shine On a Guide for new teachers, of course!
Bonus resources
Happy teaching, and continue to make the magic happen!
Hannah and Sam
Hannah Sansom is a dear friend and co-author of EduMagic Shine On. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Don’t forget to check out her website