Back to School is here! And with that, all the planning that comes along with it. But don’t forget to plan for yourself too! Anticipate some of your needs and put together a teacher emergency kit for yourself.
As teachers, we often think about prep for the year solely based on our new students. I also like to prep for myself. I know myself pretty well, and sometimes I will just forget to do part of my morning routine, or I’ll have a mishap at school and need a replacement. An emergency kit helps to alleviate some of my stress related to unexpected events.
Essentially, I place a basket by my front door every summer to serve as my emergency kit. Anything I buy for the upcoming school year goes into that basket. On the first teacher’s day back to school, I bring that basket to school with me. BOOM. I’ve got all of my supplies ready to go.
You can also make a running list of the things you think you’ll need and then go on a big shopping trip/amazon spree. I’ve just found that getting things as I think of them is better for me. But no matter how you do it, you’ll thank yourself when you need that teacher emergency kit.
What’s in my teacher emergency kit?
These items are in no particular order. But I like to have all of them on hand. I’ll explain each one and maybe even share a tale of woe or two for the occasions when I didn’t have them.
Deodorant
Not gonna lie; sometimes, I run out the door without deodorant on. I don’t mean to! But mornings can get a little hectic, and anything that varies from my normal routine can throw the whole thing off. In my first couple of years of teaching, I forgot regularly enough to leave a deodorant bar in my classroom closet. It saved me at least once a week from being that smelly teacher. Deodorant is always the first thing I put in my teacher emergency kit.
Shoes
Having extra shoes can help you in various ways. Most of the year, I wear Birkenstocks to school. They are the only shoes that cradle my footbed properly and prevent my feet from feeling sore. However, Birkenstocks are not appropriate for the lab. So, I have a pair of lab shoes I can slip into on lab days. Now I’m following Lab Safety Protocol, just like I expect my kiddos to.
These shoes don’t have to be fancy. They can be an old pair of running shoes or a cheap pair of slip-ons from Walmart. Having a pair of shoes can also come in handy if you wear a new pair of shoes to school that ends up being not so comfortable. Switch ‘em out and save your feet the pain.
Socks
Sometimes my room is super cold, and my sandaled feet can’t handle it. Sometimes it’s so hot that my feet sweat through the socks that I’m wearing. And sometimes, I need to put on that extra pair of shoes and a pair of socks to go with them. Whatever the reason, having a pair of socks on hand has been helpful. I rarely use them, but I like having them stashed in my teacher’s closet just in case.
Antacid
This was a big one for me while I was pregnant. I never really had acid reflux before I was pregnant, but I popped one daily while growing my tiny human. I still keep a bottle in my desk and have actually had to take a couple here and there when I have a particularly spicy lunch. Antacids are a must for my teacher emergency kit!
Pain reliever
Pick your poison. Or all of the poisons. Whatever you use to ease your pain, bring some of that (not alcohol, though, sorry). I have a bottle of ibuprofen handy for those sudden migraines. But you’ll need some those first few days when your body readjusts to being on your feet for 7-8 hours straight.
Cash
You don’t need much cash but have a couple of bills, or some change squared away. This cash can get you a caffeine fix from a vending machine, a ticket for a student event, or possibly purchase a jeans day. Skipping this one shouldn’t put you in a fix, but it’s a great addition to any teacher emergency kit.
Snacks
Have you ever woken up so late you didn’t have time to eat breakfast or pack your lunch? I have. Keeping a stash of granola or protein bars has saved my students from experiencing hangry Mrs. McDillon.
Mints
I eat a lot of garlic… So this one is sort of self-explanatory. But did you know that peppermint can also calm a nauseous stomach? Yep.
Cough drops
Your throat is going to get soar. Whether it’s from talking so much that you almost lose your voice or from battling all those germs your students are bringing into your classroom. Have some cough drops ready to go to make it through those soar throat days.
Hand sanitizer
Clean your hands people! Teachers don’t always get the time to run to the restroom to wash their hands. Luckily my classroom has a sink where I can wash my hands. In other classrooms, I’ve relied on hand sanitizer to keep me germ-free.
Lotion
All that hand washing and sanitizer can be harsh for your skin. I keep a bottle of lotion on my desk. I also allow students to use this lotion, which they appreciate.
Feminine products
Whether these are for you or your menstruating students, having a stash of pads and tampons is a good idea. I keep them in my teacher closet. I’m ready if I or any of my students unexpectedly need them.
Side note: other than the teacher emergency kit, I think feminine products are great to have on hand anyway. As I said, you can provide them to your students if they start their period at school or if they run out of supplies while at school. This product can go a long way to building trust with your menstruating students. So I suggest that male and female teachers have a small, “public” stash of feminine products.
Phone charger
I keep a USB-C cord at my desk for my cell phone. Sometimes I forget to hook it up the night before, and I don’t want to be without it for the day. I plug it in and forget about it.
Band-Aids
Your school should provide you with a classroom first aid kit. But I’ve found that they don’t put enough band-aids in those kids, so I like to keep a big box on hand. I’ve had the same large box of assorted band-aids for two years. I also buy, from time to time, the small boxes of cartoony band-aids from the Target Dollar Spot. They are fun, and the kids get a kick out of them.
Toothbrush + Toothpaste
Just like deodorant… sometimes I forget to brush my teeth. Also, you’ll need to brush after lunch if you have braces. You could keep your dental care items in your bag, but I just like to keep a travel toothbrush and toothpaste in my classroom.
Spoon, fork, knife
You need to be able to eat the food you bring. Will you remember to put a utensil in your lunch box every morning? I don’t, so I keep a set of utensils at school in my desk.
Hair Accessories
Teaching is not a sedentary profession. You are going to be moving. A lot. And sometimes, you’ll be moving around in a building where the air conditioning is busted. Throw a backup hair tie in your desk for when you inevitably get overheated. Short hair? What item do you use to get the hair out of your face? Throw a cheap one of those in your desk.
Stain remover
Guess what? You might spill something on your shirt. No worries. You have a tide pen from your teacher emergency kit to save the day!
Sweater
Is your building super cold? Mine is. And I don’t have enough sweaters to match all of my outfits. Instead, I have a sweater that lives at school. I bring it home every couple of weeks for a wash. Normally, this sweater hangs on the back of my chair.
Change of Clothes
I hope you never need this. But… what if an experiment goes wrong and you ruin your clothes? You can either
a) continue wearing them
b) borrow clothing from the nurse
c) change into a set of your own clothes
I choose option C. I have a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants in my teacher closet, just in case. I’ve never used them, but I like knowing I’ll never need to borrow clothes from the nurse.
And yes, I’ve needed a change of clothes and not had them. A water pipe burst in a storage closet, and I helped clear the space. I didn’t get completely soaked, so I stayed in my clothes. I was miserable. Another teacher, who did get soaked, got to sport the oversized clothing from the clinic.
Brush or comb
You may not need a brush if you have super short hair, but mine is past my shoulders. The wind can tangle up my strands in the fall and spring on the short walk from my car to the building. So I have a brush stashed in my teacher closet to untangle it and look professional again quickly.
Eye drops
Wearing contacts dries out my eyes. I mostly wear glasses, but on the days I wear contacts I usually have to use eye drops by 5th period. Why do I wear contacts then? I don’t know. Sometimes I like to switch things up.
Where do I put all of this stuff?
I have a couple of spots where I stash things:
Teacher Desk
In the bottom drawer of my desk, I place a small basket with things I’d like to be able to get to quickly. Things that don’t necessarily need to be private, like contact solution, snacks, cough drops, cash, etc.
Teacher Cabinet
I keep my shoes, socks, change of clothes, ibuprofen, etc. in my teacher cabinet because I can lock it. Try to find a lockable place for anything you don’t want your students to have access to. If you don’t have a lockable space, bring your own. They do make lockable tubs that you can stash under your desk.
Where do you keep your teacher essentials? Do you have one designated space in your room for your stuff or mini stashes everywhere?
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