The Classroom Items You Don’t Know You Need (Until It’s Too Late)

Many teachers start preparing their classrooms for the fall at the beginning of summer. That way they don’t have to worry about it when school starts up again. You might be packing things up, tossing what you don’t think you need, or borrowing good classroom items from your colleagues. Here’s what you should be looking for, including some surprising uses for common items.

Any plastic boxes and bins you can get your hands on

You can never have too many places to stash and organize. Small drawers can be used for school supplies or even board game pieces when the boxes wear out. Large bins, tilted sideways, make great shelves for binders, books, or any other large items.

Compressed air cans

So many small things can get into computer keyboards, not to mention the constant dust. Blow out your electronics once when you leave for the summer and then again when you come back.

Unconventional seating

Many of today’s classroom strategies call for students to be able to move around and work collaboratively. To help that along, acquire any pillows, comfortable chairs, and even couches you can find.

Paper shredder

Some sensitive information crosses your desk. Not only that, but shredded paper takes up far less space than paper that’s been balled up, which means less chance of the recycle bin overflowing.