15 Ingenious Classroom Hacks Shared By Teachers, For Teachers
There's no denying just how demanding being a teacher can be. I mean, you're only responsible for educating the upcoming generation to hopefully build on and improve our society - no big deal right? Only, it is a big deal. It is a very big deal. A lot of time and effort goes into teaching children everything they need to know before they reach a certain age.
But as it turns out, there are plenty of tips and tricks specifically related to teaching. And more specifically, hacks that can help alleviate some of the stress, organisational difficulties and, let's face it, hassle any line of work involving children can create. Yes, the following hacks, shared by teachers for teachers, will help to create a more efficiently-run, better-organised working environment, in which a great deal of both time and money are saved. You're welcome.
1. Word displays on the bulletin board
For speed and efficiency purposes, place the letters on clear tape so you can easily hang them on your bulletin board.
2. Markers with pompoms
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Stick pompoms onto markers so that every kid who uses one has an eraser (if need be) when using the whiteboard.
3. Everyone gets an eraser
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Cut erasers in half and then number them so that every kid has one that belongs to them.
4. Divide notebooks in two
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Divide notebooks in two as many younger students don't tend to use the entire page. One of them can be for one subject and the other for a different one. Most home improvement stores will cut the notebooks for you for an affordable price.
5. Use shoe organisers to store your students' stuff
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Kids have all kinds of gadgets and accessories these days so the more storage space available, the better.
6. Put crayons in the appropriate colour-coded drawers
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It may seem easy enough for kids to simply choose the colour crayon they need but there's a lot of mindless dilly-dallying that goes on in schools. Knowing exactly where to get each colour crayon is a massive timesaver.
7. Use paint chips when teaching kids about colours and spelling
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The really great thing about this one is you can get them from Home Depot for free.
8. No more Kleenex
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Place a toilet roll into an empty candle holder after removing the cardboard so that students won't have to carry pocket tissues or rely on you buying a box of Kleenex.
9. Prevent unnecessary damage to classroom walls
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To prevent damage to the walls when hanging up posters, stick painter's tape on the wall and in turn, stick the poster on the tape using a hot glue gun.
10. Hang onto loose glue caps
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That way, you'll have spares if your students misplace theirs.
11. Separate blunt pencils from sharp pencils
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It means your kids won't have to spend too much time finding a suitable pencil to use. At the end of the school day, sharpen the blunt pencils ready for the new day.
12. Make a board for students to collect their homework
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Remembering to put your own name on your work may be a simple task but unfortunately, it's one some kids fail to achieve. With the "No Name" board, you won't have to spend any amount of time asking which work belongs to which kid.
13. Names on desks
Credit: Instagram / @sparklinginsecondgrade
Using oil-based sharpies, write your students' names on their desks so you don't have to use actual labels. You can erase the names, whenever you need to, using a whiteboard cleaner.
14. Push lights on the wall
Credit: Instagram / @misszcsclassroom
They can be used as a guide as to how quietly or otherwise the kids should be working.
15. Take the scissors home with you so you can give them a wash
Credit: Instagram / @miss.mooresclass
You know how outrageously messy those kids can get...
Most of these hacks are pretty simple and yet can make a huge difference in how effective a classroom is run, so give them a try if you happen to be in the profession!