Hello friends, I have some super-exciting news! Last week was the week of accomplishments! First, I finished up our downstairs unit and we passed our lead inspection! We are ready for renters and I am ready to lay down my paintbrush and power tools for awhile! Yay! The inspector rescheduled for a day earlier than we were expecting him and that caused quite a bit of panic. But, I busted my hump and finished 5 minutes before he got there! Talk about a close call!

Second, after a year of substitute teaching, I had an interview this week and was offered a position teaching US History and Consumer Economics at the high school five minutes from my house! I am beyond excited. Moving was hard last year because I left a school I had been teaching at for ten years and struggled to find a job in my new state. But, next week it’s back to school for me! So, now I am really seriously gearing with back to school prep!

Teachers, I see so many posts out there about how to prepare your kids to return to school, but what about us, huh? What supplies do teachers need heading back to school and what lunch back to school prep can you start now? Today I’m sharing my Back to School Prep for Teachers!

First, we need basic supplies too! Here’s what’s on my list this year (and almost every year).

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Teacher Back To School Prep: Supply List

Post-It Notes – Seriously, I use these on everything from notes to myself to checklists for grading and sort games for my students. These are a MUST HAVE (preferably in TONS of colors!). Can we all just take a moment to gaze lovingly at these babies?! I’m totally seeing the ability to separate stacks of grading by class and list on there what I need to do with each stack!

Pens – Each of us has our own favorites.  I am obsessed with these because they’re very inky and write so smoothly!

Binder Clips – These things are golden.For some people, folders work really well. For me, even within folders I find I need to clip things together and most of the time paper-clips aren’t large enough to clip all my grading (*sigh*). Enter binder clips. These are my faves. These look adorable!

File Jackets – This is one of those odd things that I love that I have to replace every few years. I staple them to my walls/bulletin boards and use them to hold folders of worksheets and things I’ll need in the lesson. I hate when my front table gets cluttered up so this is a way that I organize.

Pastel Cardstock – Why pastel cardstock? I use this for signs, name cards, station numbers and plickers (seriously…check them out) so it’s better for me to have a lighter color so that printed or written materials are able to show up against the color.

Now…the rest of these are not purchases I make every year but are things I have learned that I need to have for school.

A solid bag to tote home grading – It must be wide enough to hold a lot of “stuff” but have pockets for charging chord, pens and pencils, and mouse. Super cute | Can fit so much!

Desk Lamp  – Classroom lighting is often not good enough when I’m grading. My desk lamp is a must-have 1) so the nice, bright light can keep me awake and 2) to see better while I’m grading (it helps to decipher that illegible scrawl that I have to read daily!)

Phone charger – this is a new one for me. I actually don’t have one, but I’m looking for one! As educational apps become more significant (these are my favorites! Kahoot | Plickers ), I find I use my phone a lot more during the day. I don’t always have an outlet close to my desk and don’t want the chord to hang across a walk-way. So, a phone charger it is!

Teacher Back to School Prep: Lunch and Dinner

One of the best decisions I have made in recent years when it comes to balancing out my life is to use a meal-plan service. I have written about my favorite before (here), and I have tried many options. Cooksmarts is my absolute favorite. I pick the meals I want for the week, whether I want a vegetarian, paleo or regular option (great for my husband and I since he is vegetarian and we tend to eat Paleo for more protein and fewer carbs), and it generates a grocery list based on the choices I made. It doesn’t get rid of the need for grocery shopping but it saves SO much time. I don’t have to search through cookbooks or make sure that I am using similar ingredients (rather than that 1/2 an onion that just doesn’t get used). So, make a smart choice this school year and save yourself some time with a meal plan. Then you can spend more time with your family and less time planning meals! (note: This is not sponsored. I just LOVE this service.)

Now…lunches. Since I use a meal plan for dinner, I often want to use the leftovers for dinner the next night. That means I either need to make a little more to give myself leftovers for lunch the next day or, as I eventually chose, I need to find another option for lunches.

My absolute favorite school lunch is mason jar salads. There are a TON of recipes on Pinterest. I gather everything together on Sunday evening and make my lunches for the week! All I have to do each day is dump the salad into my handy bowl and enjoy! This means no worrying throughout the week over what I’m going to eat! The mason jar keeps the salad crisp all the way until Friday! No joke! They’re amazing! Plus, it’s a really easy way for me to stay on budget and eat healthy.

Teacher Back To School Prep: Teacher Lunch Box Notes

Now, as I wrap this up I have something fun for you! One thing I have seen a lot of when it comes to school lunches is that apparently it’s a thing to send a little note in the lunch bag! I didn’t even know that was a thing! As I read down through printable options I thought to myself…you know, maybe the teacher needs a little pick-me-up throughout the day! One of my former colleagues was always telling me, “You’re not gypping them” and I needed to hear it. So, I give you: Free Printable Lunch Box Notes for the Teacher.

Now, these are made to be printed on post-it notes because…come on, we all know teachers are a little obsessed with office supplies. It just makes sense! So, if you want to print your own pick-me-up, or have a spouse who teaches, get the free printable Teacher Lunch Notes here!

What do you think? What’s on your supply list for back to school prep? And even more important, what message would you like to read in your teacher lunch box?

Please forgive the length of this post! I missed both posts last week so I had a lot to say! Thanks so much for visiting! You are appreciated!

-Virginia

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