What tools or supplies do you come across surprisingly helpful in the classroom?

WET erase markers. It’s a small thing but combined with dry erase it makes things so much cooler. You can draw grids and all kinds of things you want to be kind of permanent on a dry erase board. Then you can use dry erase for the temporary data and then just wipe the whole th...

A date stamp by my turn in trays. A large digital clock. Dictionaries.

Admin, but I can never find them. They’re always at whataburger.

C-line sorter! Train your kids to turn in papers under their number and you'll never have to organize another stack of papers to grade again. 1 second swipe and they're all alphabetized, right side up, and facing the right way.

Laser point and slide clicker! I can be anywhere in the room

A yard stick. Good for desk tapping

Not so much a tool for teaching, but I have bandaids. It cuts down on sending kids to the nurse and missing class time. Seems small, but really helps me. Edit for spelling.

I pay for classroomscreen (has a timer, clock, automatic group makers, polls, text, etc,). I use it all the time. I am switching to have less screen time next year, so I’ll be buying a digital clock with a timer. Hot glue and glue sticks are usually helpful. An E-Z grader ...

Screw or hot glue a tape dispenser and stapler to a table. Myself and students got tired of tracking them down and now it’s always in the same place

Mini white boards

A personal laminating machine. I also got the insanely useful tip to laminate door decorations so they can be reused if you’re the decorating type! Also if you laminate posters or anchor charts and hate the glare/reflection they give off you can get matte spray to coat them ...

A milk crate with 31 hanging folders in it- one for each day of the month.  When students are absent I leave their work with their name on it in the file for that date. When they return to school they check the bin for the dates they were absent and there’s all the work.  I ...

Playing cards (any kind will do: uno, poker, spanish...) If you want a few "truly" random numbers for your example, shuffle, grab a few cards, and start putting them on the board. You now also have a prop that shows that number so you're not gesturing in the air.

A doorbell. It’s a great attention getter. People automatically stop talking and look up when they hear a doorbell. It’s a wireless one from Amazon.

One of those old fashioned grading wheels. I use it all the time a heck of a lot faster than a calculator or an excel page. Get a custom stamp, I literally use my face it was like 8 bucks on Amazon. Anything they turn in gets that stamp, so 3 weeks later when they say they tur...

A stamp with check boxes for Worked Independently, Worked in a Small Group, Worked 1:1. Just an easy way to keep parents abreast of how much help their child needs with typical daily work.

I have a “pencil parking lot.” Students have a class number (also posted right next to the pencils) and they find their pencil number and can borrow it for the class period before returning it. Before I started this, I went through 20-40 pencils a WEEK. Now maybe 10 each week ...

I second the individual whiteboard idea. I just went to home depot and bought a large sheet of shower board for about $15. I asked them to cut it into 12”x12” squares. When I told them I was a teacher and what I was using them for, they didn’t even charge me to cut them! It wa...

An extendable back scratcher. I can scratch my back, point at a part of a slide, and use it for sword fighting when I teach Hamlet

I tell my student teachers to get a small tool kit(hammer, allen wrenches, screw drivers) and a small personal medical kit (tweezers, bandaids, pepto, aspirin, cold medicine, etc.)

In middle school: A seat change request form that requires students write a paragraph explaining where they propose to move and why, along with several other questions about how well they can see the board, etc. The bureaucracy of it quiets a lot of students who would otherwi...

I have integrated speakers connected to my computer. I put on background noise, particularly when students are supposed to be quiet. It fills the space and usually doesn’t interrupt the kids who need quiet. I use my noise.net — it’s got some good presets.

If you have an interactive whiteboard or smart board, a Bluetooth keyboard with mousepad. Best thing I ever bought for the classroom. I wander all over the room and control the computer and displays from anywhere.

I put 4 extra little trash cans around the corners of the room where the desks actually are, and then have students at the end of the day dump them into the big one that the custodian actually bags up. Like Disneyland, my idea was that if I can remove the friction between stud...

I’m in Spec Ed, but I think a visual schedule is helpful for everyone and I have a system to accommodate for very different work paces. Every student has two binders, “Finished” and “Not Yet” so if some are slower workers they can put half done work in Not Yet and come back la...

I’m elementary and those dry erase pockets and mesh zip bags are lifesavers. I use the pockets for centers we repeat, for underlining passages in small group, basically anything I can repeat and not make 800 copies of is a win! The mesh bags are fantastic for holding game pie...

Afmat electric pencil sharpener. Pricey but best sharpener I’ve ever had. Sharpens perfectly basically every time and is fairly quick.

Lightspeed! I can see all student screens at once

My principle got me cardboard cutters that I asked for (4 pairs) and they are so wonderful and so loved, the science dept borrows them all the time--and have now asked for their own set, and I am getting a couple more pairs, one for each table. They are great for projects! ...

White board calendars on the wall so everyone can see what we’re doing for the week.

Stamps, mainly a date stamp and a signature stamp. It's by far my most used item. Our school requires dated+signed hall passes before sending any student out, so I got one that does both, one stamp and they're out the door without me having to sit there and fill it out by hand...

A Classroom Friendly Supplies manual pencil sharpener. It does a ridiculously good job, and it doesn’t constantly break down or make a ton of noise like an electric one. All of its parts are available for purchase separately in case it breaks, and it’s easy to fix.

I use my wireless microphone system every day. It saves my voice, the kids in the back can hear, and I can connect my phone to it on bluetooth to play music, or connect the TV to it for better sound that doesn't go through the wall to the next classroom.

Not a tool, but telling my students that I get paid whether they get an A or an F has really worked for getting my students to take some initiative on things. It really gets them to see that I'm there to *help* them, not do their work for them

Time-teaching clock. Kids have to sign out with the time to go to the bathroom. Every year, there are more kids who don't know how to read an analog clock.

Claw grabber. Saves my back from having to pick up things on the floor and the kids love using it to help clean the classroom.

A plastic shoe bin for each child. Art supplies, scissors, glue and everything else that isn’t used constantly can be out of desks - they neatly stack and can be used for years!

I have a big outside dinner bell that I use as an attention getter. I’m an art teacher & it can get loud in my classroom. Saves me from raising my voice.

Kleenex and disinfectant spray.

Stacked turn in bin. Large file bin with drop folders for missed/graded assignments. Paper cutter. Laminator. Digital clock. Loose paper trays. Dictionaries. Hole punch for IDs. Student stapler (they’re not using my expensive one!). And surprisingly, a globe.

An LED light and 2 sets of rechargeable batteries (my noise level light) Mailboxes for returning papers Baby wipes so they can wipe down their desks Retractable lanyard for my keys so I never have to take them off to open doors!!!

Lesson Launchpad. It helps me stay organized, but also does a lot of stuff for me like automatically changes my classes. You can also set timers to start on their own which is great because I always forget. I'm all about efficiency as well and it has helped a ton. It's a bit t...

This is going to sound super simple, but hear me out: a multi tier tray for papers. Mine has four slots. I numbered them 1-4. Anything that needs to be turned in goes in those bins, and I specify the number of the bin where I want it submitted. It organizes the papers and make...

Timers but I just post a YouTube video of it.

Tiny sticky notes and vocabulary booklets for the kids. If they don't know how to spell a word, they attempt to write it on the sticky note. Then they bring the sticky note to me, I write it correctly, and then they copy the correct spelling in their vocabulary books. It ...

triangle. the little musical one. it sounds so nice when I ring it. I ring it three times. the first time is the signal to stop what you are doing and go to your seat or lay your things down. the second is just saying like "ok it's almost time" . the third time they are all in...

Upper elementary teacher here.  Highlighters next to the turn in basket. Students highlight their name when they turn in their papers. Drastically reduced the number of no name papers.  Hanging file folders in a crate for returned papers. Takes up less space than the typic...

band aids and safety pins kids get tiny little cuts that don't need a whole nurse trip safety pins for wardrobe malfunctions

A bin of hanging file folders with file folders labeled 1-31. When I print assignments, extras go into the folder that corresponds with the date. When students have been absent, they just need to find the folder with the dates of their absence(s), and ta-da! All their missing ...

White board markers, paper clips, and two-pocket folders. God, why did I just answer this question?

A physical class record grade book. I check homework before at the beginning of class. Having a little box to check next to each kids name was so helpful. I

Popsicle sticks with their names on it. Making random partners, who washes hands first, who gets to choose a centre first….the list goes on. Also I can see their names so I can avoid really bad pairings of people without their knowledge. I don’t have favourite it is the pop...

A broom and dust pan. Some projects get messy!

Band aids! I get asked for one once or twice a week. Having them saves students from leaving class.

A scissor mouse can be very handy for cutting paper.

... sandpaper (auto collision instructor)

Pen and paper. If I don't supply it, kids won't bring it.

Huion writing tablet

Cheap candy from the dollar store to use as bribes. I get SO much free labor out of my students that way. Like all the furniture moving and book organizing that happens at the start and end of the year, that would take me hours, gets done in 20 minutes for the cost of a couple...

A long shoehorn. A real Tape measure And I always keep a multitool in my desk drawer.

What grade? In high school I got little cardboard fold together caddies for desk/tables that I put pencils, rulers, pens and post its in. I got the supplies in bulk for cheap with my $150 portion of the department budget. I also got a widescreen projector screen one year for m...

depends on the subject, grade, and number of students. ZipGrade made grading multiple choice assessments much easier

Small buckets that stack into each other. I put the supplies, scissors, glue, markers and such we need for the activity then when done pick it all up. Fewer items go missing and less traffic to get supplies.

small whiteboards and a box of expo markers have made doing quick checks for understanding great for me

I buy a few cheap plastic pencil boxes at the beginning of each year to store card sorts, station cards, game pieces, etc. and label them either with a printed label or paint marker. It keeps things neater than endless ziptop bags and with the labels facing forward in the cupb...

cordless hot glue gun (I don't have it yet, but it's on my list) wireless keyboard and mouse dry-erase pockets/pouches for reusing worksheets a printer (Some will disagree, but it was worth it for me since the school doesn't provide us with a classroom printer.) small tabl...

Cordless hot glue gun! I can glue things without having to worry about a cord or extension cord. Makes hanging displays so much easier.

Because of the abuse of AI for literally everything, I’m about 99% paper so I just invested in an electric stapler.

Small Whiteboards and whiteboard markers for each student. Caddies with pencils, scissors, glue, etc.

mini dry erase boards and markers

Chalk markers or window crayons for drawing on lab benches

Pocket protectors. Double as keeper as stuff for certain kids and white boards to write on. Use the sports card ones to use as personal dictionary/ anchor charts for kids

Time Timers that count down minutes. That’s the brand name. I have a big one at the front of the room and small ones for kids that need reminders to stay focused. Daily, weekly and monthly agendas that are at the front of the room and color coded for various assignment types....

A bin of scrap paper - unused photocopies, etc. for kids to doodle on the back of. We use them a lot for quick Draw What You Saw activities. Less waste, eco-friendly, and they know where it is so they can take a sheet when they want to doodle or jost things down.

A good (up-toI t-date) wall map or pull-down world map. I taught fourth grade, and had a very large (8 foot x 10 foot) wall map and we referred to it daily, for current events and in Social Studies. I put a stepstool in front of the map, and some students would spend free time...

Clothes pins with everyone’s name on them in a cup. Once I choose a name, it gets clicked to the side of the cup so it’s out of the pot. It helps me randomly choose people to help answer questions so they know that anyone can be chosen anytime. It keeps them on their toes and ...

Wipe off magnets. A friend of mine gave me some halfway through this school year. I wasn’t sure what to use them for, but I found a brilliant way to use them. I teach a multi age room and I write each subject on a different magnet as we complete that subject, I move it to a di...

Mini whiteboards with markers and a small eraser for each student. Boom direct instruction just became more engaging.

I eliminated the pencil sharpener in my classroom. Now they each have a handheld manual one. They got to pick their color and I gave backups in case they dull or break due to proper use. If they use it while I’m talking it gets taken away for the day. If they break it by tryi...

This is a strange one but a corkscrew bottle opener They are great for opening boxes, prying, and ripping when you can’t have a knife and most scissors are duller than a fingernail https://www.target.com/p/chef-craft-waiter-s-corkscrew-professional-all-in-one-stainless-stee...

Printer and small Scotch laminator. My room was at the complete opposite end of the building from the office and there was no way I was running back and forth for copies of worksheets.

I have a recorder I blow into when the kids are doing science practicals and I need their attention. Start off relatively light and then I blow harder for a harsher sound if there are still some not listening.

Student autonomy & accountability!! Each class has to return my classroom to me ready for the next period -- and they won'tleave until all the trash & supplies are stowed. "All the information is on the task." Making sure every activity has instructions in Canvas, ...

if you project your screen at all during class, a cursor zoom overlay is weirdly helpful. I teach coding and students kept losing track of what I was clicking on, especially back rows. started using TuringShot (free Mac app) and tbh that problem basically disappeared. the spot...

I wear a half-apron with three front pockets so that i can keep gloves, a notepad and pen, and my walkie handy at all times, which has been great for emergencies and for quick notes about things i need to take care of or address on my prep Time-timers (where it shows how much...

Document camera and a good printer-scanner

Gemini/chatgpt for supporting lesson planning and data analysis, but your prompts need to be very specific.