Your top teacher purchases - retail therapy

[SenoraSurf]

What are your favourite, top purchases over the years that have made your teaching life better?
The gloomy weather has lead me into an internet shopping/browsing frenzy and I've ended up looking at those little cases on wheels that the supply teachers at my school always use...

My top purchase was my own PowerPoint clicker and a funky flint and steel for my lanyard for lighting bunsens --(obviously a science teacher).

This year I have a little hand sanitizer bottle that fits on my lanyard and can be refilled. Amazon.

Gin

Wide necked food flask that you can take pre heated food in and not waste time at lunch heating it up.

Various travel mugs
A lanyard thing with elastic attached to the id card so it's easier to swipe entry
Emergency biscuits box

Uniqlo down coat with a big collar, fleece lined pockets and long enough to cover my bum - essential for winter playground duty.

I’ve bought myself a visualiser this year so whilst running between zones I don’t have to carry piles of textbooks as well as my laptop, planner and all personal possessions.

Last year I bought myself a granny shopping trolley for taking books home and back. I may have to upgrade to one that can handle stairs this year as I’m going to be up and down them all day.

I jokingly suggested I might have to buy a catheter and bag system for September. Will probably settle for nappies lol. Oh and a hip flask may become essential

At the start of lockdown my mum received 200+ adult nappies that were not for her. They're still here. I feel I might get more use out of them than her.

I bought my department a guillotine to save us having to run to the school office constantly. It's definitely been a wise purchase.

Now going to have to try very hard not to use the comments about nappies & catheters on INSET day

If you have a laptop and need to use it a lot, a laptop riser, and usb keyboard and mouse.

Water pistol filled with detol for when I go back

I’ve given in and bought a home printer. It has been great going in this week with everything I need.

I’ve also become a massive fan of frozen fruit. It’s all prechopped, just put it in a tupperware and ready to eat by break.

Maybe we could buy our own Perspex screens like shop assistants have

To cheer us up

And my current favourite:

Chilly's water bottle
Chilly's food flask
Lanyard pens (finally bought these. Tenner well spent I'd say for a pack of them)
Lanyard hand sanitiser bottle

My own laminator and trimmer - have saved me so much time.

I miss the days of reprographics departments who, given 5 days notice would resize, photocopy, turn things into booklets and laminate and cut card sort type resources.

Don’t know if it’s just the school I’m at but it’s all very DIY now. Often find myself photocopying and cutting things out and thinking £25 ph hour is a lot to pay someone for this task.

Is it just my school?

For the first time in my career I have bought a set of self inking stamps that say things like, “great effort” and “good job”.

There’s going to be so little room for side chats and quiet one on one encouragement stuck at the front of the room with 30 teenagers who’ve been sat in the same room all day.

Not sure what marking is going to look like but coloured stamps and high praise is the least I can do for those who manage to focus amidst chaos and get on with the work.

I also intend to do a lot more calling or emailing parents where kids are doing well. And whether the school likes it or not I may regress to my early days and use having music on in the background to reward/encourage independent work.

We have an AMAZING repro lady. When I'm feeling mega stressed, I go and help her laminate stuff because she hates it. Some staff aren't suitably grateful for her, and sons of them find their stuff at the bottom of the pile.

I love our IT support guys mrshamlet. They have a nice room with a kettle that they always offer to put on. When superstressed I make up a laptop problem or a can you explain x type issue and go to see them. They give me tea and talk about geeky non teacher type stuff and don’t talk to you like you’re an errant teenager or try to dump more work on you.

Helping laminate sounds nice.

If you fancy a trip to the frozen north, you can come and help me laminate :)
My top secret hidey hole is the finance office. Everyone thinks he's a grump (he is) but he's got a door that locks and a kettle, and he's always got snacks.

@MrsHamlet

If you fancy a trip to the frozen north, you can come and help me laminate :) My top secret hidey hole is the finance office. Everyone thinks he's a grump (he is) but he's got a door that locks and a kettle, and he's always got snacks.

may take you up on that.

The best slt member I worked with (and taught his clever rebellious son) was an ex coach driver whose top tip was never to socialise with teachers. He still went out drinking with his coach driver mates. He was great and one of those beacons of sanity.

A 'mighty mug' travel flask that you can't knock over.

A wireless keyboard mouse.

A multipack of raisin packets and other grabbable snacks to hide in a cupboard in my classroom - for those missed lunches, parent consultations, overrunning meetings and sharing with my TAs....

Last year,I bought a wheelie bag - best thing ever! No more lugging heavy bags for me

I am considering some stamps for when I am circulating and live marking. I could spend my entire salary on stationery

I was given a "what the fuck" stamp once. It would be a good test to see if anyone reads what I put in the books.