15 Amazon Teacher Essentials

I LOVE Amazon! Where else can you have a box of cheez-its, AA batteries, and a cute new top shipped to your house in 2 days flat? I not only love Amazon for my personal life, I love using Amazon to get ALL of my favorite Amazon Teacher Essentials. Check out the list below!

*This blog post includes affiliate links which means that at no extra cost to you I will earn a small commission to help offset the cost of running this site.*

Teacher Personal Essentials

1. Yeti (Big and Small)

You know the feeling…the one where you’re only half way through teaching about adjectives and your throat becomes really scratchy. You need some water but your kids are fully engaged and you don’t want to ruin the moment with a run to the water fountain. Do yourself a favor and keep yourself hydrated all day long. I LOVE these Yeti tumblers because my drink is the same temperature at the end of school as when I left my house.

It’s hard to find a tumbler that works as long as I do on those looooong days. I love using a small Yeti for my hot coffee in the mornings to fill my body with 14 ounces of liquid gold. It doesn’t matter if you’re in an ice coffee or a traditional coffee mood – it’ll still be ready for you at lunch time. I like using the larger Yeti for ice cold water alllll day long!

Teacher Essential Yeti Tumblers

2. Lunchbox

Your bank account will thank you if you make it a habit to bring your lunch every day. Roll up to the teacher lunch room in confidence with a lunch box that could double as a stylish purse. I love this particular lunch box because it is insulated and has enough room for meal prep containers. What deliciousness will you fill your lunchbox with?

Teacher Essential Lunchbox

3. Sneakers (Neutral and Leopard)

One of my favorite things about teaching is that everyday is different with the growth, challenges, and successes that I see in my students. One thing that never changes for a teacher is that you spend a lot of time on your feet. Do your feet a favor and get shoes that feel like walking on clouds. Teaching is a beautiful challenge, don’t make it more challenging by letting your feet hurt each day.

Here are two of my favorite options for reliable sneakers. You can choose more of a neutral shoe that will match almost any outfit or you can get yourself some leopard sneakers for a statement! Either way you can step with confidence knowing that your feet won’t be angry with you when you get home.

Teacher Essential Comfortable Shoes

Teacher Accessory Essentials

4. Backpack

There’s not always enough hours in the day for a teacher and unfortunately there are times when work has to come home with you. Might as well have a comfy, cute, and reliable backpack that will help you with the load! I love that this CUTE backpack has enough room for my laptop, my file folders, and maybe even a few snacks for my grading trips to Starbucks. The backpack also has a built in USB. Do yourself a favor and get this portable, sturdy, stylish backpack for all your paper transportation.

Teacher Essential Backpack

5. Lanyard

As a teacher you want to make your classroom key and ID badge easily accessible, and there is no better way to do it than with a fashionable lanyard. I like to choose a lanyard that has a fun print, and one that is darker so that I can use it for more than 1 or 2 years and don’t have to wash it as often.

These lanyards are very versatile and I love their simple but beautiful designs. Get a lanyard that you will LOVE for years to come!

Teacher Essential Lanyard

6. Pencil Pouch

Flair pens, pencils, and more! Keep all your PLC meeting essentials in one place. This stylish pencil pouch makes you mobile and ready for action wherever you go! Bring all your favorite flair pens home with you when you set up for those long grading parties while watching The Office. I love this durable pencil pouch because I can fill it with all of my essential highlighters, pens, and other teacher goodies.

Teacher Essential Pencil Pouch

Teacher Daily Essentials

7. Cordless Glue Gun

A glue gun is a teacher’s best friend. Easily display your student’s beautiful work for teachers and administrators to get a glimpse into what’s so great about your classroom. When you’re filling your walls with the work of 20 students you need to work quickly and efficiently. In my teaching career, this glue gun saved me so much time and frustration because it is cordless.

This glue gun heats up quickly and will become your favorite classroom purchase for your entire teaching career. Imagine putting up your classroom rules and class decor without having to worry about an extension cord or waiting for it to reheat as you move it from outlet to outlet around the room. Be prepared! Your PLC will want to know where you bought it!

Teacher Essential Wireless Hot Glue Gun

8. Pencil Sharpener

You ever have that moment in class when kids are fully engaged, you have momentum and you actually wish an administrator was there to give you an informal observation, when your kids start complaining of their dull pencils? Don’t let a dull pencil stunt your classroom momentum. If your classroom didn’t come with a reliable pencil sharpener check out this excellent one!

This quiet pencil sharpener allows me to send students to sharpen their pencils without causing much of a disruption. My favorite quality of this pencil sharpener is that it has a HUGE container for pencil shavings so it can last all day long without having to be emptied.

Buy this pencil sharpener so you can send your students to sharpen their pencils and continue being the master teacher that you are.

Teacher Essential Quiet Pencil Sharpener

Classroom Printing Essentials

9. Laminator and Laminating Sheets

You ever catch your kids ripping the edge of their paper, or destroying their eraser for no apparent reason? They’re not mad, their busy fingers just need to be stimulated. Don’t let your valuable classroom supplies be a victim of their busy fingers! Being a teacher requires a lot of printing, and a lot of cutting – preserve your hard work so that each year becomes easier and easier.

If your school doesn’t have a laminator or has limits on how much you can laminate I would highly recommend you get a portable laminator so that your precious resources can be reused year after year. This is especially important for protecting your classroom decor each year.

At the time of writing this blog post, the lamintor linked came with 20 laminating sheets. Click here to buy packet of 100 more letter sized laminating sheets.

Teacher Essential Portable Laminator

10. Cardstock – White and Bright

Speaking of making things last, the best thing you can do for your printables is to buy sturdy cardstock paper. Your future self will thank you! I have found that buying cardstock may cost me more money today but will save me hours in reprinting the same item year after year.

More than just getting paper that lasts, I can’t emphasize the importance of getting colored cardstock paper. I like using colored cardstock to help me stay organized. For example, use color paper to help you organize your reading groups or labels around the room.

I also like to use a bright colored sheet of paper for the parent newsletter so parents in a rush can quickly get a rundown of significant things happening in the classroom. At the time of writing this blog there are 9 different ranges of colors that you can buy for the Astrobright colored paper.

Teacher Essential Cardstock

Classroom Anchor Chart Essentials

11. Anchor Chart

Every new unit I find myself whipping out an anchor chart. Unlike what is written on a white board, the anchor chart becomes a hangable resource that my students can reference over and over again. Fill your walls with the essentials of your curriculum so that even the student who stares at the wall and day dreams can’t avoid learning. This anchor chart is very portable and comes with command strips to hang it in the classroom. You won’t regret buying this classroom staple.

12. Lined Paper Anchor Chart

As an early primary teacher, I love modeling handwriting every chance I get for my students. Here is an anchor chart that mimics lined paper so that my student can copy EXACTLY what I’ve given them. These anchor charts are also a dream when I am modeling where to place punctuation like a comma or a semi-colon. If you teach a grade where handwriting is a crucial subject you have GOT to buy this anchor chart with lines.

13. Mr. Sketch Smelly Markers

Speaking of anchor charts, when I start a lesson with an anchor chart and break out these Mr. Smelly Markers, I have every student staring at me like I’m holding their favorite candy. Every student is completely glued on every word I write. I LOVE these markers because they are good at getting student’s attention for a lesson, but more importantly they serve as great incentives and a tool to increase buy in for nearly any activity.

Whether I choose to use them at a station, or as a special incentive for a student who is on his best behavior, these Mr. Smelly Markers never fail to capture my student’s attention and increase their engagement. An added bonus is the fact that when my students use these markers it engages so many of their senses.

Mr. Sketch Smelly Markers

Classroom Survival Essentials

14. Treasure Box

EVERYONE remembers the treasure box! Whether you use it daily, for birthdays, or weekly, this is a classic incentive to have in the classroom. This sturdy box is built to last, and has a timeless feel that will be relevant regardless of how many times you change your classroom theme.

15. Candy and Items for Treasure Box

Every treasure box has to have valuable treasure! Below are a variety of toys and candy at an amazing price!

Here are some of my favorite candies that students obsess over. More importantly, buy this candy in bulk so that you don’t have to worry about it for a long time. Pro tip – fill the treasure box with your own favorite candy for the tough days! Here are some of the candies that are reasonably priced that my kids obsessed over: Jolly Ranchers, Warheads, Skittles, and Starburst.

In case your school frowns on filling the treasure box with candy, check out these cheap options for goodies that will keep your box overflowing all year long. I recommend to buy in bulk so you’re not always buying more: Treasure Box Toys

Teacher Treasure Box Treasures

I hope this list helps you feel more prepared for back to school! What are some of your favorite classroom essentials? Let me know in the comments section below!