Teacher Bag Essentials: 10 Must-Have Items You Might Not Think Of
Do you keep a few teacher bag essentials with you at work?
Everyone knows a teacher’s bag is the catch-all for all the important things in her life…along with lots of random things that just get tossed in throughout the week.
From Flair Pens to Post-it Notes, a teacher bag is a veritable cornucopia of school supply bliss. However, it can be easy to forget some not so apparent essentials.
Read more to discover some important things you should toss in your bag.
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Whether you carry a backpack or have the perfect teacher tote bag, here are:
10 Teacher Bag Essentials You Might Not Think to Toss in Your Bag
1 – $10 Cash
Save yourself the hassle of having to track down cash every time you have to chip in for a baby shower gift or your team decides to order lunch. Carrying $10 in cash is the easy way to make sure you’re always prepared.
Yes, many soda machines now take cards, but do you really want to risk it when the mid-day slump calls for caffeine?
2 – First Aid Supplies
Easily in my top 3 essential items for any teacher.
I don’t know a single teacher who hasn’t needed a bandaid or some Advil at some point during the school year. Whether it is a papercut from handing out assignments or that massive headache caused by state testing, there will definitely come a time you’ll need these.
Packing a few of each (along with some tummy meds) into your teacher bag is an easy way to know you’re always prepared.
3 – A Protein Bar or Shake
We all have had that day where the line for the copier ate up the entire 30 minutes you got for lunch.
A protein bar or shake is a great back up plan for when things don’t quite go as planned.
Speaking of food, there are times when we all have one of those days and chocolate is the only thing that will help.
Whether you love M&Ms or a mini Snickers, keeping a few spare pieces of candy in your bag guarantees you don’t end up scrounging around for your colleagues’ spare treats.
5 – An emergency toothbrush
I know I can’t be the only one who has desperately needed some floss after lunch…or a toothbrush after you finally finish up those last sips of coffee.
Keeping some dental supplies in your teacher bag makes it easy to grab and go for fresh breath.
They hold up well, and I wrap them around the pens in my bag to keep them all together when they aren’t in use.
8 – Hand Sanitizer
This one is pretty self-explanatory…I mean, what teacher doesn’t need a little hand sanitizer now and then.
Whether it is the mysteriously wet shoelace or the kiddo who sneezes on you as you’re helping her with that tough math problem, you can NEVER have enough hand sanitizer.
Speaking of hand sanitizer, this is also one of my must-have items for field trips. Like I said, you can never have enough hand sanitizer.
9 – Stain Removers
Whether you love Tide Pens or Shout Wipes, a good stain remover is a must-have for your teacher bag.
At some point or another, you’ll end up getting something spilled or wiped on that nice white shirt you decided to wear. If you’re anything like me, it will probably be coffee…or lunch.
These are both super easy to pop in your bag.
I have had more than one occasion where I was very thankful to have these teacher bag essentials with me. They’ve saved me from having an outfit ruined by a very noticeable stain.
10 – Personal Care Supplies
Probably the teacher bag essentials that saved me the most from embarrassing moments!
A mini deodorant, chapstick, and a spare tampon are all staples in my teacher bag. I never want to find myself in a situation where I am missing one of these when I really need it, you know?
I find that the travel-size deodorant fits perfectly in my bag. It is great to be able to freshen up a bit between recess and that after-school parent meeting…or meet the teacher night after you’ve spent all day working in your classroom.
So that’s my list of teacher bag essentials. What do you keep in your bag?
