This took me years to invest in, and honestly, I don’t know why It’s probably one of my top Amazon must-haves for teachers! In fact, I actually have two of them now – one for my classroom and one for home. Can you do big jobs on this? No, not really. BUT… if you are someone who creates classroom signage/labels, stations, task cards…this is tool for you! Even better – these laminating sheets are MUCH sturdier than the school laminator, AND…no one can tell you can’t use it (or when). Laminate away, friend, and feel the warm fuzzies surround you!

BONUS TIP: For small pieces, use a small dab from a glue stick to stick the pieces to one side of the sheet to keep them from sliding around. Thank me later!

If you’ve got a personal laminator, you’re going to need laminating sheets. Can you buy packs of laminating sheets at Target or Walmart? Of course you can, but honestly – unless you’re in a pinch, why would you want to?! Those packs are insanely expensive for the amount of laminating sheets you get. Pick them up on Amazon for a similar price for what you’ll pay in the brick and mortar stores for way more value. It seems like a lot of sheets, but I’ve found that I will make my way through a pack of these. If you’re doing task cards and need multiple copies of the activity, laminating sheets start piling up fast!

BONUS TIP: If you decide to be bougie like me and keep a classroom laminator and a home laminator, portion off a stack of your laminating sheets and keep them at home. It’s perfect for those days when you’re trying to finish up an activity at home or just have an out-of-the-blue idea. It will save you from doing the walk of shame down the Target aisle for more a much more expensive pack of laminating sheets.

And while we’re on the topic of bougie, go ahead and grab a paper guillotine while you’re at it. Does every teacher need one? Absolutely not! However, if you find yourself creating sets of task cards or creating station materials, this will be a LIFESAVER! I hate traipsing down to the teacher’s lounge. It doesn’t help that my room is about as far away from the lounge as you can possibly get! (Did I break down and get an extra one for home, too? …Yeah…you know I did. Is it necessary for everyone? Probably not, but my ADHD sleeps better knowing that I can chop paper on the fly.)

BONUS TIP: Okay, this is probably less of a tip and more of a “have you considered this??” type thing. However you slice it -pardon my pun, you’ll be far less likely to run into the issue of a dull blade. But also…don’t get over-zealous. You’ll end up with task cards with a jagged edge, and that…that’s like nails on a chalkboard in visual form.

I. Use. These. ALL THE TIME! In the classroom. Out of the classroom. Seriously, I use these all the time! I bought them specifically to organize station materials. Even though I don’t do stations all the time as an 8th grade RLA teacher, for any activity requiring materials, these are GOLD! I also use these to color code my stations/activities. I love providing choice in the classroom, so whenever possible, I will provide different options for the same skill. Because these come with sets of colors, they are SOO easy to group and organize.

BONUS TIP: Full disclaimer: I have worked extremely hard to draw boundaries between school and home, and I wholeheartedly hope that you’re able to do the same. However, sometimes I do still need to bring papers home to grade (or, let’s face it…sit in my backpack overnight). These are brilliant for this purpose because I can use different pouches for different assignments and/or classes. Even better – they zip up, so I almost never need to actually entertain the classic, Miss! You lost my paper. I turned it in!

These go hand-in-hand with the zipper pouches above. I don’t live in a station-centric classroom, but as I mentioned before, I do love to offer choice, and these folders fit the bill for either usage! Often times, I’ll pair up these folders with the zipper mesh pouches. I love to print up instructions for whatever activity I’m offering and slide that straight into the front pocket. Do they always read it? They’re 8th graders. No. BUT…it makes it so easy to quickly redirect students to check the front of the folder, which gives me time to float and help students who may actually be stuck.

BONUS TIP: Color-code your activities. It’s so much easier to help direct students to the right activities, and it’s also so easy to see, at a glance, which activities are where. I also like to try and print station activities (not student copies) in the same color; it makes it so much easier to clean up and re-organize when materials inevitably become displaced.

Ahh yes…the age-old predicament. Using proximity to manage behaviors is the first line of defense as an effective classroom manager. BUT…if your lessons are based in any kind of slide deck, you’ll typically find yourself anchored to one of two points in the room: at the board, itself, or at the computer – where ever that is in the room. This presenter remote lets you click through your slides from anywhere in the room. It’s teaching untethered! Be free!

BONUS TIP: It comes with an embedded laser pointer! I honestly haven’t used this feature a ton as a middle school RLA teacher, but I can see this being a great feature for science, math, or history teachers who may want to point out a specific feature on a map, chart, diagram, or graph. As an added bonus, the battery seems to last an incredibly long time! I’ve had mine a few years now and still haven’t replaced the battery!

This is another one of those items that I actually have two of. Unlike the earlier items on the list, these are both in my classroom. I love this cart because it’s sturdy, and it’s elevated! One sits at the front of the room in my Student Center. It’s where I keep all of my extra copies. Students who have been absent…or who lost their copy in the infinite far-reaches of their backpack can go grab an extra copy.

BONUS TIP: If you’re considering ditching your giant teacher desk, these are also a lifesaver! I kicked my clunky teacher desk to the curb, and I now use a narrow table. All my teacher drawers just ended up being giant junk drawers, and my ADHD needed a simpler solution. The filing cart I keep under my desk is perfect for any day-today documents I need to file.

I only added these to my classroom last year. Why?? Why did I wait so long, and where did the headphones I had before come from? The world may never know. I’ll tell you what I do know…they were….they had seen better days. Some of them didn’t even have padding anymore. Is this set of headphones going to last forever? No, but they are sturdy, get the job done, and they’re pretty cost-effective for how many you get.

BONUS TIP: I keep these in a small crate at the back of my room, and the kids can just go grab a pair. Here’s the tip: store each pair individually in a quart size ziplock baggie or a smaller zipper mesh pouch! (The set I linked above is all one size, but they do make them in other sizes!) This way, they’re easier to put away in a pinch for the days when that bell catches you all by surprise.

Admittedly, I don’t use these all the time, BUT they work incredibly well when I do need to use them! I have used these with stations, supply labels, to post mini anchor charts, and to label groups. They’re versatile, and they’re great!

BONUS TIP: Laminate the signs/labels you want to put into these. They are…sturdy. To say the least. I actually needed to use something to pry some of them open (a sturdy bank/credit/gift card works well). Also, seal the bottom. For the love of all that is holy! SEAL THE BOTTOM. Use UV resin, duct tape, clear packing tape, or hot glue. Just. SEAL IT. Otherwise you WILL end up with someone(s) who find it to be the most satisfying thing in the world to unscrew the base from the tower. These are fantastic, but you’ve been warned.

Miss, can I plug my phone in? Yes! This isn’t a necessity, but it is great to have around – especially if you teach at the secondary level. It seems so insignificant, but it honestly is a rapport builder. The kids know that I have this, and they know they can always come and charge their phone (even if they’re in a different class – with permission, of course). …and we all know how that old adage goes: they won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Of course it’s more nuanced than that, but it’s also not wrong, and it keeps the kids from asking to go to another teacher to charge their phone while they’re in your room.

BONUS TIP: Invest in a few cheap cords, too, if you’re feeling generous. I learned that the hard way when my kids wanted to charge their phones, but I didn’t have cords for them to use. Lesson learned.

Okay, if we’re being COMPLETELY honest, this isn’t a “must” have, but boy has it been amazing! Could I get by in my classroom without this? Absolutely, I could, but my ultra-creative-ADHD brain LIVES to find a reason to use this machine! lol Full disclosure: it’s stupid-loud when you punch the holes, but it works incredibly well! How have I used this in my class? I make my own gradebooks and lesson plan books. I’ve also used this to create mini versions of anchor charts that I will set out at each group. When my GT kiddos do their Mock Trial project, I print the Mock Trial problem out for each student and bind them. It takes some time, but it’s SO worth it when they get the booklets and feel super professional. ..It’s the little things!

BONUS TIP: For booklets or mini anchor charts, I recommend laminating covers or anchor chart pages first. It really adds a level of durability to your project. I typically only hole punch one or two pages at a time, though, if I’m using personal laminating sheets, which are thicker. The machine can handle more, but I don’t want to test the waters.