Teacher Essentials

As teachers, we NEED coffee in our lives! Unfortunately, many of us will not have the luxury of sitting down to enjoy our coffee of choice each morning in our favourite mug so that’s where The Tefal Travel Mug come in. As ex teachers, we can swear by this one. It holds 360ml of liquid, it’s super-sleek, retains heat and cold incredibly well, and NEVER leaks. That’s about all you need from this great alternative to daily take away cups. It is also available in the large 500ml option for those who need an extra kick of caffeine each day.

If you’re not a Nespresso fan and need a quick on the go coffee machine, then we recommend The Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus Coffee Machine. This machine produces a large cup of coffee with a choice of many different flavours – our personal favourites being the  Grande Intenso or the alternative Starbucks range. It’s quick and easy to use and leaves no mess. We have ours over 5 years now!

For those of you can spare a few minutes each morning and rather take their time making the perfect cup of coffee, choosing their preferred beans with the option to heat or froth the milk, then this De’Longhi Dedica Coffee Machine is the one for you. You can adjust the settings to make a larger or smaller cup as you wish. And yes, we do have two coffee machines!

When it comes to choosing the right bag for us teachers, we know the importance of space and separate (and lots of) compartments. This stylish and multi-functional rucksack/ briefcase fits the bill. It is professional as well as being extremely robust so should last you year after year.

For ladies, if you rather a more understated option then this highly durable bag is perfect for your laptop, water bottle and other essentials.

We love the BEOLA 950ml Water Bottle because it quite simply keeps liquid cold! Especially if you live in a hot country like us, you know the importance of a bottle that keeps your drinks cold whether you’re traveling in the car or supervising in the playground. It has a double wall vacuum insulated chamber to keep your liquid hot (10h) or cold (24h) for hours. This bottle also comes with a choice of straw lid or a carry-on handle lid depending on your preference. Personally, I love the straw lid as it’s quick and easy to get a sip when you’re on the go.

We love Dubai, but when temperatures reach soaring heights then this Car Windscreen Sun Shade is essential. We have tried and tested this one suggest this one as we don’t have to fold it away each time we take it down. It seamlessly folds down like an umbrella for ease of use and storage.

This one took a while to get right but this car phone holder is our favourite. This phone holder fits on your car air vent and enables you to put down or pick up your phone with one hand. Just clip on and go without any risk of blocking your vision.

Marking –  it’s not our favourite thing in the world! We can help to speed up the process by stamping some of those repetitive words and phrase we use for all students.

These are our favourites and most used:

Verbal Feedback – This one is fantastic for when you have spoken to a child in your class about a particular task and want make note of this in their books. It’s quick and easy and shows you’ve engaged with their work.

Writing tips – My favourite time saver pack of three stamps. Choose between

– Remember! Capital letters and full stops

– Remember! Check your spellings

– Remember! Read through your work

Objective Achieved – Essential for progress and engaging with the students work

W.E.N – What went well… Even better if… Next steps… – this will save you time and your sanity!

General stamps – These are great for general comments on the students work. Plenty of options with 5 to choose from.

If you’re like me or most teachers – organisation is key! When you have countless tasks to complete within a week it can become near impossible to keep up without keeping track. This planner includes several sections including calendars, planners, timetables, parents evening comments and much more. Its records 204 teaching days inside. However if you prefer something a little more bright and floral, then this teacher planner could for you.

This little device is everything! Holding onto your teaching plans year after year is essential and a fantastic time saver. We use this 1TB SanDisk USB as it works great for transferring images to and from your computer as well as your phone. We chose the 1TB of memory, so we don’t end up having several different memory sticks to look after. If you want a USB with lower storage space then go for their 128GB or 512GB.

Pro tip: keep your USB attached to your teacher lanyard for quick access and safe keeping.

We know how important positive reinforcement is with our younger learners. Making your own charts and handing out stickers is great, however I found these behaviour punch cards to work incredibly well. You can get the students to take responsibility for their own cards by attaching it to a lanyard and allowing your students to carry it around with them. This could also be used as a whole class incentive as they come in a pack of 200 along with a punching tool.