I am linking up with Blog Hoppin for a fun 'Teacher Week' of linky blog posts!
For 'Must Have Monday' I have come up with a couple of things I could not live without as a teacher! It was hard to narrow down, and I really had to think about things that I use here at home, as I am on leave at the moment and all my 'classroom' stuff is packed neatly away.
I cannot function without Post-it notes, both in the classroom and at home when I am doing my documentation. I love all sorts and colours and especially love the 'pop up' notes, which go in a dispenser, like the apple one shown here. I will do a post one day on a million and one ways to use them in the classroom... I think I have covered them all at one time or another!
My 'binder' is my other great love. Yes, hubby is number one, binder number two... he he.
I LOVE to bind everything! Don't get me wrong, I love a loose leaf folder, and have everything in folders while I am using them in the classroom. At the end of each term (ten weeks), I get everything out of the folder, run it through the photocopier (to keep a school copy) and then bind myself a copy to keep at home.
You see, after 12 years of teaching I was beginning to run out of room to keep binders... just too many and TOOOOOO heavy! And DO NOT get me started on how they flip flop all over the shelf. I got my binder and all the binding equipment from Officeworks. It was what I tell my husband is a BWI. A Big WISE Investment. He he!
I line up all my bound-documents in magazine holders that I got from the delicious kikki K! I like to access my programs, planners and assessment documentation from past years.
My local Westfield has a kikki K and I beg ask nicely for gift vouchers off family for my birthdays and Christmas. These holders are so pretty, they are a nice teal green colour that didn't show up nice on my phone camera. You can fill them up, and spin them around to reveal this nice plain tall side, so your study looks organised and not all cluttered up with flippy floppy folders ;)
As you can see, there is a little tab on the front. I record the year and pop all my bound-up books in there. I have 12 so far, one for each year of teaching, but I will eventually pack some away as I usually only refer to the last couple of years.
Here is how they look when you spin them back to see the books...As you can see I bind everything from the end of term in a separate book and label it with my label maker. One for my day planner, one for my program, one for my assessment, and one called 'communication' when I am on a job share. It is much easier to cart around four bound books than four big leaver arch folders.
Here is one of my programs from last year. In my program are very detailed units of work for each key learning area and links back to our curriculum documents. A program is like a very detailed day planner.
Another MUST HAVE for me is a set of carry cases (again, from Officeworks). I store all my laminated games and centre activities in these. I am slowly developing one for each strand of English and Mathematics. I like them because they hold enough to cover a unit of work, but not too much to cause an injury when you lift them! The boxes I had previously were just getting way too heavy and awkward to manoeuvre. I keep these at home, as all these resources I have made with items I have purchased myself. I also would just not have the storage room in a classroom for them. I just take into the classroom the activities I need for the week or fortnight.
Inside these carry cases are Marbig document wallets. I like them because they do not have a button or a zip, so they lie very flat against one another. I can then fit more in the carry case! Each document wallet has the equipment for a game or centre activity.
If you would like to see more Teacher Must Haves - hop on over to Blog Hoppin and check out the linky party!