Five for Friday: Teacher Must-Haves

Hello!  I'm linking up with DoodleBugs teaching again for Five for Friday!

I want to shift toward a different focus for today's post.  Today, I'm writing about my five teacher must-haves!  

This first thing that I can't live without is my bag from 6 Pack Bags.  This bag takes me from home, to work, to the gym and everywhere in between with healthy food, great insulation and room for anything else that I need to carry around.  Plus, it's cute and always trendy.  I have the Renee tote in red.  I get tons of compliments on it!

The back of the bag opens to store your meals.  The top holds two ice packs and the sleeve on the bottom part that zips open holds another large ice pack.  Translation...frozen meals can stay frozen in here with all of the insulation and room for ice packs!  There's mesh net on the part that zips down for you to store your other items.

 Inside, you'll find a sleeve area to slip in your laptop.  There's also a supplement pill container that fits in the side pocket, a place for your cell phone and enough space to keep your wallet or whatever else you need.  I keep a small wristlet inside of the top part.  That way, if I'm just running into the store and I don't want to lug the entire bag, I can take out my wristlet and I'm ready to go...with both hands free.  I use a wristlet from Baggalini, which is a favorite brand of mine!

Look how cute it is from the front view?  I keep smaller pouches inside of the top zipper which hold my gym items (headphones, lock, etc) and the very front zippers are usually empty.  There are also pockets on each side for you to slide in items that you need quick access to.  

Isn't it pretty?  It's functional too!  This bag really helps me stay healthy on the go with the busy lifestyle of a teacher.  I can't live without it!

My second must-have item is MAC's Prep and Prime Highlighter and under eye concealer.  For those who don't know (which is probably everyone), I've freelanced as a makeup artist for years and I'm still employed with the brand as a freelance artist.  I will not try to hide the fact that I am a MAC girl through and through.  However, let me tell you...this under eye highlighter is amazing.  We all know that teachers never get enough sleep and tend to have dark under eye circles.  This under eye concealer is easy to brush on and pat out with your fingertips.  I also use it all over my eyelid as an eye base because I am super lazy in the mornings.  The shade that you need depends on your skin tone and I recommend asking someone at the MAC store or MAC counter.  I use Radiant Rose.  If you're extra fair skinned...go with that one.  It's just right.  Basically, I brush this under my eyes in the morning, pat it out and then look instantly more vibrant and awake.  It doesn't crease and has a great long wear for our long hours!

My third teacher must-have is Scentsy!  Seriously.  I always have a Scentsy warmer (or two) on in my classroom.  First, they're adorable.  You can match them with pretty much any classroom decor.  Second, they make your room smell great and you're certain to get compliments from people who come in to visit.  Also, I've noticed that when I warm relaxing scents, the behavior in my classroom changes for the better.  Who wouldn't want that?  I have a bright green one and red one in my room right now.  My favorite scents to burn are baking-related scents...apple pie, cupcakes, etc.  Yum!

How cute is this warmer of the month, by the way?  

What a great way to add seasonal decor to your classroom as well.

My number four spot goes to Sharpie Chisel Tip markers.  I spent years searching for the best chart marker.  I hate when they start drying out and your posters look boring.  I felt that pens either dried out too fast, had too fine of a tip, were too broad of a tip, etc.  When I finally tried Sharpie Chisel Tip markers, it was life-changing.  I teach using a lot of GLAD strategies so I'm constantly making posters.  I've had Sharpie markers for years and they're still going strong!  Try them!  You won't regret the purchase!

Last but certainly not least, my 5th spot goes to Sterilite containers.  I know, it's not that cool.  However, I do strongly suggest that you stock up on these shoe-sized containers.  I keep them labeled with everything imaginable.  Here's my supply closet below...

The easy-to-read labels make it so that it's easy for students to find anything that they need if I send them to the supply cabinet.  Plus, they can always put things away for me because there's no question about where each thing needs to go.  The containers stack perfectly on top of one another for instant organization and ease.  I've added a few more containers since this picture was taken and I couldn't live without all of the extra shelving space that these containers provide.  You can find pretty good deals on them at back to school time and Target frequently stocks them for back-to-school or college sales!

I hope that you loved this list of must-have items.  I would love to hear about your teacher must haves in the comments!!