Have you felt like your students’ pencil boxes are out of control? I’ve definitely been there. A great piece of advice I got from another teacher was that not everything needs to go in their pencil boxes. Even though their school supply list says markers, highlighters, pens, and everything else, they don’t all need to be in their pencil box. So after some practice, I found a way to organize my students’ pencil boxes that helped not only them but my own sanity as well.
Keep The Essentials
The first thing you need to decide is what your students will need on a daily basis. For my students’ that was: pencils, scissors, a glue stick, crayons, and a big eraser. These 5 things limited the chaos of not only their desks but also their pencil boxes.
A Couple of Supply Tips
Pencils are the bane of my existence. I can’t tell you how many pencils I had to buy my first year because my kids CONSTANTLY lost them or ate them or they fell into a vortex I didn’t know about. Ultimately they were always gone. So the whole community pencil thing was out the door for me. Instead, each student had 5 pencils in THEIR pencil box that they had to keep track of and were responsible for.
I choose crayons over markers or colored pencils because they require the least amount of maintenance. Color pencils need to be sharpened and we all know how fast markers die. Plus these ended up becoming an easy reward for the students. If they did something positive or we were having a special day they got the reward of using their markers rather than their crayons. Also, I LOVE the crayon boxes from the Dollar Tree. They usually come in a two or three-pack for a dollar at the beginning of the school year.
Cut your big erasers in half. They definitely don’t need the whole thing and that way you have twice the supply of them. It also helps to label them with the student’s number or name. That way when they fall on the floor it’s easier to find their home. I tend to do this with all the supplies that I can.
Put Other Supplies Somewhere Else
Like I mentioned before markers, colored pencils, and all of the other supplies you don’t use daily I would put in another spot. I personally put them in plastic bins for each student but you could also put them in separate ziplock bags as well. I liked having them all separated because then I knew which things belonged to which student. That way it cuts down on the “I never got to use my such and such all year” complaints.
I truly think the more organized you can make your students and your classroom the easier it is to manage a classroom. It helps students’ know their expectations and where they can find things if they ever need to which in turn helps with management. I hope these tips help in your classroom! Let me know if you put in your student’s pencil boxes!
Keep creating your own sunshine,
Ally
