10/18/2024
It's Fall Break and I was spending some time this evening straightening up the space around my favorite chair in our living room. As I was organizing some items that had migrated to that space, it got me thinking about my favorite teacher things…and maybe even some of my favorite non-teacher things. Here’s my list of things I love and give me joy when I use them. These are not ranked in any order. I have included links where you can purchase my favorite things online.
These pens and pencils are my favorites. I love the way they feel and how my handwriting looks when I use them. I really love the white gel pens with the rose gold clips and black ink the best. They look really pretty. When I’m using the Tul pens or Tul mechanical pencils, it feels like I’m using a high quality product. These pens and mechanical pencils are not cheap but this is one of those examples in life that you get what you pay for.
These pens and pencils are my favorites. I love the way they feel and how my handwriting looks when I use them. I really love the white gel pens with the rose gold clips and black ink the best. They look really pretty. When I’m using the Tul pens or Tul mechanical pencils, it feels like I’m using a high quality product. These pens and mechanical pencils are not cheap but this is one of those examples in life that you get what you pay for.
Like their pens, I just love how these feel. They're comfortable to write. They're durable. They feel like a much higher quality than cheaper brands I have used over the years.
I’m not brand specific here. I love that I can throw this in my bag and then set it up like a pen cup when I get to wherever I’m going. It’s so handy to take to meetings, team planning, and when I want to grade or take notes in a different part of my house than our home office. I keep a small pair of scissors, some pens, a mechanical pencil, and some highlights in mine.
It took me so long and so much research both in person and online to decide on a backpack that I could use as my teacher bag. I wanted something that was functional, would last several years, had some pockets for organizing, had a side pocket for a water bottle or umbrella, and looked nice. I finally settled on the Fjallraven Kanken 17” laptop backpack in a dark gray color. I loved it so much that I bought a mini Kanken in black and another in fog. I use the mini Kanken backpacks as purses. I love that I can toss them in the washing machine to clean them up.
40 Ounce Stanley Tumbler with Handle
I was using cheap non brand Tumblers with handles until I got my Stanley as a Christmas gift from my husband. It keeps my water cold all day long. The handle is comfortable to hold and carry it around. One of the teachers I work with calls her Stanley tumbler her emotional support water bottle. I feel this way about mine too. You will rarely see me without mine. If I’m not carrying it around, it’s always in the same general location as me. It’s on my desk at school each day, in the car with me no matter how short the drive is, and it’s on my nightstand when I go to bed each night. I wash it daily and use a long skinny bottle brush to thoroughly clean the straw.
Along with my Stanley, I rarely travel without my iPad. I use the Goodnotes app to take notes and to keep a digital planner. I use my iPad to help me with so much of my productivity and time management. I have the 11" iPad Air.
I love these especially when I have a ton of laminating to cut out. I told my husband that I really wanted these because I said, "I could cut a bunch." Apparently I didn't annunciate and he thought I said something else. I'm not going to write what he thought I said, but it would have been completely out of character for me to say something like that. We still laugh about that.
I have a personal laminator at school and one at home...okay, 2 at home. It saves time to have 2 laminators going at the same time. I like the larger ones that can handle 11 x 17' laminating sheets. This way if I am using the 8.5 x 11" sheets (which is what I am usually using) they don't get crumbled if I don't put the page in perfectly straight.
Plastic Candy Jars
I keep dice in one, clear colored plastic counters in one, and plastic coins in the third container.
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