Need a reminder for what to get ready?

Looking for added suggestions on how to be ready for the new year?

Well, here it is:

• student files – a designated space, and folders ready with names on them
• plenty of pencils, and sharpened
• a few pencil sharpeners — one is never enough
• an empty bulletin board (ready for students to fill)
• new student folders (just have a few on-hand with copies of the items you handed out the first week, and maybe a few diagnostics)
• snacks — everyone needs a snack drawer
• medicine — have some ibuprofen for those headache days, and whatever you take when you feel that tickle in your throat (Cold-eeze, Emergen-C, etc.)
• an extra pair of shoes — just in case the day’s shoe choice is a bust, or you decide to take a walk before/after school
• pens — lots of them, preferably in a few colors
• emergency folder — that first fire drill comes earlier and earlier each year, have evacuation materials ready
• a schedule posted — you’ll be happy that first month for this, trust me
• blank cards — to write a few nice notes or a few thank yous whenever inspired
• a sub folder — for the last minute and unfortunate sick day (have a student roster and a few master copies of basic items on-hand for anyone to use)

It’s not a complete list, and it’s not a list focused on just you, just the learning, or just the classroom. It’s a list of those odds and ends that come up every year, the things I routinely remember later, or the things I realized I should probably commit to getting ready next time.