Teacher Necessities and Accessories

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Guess what?!  Teachers can look cute too when they go to work!  Not only can you dress in style but lets be serious comfort is also key!  If you teach elementary you know that most of your day is spent on a floor or bending and kneeling to meet the level of your students!  Check out these back to school items that I think are key to every teacher's closet or desk.

1. A cute mug:  If you are anything like me you start your day with a cup of coffee.  Sometimes you may even continue with another one throughout the day or you may throw in a warm cider or cup of tea mid day to give yourself an extra pick me up!  Even if there is not caffeine the taste and smell of anything fall makes me happy.  These mugs will put a smile to your face!

2. cardigan:  I could fill my closet with cardigans!  I pair a cardigan with almost every outfit!  It may be the teacher in me.... when I am out and about I love pairing a cardigan with some nice skinnies and a killer pair of boots.  When I am teaching, I can pair that same cardigan with some dress pants and awesome flats! (also pictured above)

3. casual dress:  I love dresses for so many reasons.  They always make me feel beautiful and always have.  This dress would be perfect for teaching.  It works on hot days to help keep you cool while still remaining professional.  It can also be warn in the fall and winter with some nice tights and a scarf!  It's a win win.

4. statement necklace or scarf:  This passed year I was pregnant.  I wanted to wear my "normal" clothes as along as possible before I had to buy maternity clothes.  When I did have to buy maternity clothes I decided to stick with the basics.  I ended up buying three basic tees in three different colors and paired them with a new scarf or necklace each day.  It changes your whole outfit and makes it look like you are wearing something "new".  It takes almost no effort and adds so much to your outfit.

5. Tervis travel cup:  These cups are great and lets be serious we probably have 5 in our cabinet but starting the year off with something fun and colorful that you know you will use all day everyday is great!  Maybe you opt for a new one, maybe you use one you have, either way it's a must.  You can keep drinks cold or hot.  I use these for coffee on the way to school and twitch to water for the way home.  They are great to prevent spills too.

6. flats:  Never have I ever warn heels to school.  I never saw a point in putting my feet through the torture.  I hardly ever sit down when I teach.  Because of this comfortable shoes were a must for me.  And again, not only did I want comfort but I wanted style.  Something that adds a little "sparkle" to my outfit without the effort.  Flats are the answer.  Animal prints adds some pattern to your all black and grey wardrobe.  An army green can also give you a little something extra instead of the typical black shoe.  I also have learned that mixing patterns is fun too!  Don't be afraid to mix those leopard flats with some stripes on your shirt.  Some black and white stripes, with a black scarf, and those leopard flats would look great!  Maybe pair them with a bright shirt on top, some black pants, and leopard shoes!  Get funky-- the kids LOVE it!

7. Binders and office supplies: Target!!  OMG I have an issue because I can never seem to leave that store without spending $100.00.  Is it just me?!  They have great office supplies again all of which can color coordinate.  Many times they have different patterns in the same colors.  These are great for your teacher supplies for your desk areas. They also offer awesome back to school items meant for a college student that are great for the classroom.  Crates (that I turned into student stools), chairs, pillows, etc.  All of which are bright fun colors that your students will love!

8. maxi skirt:  Not only was this my go to outfit when I was pregnant, but it is also a go to outfit for me now!  Extremely comfortable yet still professional.  This one is cheap, not too long, and comes in multiple colors and patterns!

BACK TO SCHOOL!

How did you decorate your classroom this year?

I used to go for themes.  In fact, if I were in the classroom this year I would have contemplated a "Frozen" theme.  However, when I carry out my classroom themes, I focus on color when it comes to decor.  I think the colors used in a classroom is what sets that classroom apart from others (in terms of the way they look).  When a classroom is color coordinated, it makes everything seem cleaner and less cluttered.  Colors and patterns don't seem to fight with one another becoming distracting for the eye.

Above you can see I used purple, green, orange, and black.  It seems like no matter what colors I choose, black is always in the mix.  Black is a color that makes all the other colors POP!  I also use black on my bulletin boards as I mentioned in my previous post! If you notice in the picture above I stayed within the same color scheme but was able to use multiple patterns without it seeming too crazy.  I used those fabric swatches for the crates around the room.  When it came to areas that used a lot of fabric, I stuck with simpler or plain designs.

An example of this is the pattern on the curtains.  I stuck with the smaller polka dot pattern instead of a bold pattern.

Something so simple that I have learned too is to keep your the same color book boxes or baskets together instead of mixing them up.  By putting the green in one row, purple in another, and orange on the bottom, it keeps it looking cleaner and more organized to the eye.  (I even went as far as to remove the baskets in the curtain picture after first week of school papers were all collected.)

Something else that helps soooo much and is soooo easy is to cover up some of your shelves.  In my classroom, those shelves below my window ran across my whole classroom.  Some of the shelves held math supplies, recess games, scissors, listening center books.  It just looked so busy and so messy!  As an easy way to cover up that mess, I always kept black curtains in front of the shelves.  It gave a clean look to the classroom.  I chose solid black instead of a pattern because I did not want it to be too busy to the eye because it ran the whole length of my classroom.

Here I just used the remaining fabric from my crates to create these banners.  They added just another touch of color and fun to the classroom!  To make these, there was no sewing involved.  I simply use iron on adhesive tape!  If I can find a whole room picture I will post!