8 Tips Every Teacher Needs to Know

Last week I spent the day with my younger brother helping him set up his very FIRST classroom... I am so EXCITED for him and thrilled that he's also going to be teaching THIRD!!!!

The few days I spent with him, got me thinking...  I wish that I had someone 17 years ago to guide me when I first started teaching.... someone to teach me a few tricks of the trade or to teach me the simple things such as which Sticky Tack brand works best or how to keep my posters from falling off the walls. I didn't even have my BFF Pinterest to help me out back then.

So if you're new to teaching or maybe even been teaching for years, I've got you covered because today I'm sharing 8 simple tips I think EVERY teacher should know! They've been my lifesavers time and time again and I think they can do the same for you. Here we go...

Sticky tack is play dough for teachers! Like play dough, it starts to get hard after a while, but please don't throw away your sticky tack when this happens. Instead, just MASSAGE IT! That's right, massage your sticky tack! To get the best results from this blue blob (I've found that the blue colored stuff works best, so stay away from the white and yellow kinds) simply pull it, twist it, and stretch it for a minute or so. Doing this will help you warm it up so that it'll be much friendlier to work with and you'll find that it sticks to surfaces much better as well.

Along the lines of adhesives I've found that if you're going to hang something up high or something larger in size like a poster, it's best to attach a single 3M command strip to the top center and then add sticky tack to the four corners. The command strips will secure the poster to the wall even if the sticky tack comes undone. I promise you you'll never be greeted by fallen posters again! The best part is that at the end of the year, you can pull the strips slowly and remove them from the wall without damaging any paint.

Magnets, magnets, magnets!!!! I absolutely love using magnets to attach borders and posters to my white board. I have found that business card magnets work best. Simply cut them to the size you need, peel off the white strip on the back, adhere them to your poster, and then finally add a piece of packing tape ON TOP of the magnet to secure it in place.  This last step is a must! It secures the magnet in place making sure that it does not fall off with time.  Especially if your poster or card is laminated.

Painter's tape is a MUST in my classroom! It can be used on white boards, cabinets, walls, and floors without fear of damaging the surface. It is also easy to remove and write on. I love to use this tape during math class especially! To get my students up and moving, I've been known to create large interactive graphs on the floor like the one pictured above for Back to School. I plan on having my students graph their favorite subjects. Last year I used the tape during a geometry lesson on Area. My students went around the classroom finding the area of various polygons I created out of painter's tape.

Post-it's are fabulous for planning out your Word Walls or anything else that you need to plan out. Instead of attaching your items to bulletin boards permanently only to discover that your work is not straight or that you want to move something over, simply use a Post- it to mark the spot. Doing this allows you to easily move things around until you're happy with it's placement. Then when you're ready, remove the Post-it and replace it with the final product. In the picture above, I used blue Post-its to plan where I wanted each of my landmarks to go. I had to move the notes a few times before I got them exactly where I wanted. Using Post-its saved my bulletin board paper from many unnecessary staples.

Table skirts are a cheap and colorful alternative to fabric curtains when it comes to hiding ugly computer cables or storage bins that you might have underneath tables. They are about $7 each, come in a variety of different colors, have adhesive strips on the top that makes it easy to secure, and can be purchased at your local party supply store.

Hot gluing push pins to the back of laminated cards are an easy and great way to create an interactive bulletin board.

Having a Teacher Notebook to keep all of your notes together will save you time and time again! No more need to go searching for that scrap piece of paper where you took notes during the last staff meeting. Forgot what topic you decided on next for math during your last grade level meeting? No worries just go back into your teacher notebook to find out. Housing everything in ONE notebook will make your life so much easier. I always glue a class list to the cover for easy reference and I also like adding colored dots to important pages. I've used this system for the last few years and find it to be so helpful. Just the other day, I took a look at my to do lists and notes from BTS time last year to see what I might be forgetting. Try it out and see how it goes!

Now it's your turn... I'd LOVE to hear about any tips or tricks that you've learned along the way!