A- Apples! Now you might be thinking that you will receive all of the apples in the world, but that is not what I am talking about! I am talking about the apple decor that you will see everywhere and think is the cutest thing ever (and they kind of are). Make sure you pick out one or two that are cute and then pass on the rest, you will receive many gifts from your students that you will want to display.
B- Bags! You will need bags for all of the things. They help keep together little manipulatives. They work for teeth that fall out, jewelry that breaks, talking things home, and where I live wet snow clothes. So just get yourself some bags, I put sandwich size and gallon size on my school supply list.
C- Clorox Wipes! These are amazing, from cleaning up paint and spills. I also use them if I have noticed sniffles or had kids that were sick. It is nice to know you are wiping away some of the germs.
D- Dice! They can be used for math, word work, grouping students, telling how many of something your students need to do. They work for a random number, but you still get some control over it.
E- Erasers! I do not know about you but I cannot stand the sound of erasing when there is no eraser left on a pencil. Therefore, I have big pink erasers and cap erasers for my students to use. It helps my sanity.
F- Fan! I do not know about you, but my school does not have air conditioning. That means having a fan in the room even if it is a small one makes things a little more bearable on some of those hot days.
G- Glue! All different types of glue, but there are also times you need to just break out the hot glue. If you are trying to glue pipe cleaners, beads, google eyes, etc. Save yourself the trouble and break out the hot glue gun and glue it for the students. This saves you listening to them wine.
H- Humor! Learn to laugh at yourself when you mess up. Tell your students funny things! Laugh when they do something funny. Those couple minutes of laughter will lift everyone's mood and build relationships.
I- Independence! It is okay for you to tell your students they can do something by themselves if it is realistic. It will save you so many headaches. You will also be helping them, in the long run, learn to do things by themselves.
J- Joy! Do not forget your why. Remember why you wanted to become a teacher. You will need it on some of the hard days. It will keep the joy in your teacher life.
K- Kindness! It is important to model kindness for your students. Saying excuse me or apologizing. When they see you do it, they know that it is not just something adults say.
L- Lesson Planner! Find a lesson planner that is cute and functional. It will help you want to look at it and read it. Ultimately no one can gift this to you as a surprise. You need to do the research and see what will fit you the best.
M- Minutes! It is okay to take a minute and pull yourself together. Take a deep breath. Turn off the lights and tell your students you are all going to sit quietly for a moment.
N- Notes! Write down everything or you will forget. Sometimes you need to remember something and then 3 students come to you with emergencies. Write even the smallest things down.
O- Organization! This is kind of like the planner. You need to figure out what will keep you organized and keep everything straight. You will have papers, manipulatives, and everything else you can imagine.
P- Pencils! Buy extra pencils. I do not know about you but my pencil sharpener is only allowed to be used until we start our first lesson of the day. I cannot deal with the sound all the time. Therefore, I bought some pencils with my own money and keep them sharpened for when one breaks.
Q- Quizzes! Not real quizzes, but you might need those too. My students love Kahoots! They are so engaged and I can even sneak in some math review.
R- Read Alouds! I do not care what age you teach. Try to find some time in your day to read to your students they love it.
S- Scissors! Invest in a good pair! It will be oh so worth it.
T- Tape! There is a time when glue does not just cut it.
U- Understanding! Sometimes you need to ask questions to understand where your students are coming from. They will suddenly say something and a light bulb will come on and you will get exactly what you are going to talk about.
V- Videos! Find educational clips. They are an instant engagement strategy. Bonus if there is a song. Students learn songs and never forget them.
W- Whiteboard Markers! Never turn down a whiteboard marker. You will use them all the time and it is important when your students can read what you are writing.
X- eXcitement! This may be cheating a little. But bring excitement into what you are doing it can turn the most dare I say boring lessons around.
Y- You! You are your students teacher and they love you. Share things about yourself, they will never forget! Also whatever you find cool and nice your students will take an interest in. Being yourself will be the way to make a connection with your students and to get them to buy in.
Z- Zzzz! Do not forget to take care of yourself and get rest. You can not be on top of your game if you are exhausted. In this one I will also include eat well, exercise, and make time in your schedule for self can even if it is only ten minutes.
