Must Have Monday

Today I have the pleasure of linking up with Lidia from Kinder Alphabet and Krissy from Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business for Must Have Monday!  I am going to share with you the things I have to have in order to create a successful classroom atmosphere.

1. My Sharpies - I love Sharpies.  I love the smell, the pure, deep color and the the way I feel productive at the end of the day when I still have a Sharpie stain on my fingers.   There are so many colors to fit my mood each day.  I began my teaching career before lesson plans were typed, and everyone had e-mail.  My Sharpies were and still are some of my best creation tools.

2. Sharpened Pencils - One of the best teacher gifts I ever received was a bouquet of sharpened pencils on the first day of school.  When I get in my classroom at the beginning of the year the first thing I do is sharpen my pencils.  The smell of sharpened pencils gets my brain working and I can start creating ideas.  The pencils give me freedom of mistakes and the ability to erase what I don't like.  This summer I splurged and bought a box of skinny Kate Spade pencils.  Yes, I know it was a ridiculous waste of money, but they came in a perfect storage box and I will definitely know when one of my students has "borrowed" one of my pencils.

3. Grading Pens - I love fine point pens in a multitude of colors.  I use these pens when I grade and pick the color I like best that day.  I love that these pens make it easy to write important notes and information that the students can easily find.

4. Coffee - I don't think I could teach without my morning coffee. And in the world of a mom and teacher, coffee isn't a sit down and drink at one time event.  I again got carried away and got the Kate Spade coffee mug that is covered in books.  For the girl working to get her own school library soon, it is the perfect way to start my day.  And, it keeps my coffee warm all morning!

What things must you have?  Join me tomorrow for Tell Us About You Tuesday!

Jessica