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High school teachers rarely send home lists of classroom wants and needs. That doesn't mean there isn't plenty they need.
I came up with a list of what almost every classroom needs, based on my experience as a high school teacher. You may be surprised to find out that simple items like pencils and tissues are in short supply.
When I was in elementary school, I remember my parents buying tissues, cough drops, and other supplies for my teachers every year. My mom was your typical class parent, chaperoning field trips and going to PTA meetings. As I got older, teachers stopped asking for help, but it's a little-known fact that high school teachers actually need help stocking their classrooms. I know - I was one. In my six years as a high school teacher, I never had a parent buy a single supply for my classroom.
Teacher salaries aren't glamorous, and when you add in the cost of setting up a classroom and maintaining supplies, their take-home salary shrinks even more. In a recent survey, Scholastic found that the average teacher spends $530 of their own money on their classroom every year.
People are often shocked to find that simple supplies like pencils aren't always provided by the school, and if pencils aren't provided, you can forget about tissues and hand sanitizer. Of course each school is different - some provide any supply you can think of, some provide a select few, and some provide next to none.
Given that almost every teacher spends at least some of their own money, I've come up with a list of school supplies that all classrooms can use. The supplies on this list are extremely inexpensive, but they add up when high school teachers are providing for 100-plus students. Pitching in a box of tissues or a few pencils might not seem like much, but it means a lot and really helps.
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For every product on this list, you might want to check with the school to see if it's already provided. On the other hand, just the simple gesture of helping a teacher out makes them feel supported, so if you can spare $2 on a bottle of hand sanitizer, it definitely won't go unused.
Here are some inexpensive products you can buy to help stock a high school classroom:
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Classrooms go through tissues quickly, especially in the winter. Think of how many your kids go through when they're home sick, and imagine how much faster they disappear with a whole bunch of sniffly teenagers during cold season. Tissues were never provided for my classroom. Occasionally I bought them, but the cost added up quickly. I always felt bad turning students away when they asked for tissues — their only other option being toilet paper or paper towels from the bathroom. With close to 100 students shuffling in and out of my classroom every day, I could have easily spent $100 just on tissues in one school year.
I managed to get very few colds and flu during my time as a teacher. I owe this in large part to hand sanitizer. Consequently, this is also one way to prevent the use of so many tissues. Students in my classroom used the hand sanitizer daily. Bonus: It's also useful for removing pen and marker stains from desks.
If you think it's only elementary school classrooms that need to be wiped down constantly, think again. Things get spilled throughout the day, and many classrooms only get a quick sweep by the custodians after school. If teachers want desks, counters, and other surfaces cleaned, it's often up to them. These wipes are a big help in science and art classrooms where things can get really messy.
Have you ever been in a room full of teenagers straight from outdoor gym class in May? Trust me, you don't want to be. You'd be amazed how much more inviting a classroom can feel when it smells good. It's easier for kids to focus when they're not distracted by that weird smell wafting from the back row. Students always commented on how good my classroom smelled when I had a new air freshener.
What? Pencils? Surely those are at least covered by schools, right? In many cases, yes, but sadly in some cases the answer is no. Teachers often start out the school year with a supply of pencils, but when they're gone, they're gone. It's always good for teachers to have a few #2 pencils on hand for standardized testing and Scantron forms.
You're probably familiar with the fact that students need to buy these items, which are front and center on most back-to-school shopping lists. I liked to have some extra notebooks and binders on hand for students who couldn't afford them or for when some inevitably fell apart or got damaged. It's hard for teachers to see students go without, and I liked to be sure every one of them had what they needed to focus on their studies.
Chances are, whatever you buy for your kid's teachers will get used, even if it's not their preferred brand or style. If you want to make sure you're not wasting money on something that won't be used, though, you can never go wrong with an Amazon, Target, or Walmart gift card. This is a great option to help teachers get what they need the most, and they can even save it for halfway through the year when they run out of pencils or need to buy dozens of eggs for egg-drop projects.
A gift card is the perfect option if your child goes to a school that provides everything teachers need for their classrooms. A gift card allows a teacher to get a little something extra to make the classroom more inviting and fun for students. When we take care of our teachers, it's easier for them to take care of our kids.
