Back To School Essentials For Teachers

Yahoo Life

Tabatha Wesley a teacher of 13 years gives her tips and products for a smooth transition into this new school year.

Video Transcript

TABATHA WESLEY: Back to school can be super overwhelming for teachers. So in hopes to help you make that smooth transition back into the classroom, I have some tried-and-true products that I've used for years and I hope you can find useful as well.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So one of the things that really helps pace your day is having a timer in your classroom. And one of my favorites is this one.

[SHUTTER SOUND]

This is my big red timer. A lot of times, when teachers set time expectations for students, it's like, OK, work for five minutes, and then we'll get back to it. But no one's actually holding them accountable for that time.

Another product that really helps me pace my day is a doorbell.

[SHUTTER SOUND]

[BELL RINGING]

I am obsessed with this doorbell because it allows me to transition students, whether it's a callback or a clap. Sometimes it's nice to switch it up and have some loud doorbell that gets their attention and keeps them moving throughout the day.

This is usually my holy grail.

[SHUTTER SOUND]

Get yourself one of these clipboards. I swear by these because I can keep up with all the papers that people are handing me. Or even notes from parents go inside here. This kind of follows me throughout the whole year and becomes the keeper of all important things.

Another essential that I wouldn't start the school year without is my tried-and-true pencil sharpener.

[SHUTTER SOUND]

Y'all, there are lots of pencil sharpeners out there, but this one is the one that I have used for probably a decade. It's strong and it's heavy duty, and it has a big can. So it is something that I don't have to change throughout the day. I would recommend this one.

OK. So one of the newest things that I have brought into my classroom is a cordless hot glue gun.

[SHUTTER SOUND]

Y'all, these things are so phenomenal. Honestly, I'm usually tripping over cords or stretching myself farther than I should to put posters up. And so this guy, this is it.

My biggest tip is, it's all about relationships. You're going to have time to teach and time to test and time to review, but kids will only give you their time if you pour into them first.

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