What You're Forgetting on Your Back to School Checklist

Hello friends!
If you are like me, you have your back to school checklist and are gearing up for back to school! Ideas, lesson plans, classroom arrangement, planning, and all the like are buzzing around your mind! While you are planning, don't forget to include this idea on your back to school checklist....

Your Teacher Emergency Kit!

A teacher emergency kit should include things that will rule out predicaments at school. I know that some teachers make long commutes to work and do not have access to some of these items if they are left at home and they are not with you in your purse or car. 

 Now, obviously, some of these items are "no-brainers", but the goal of this post is to help you be prepared when it comes to taking care of yourself and be convenient for you at school. I know that sometimes when back to school season hits, it comes very fast and some things tend to get dropped or forgotten! Start prepping now! :)

*The items in this post are just items I  already had or found for very cheap in places such as the dollar store. I am not a representative for any of these companies or products.*

The good part about putting together a kit is that most of us probably have lots of these items on hand already. If not, travel sizes are available in most of these items. I also like this idea because then my purse is not SUPER heavy having to keep these things in case I need them!

The items I have included in my lifesaver emergency teacher kit are:

Chapstick- Have you ever checked your purse and your favorite chapstick was not there and your lips are ready to fall apart because they are so dry?! If you have never experienced this, lucky you! It's TERRIBLE. Keeping an extra chapstick that stays at school ensures that there will be one there whenever your lips are calling for help!

Lotion- I don't know about you, but the same thing happens to my hands. I find myself wanting lotion on my hands and arms at school. I'm out of luck of I have taken the bottle out of my purse!

Deodorant - I'm pretty sure we have all been there--standing by a student or lifting your arm to take a bite of your lunch and your nostrils flare. "IS THAT ME?" Keeping a deodorant at school has kept me feeling fresh all day long. Usually this is not an item I carry with me in my purse because of the Texas heat so if I were at school and started to feel "less than fresh", I was out of luck! I had been using natural deodorant because others have toxic chemicals, unfortunately, the natural deodorants just don't work as well! Sometimes I will bring my work out gear to school and head straight to the gym before I lose motivation. Keeping deodorant and putting on a fresh layer before the gym is also more comforting :)

A small sewing kit- I received a small sewing kit in a basket that one of my student's parents put together this past year. I have not had one of these in my "kit" as of yet, however, I think this will be a good item to keep on hand, just in case!

 Contacts- If you wear contacts, you may feel my pain about them. There are mornings that my contacts just do not want to focus or they don't go in as well as other days. Whether that be because you need to change them out or they have a tear, it's just not comfortable! I keep an extra pair of my prescription contacts in the kit in case I ever have one of those days! I label each contact with an "R" or "L" sticker so I don't forget which is which! Keeping an extra contact case on hand is also a good idea!

Contact Solution-- If you are having trouble with your contacts, or you need to put in your fresh pair, you will want contact solution in your "kit" as well. Water is never a good idea to use when putting in contacts!

Feminine Products- Obviously, you know why this is a good addition to your teacher kit!

Shout Wipes- I've not yet placed this in my teacher toolkit yet. I got a small pack of these in the same teacher appreciation basket as the sewing kit. I don't know why I have never carried these! Sometimes when I am rushing to work, I eat my breakfast in the car or slurp my coffee or tea. If you are like me, more times than not, some ends up on your shirt and you are stuck with ugly spots on you the rest of the day. Hoping these will help this problem this year!

 Mints- Coffee breath anyone?

Emergen-C/Vitamin C- "Good Morning Mrs. Coutouzis!" *COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH* -Cue sanitizer-
I don't know about you, but I DO NOT like to be absent. I do NOT like making sub plans and if I have to be gone I find myself wondering "What are my students doing? Did I leave enough work?!" When you feel yourself on the verge of sickness, grab one of these out of your toolkit! (I did not have any "Emercen-C" on hand so I pictured my Vitamin C capsules which could also work!)

Tylenol/Advil/Aleve( Whatever your preference) - Headache/Cramps

Midol- Cramps

Sanitizer- We use sanitizer like crazy in the classroom. Hopefully you never run out, but there is always a chance! It's also a great idea to have extra band-aids on hand as well as cleaning wipes.

Perfume/Body Spray: In case you need to refresh! Also, like I mentioned before, I will sometimes head to the gym after work and this is nice to have on hand!

Wet wipes- Always good to have on hand! You could use these to get the marker off your hand that I'm sure every teacher has almost everyday!

Hair ties- I am ALWAYS losing hair ties and have a hard time finding them when I need them! If they are in your kit then you are good to go!

Lint Roller- We are teachers. We do glitter. We do cotton balls, you name it!

Cough Drops- These are nice to have on hand if you feel as though you are losing your voice, feeling a cold coming on, or suffering from allergies!

Would you add anything else? Add your suggestions in the comments!

I hope that this post finds you well and helps in your back to school planning! Take some time to think about yourself and be prepared! Nothing is worse than having to go through the whole day worried about something else and not being able to do anything about it. We all know that we are not able to be the best teachers we can be if we have something else on our mind.

Obviously, just make sure to keep your teacher toolkit somewhere where your students will not have access to it if you are including medicine and personal items.

This may be something you would like to gift to other teammates or to your child's teacher! Obviously, you would not need to include ALL of the items ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

 Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.”