Back-to-School Survival Kits for Teachers & Administrators

Teacher's Desk with Back to School Supplies Including Books, Blocks, Pencils, and an Apple

The profession of teaching is a challenging one and only gets more so, thanks to larger class sizes, lower budgets, rapidly evolving ways and means through which students consume content to learn, and a school protocol that may not keep pace. One way to help teachers hang in there? Back-to-school survival kits for teachers.

Why Is Teaching So Tough?

With an infinitely richer understanding of individual learning styles compared to previous generations, the traditional classroom still remains staffed and structured like The Little Red School House. Research, results, and science have given us a sophisticated understanding of what each individual kid needs in order to learn—from the emotional to the physical to the curriculum structure and delivery—yet a single teacher is often expected to deliver results in a classroom whose structure hasn’t been modernized to reflect the latest wisdom about the optimal education environment.

This makes the teaching profession rife for burnout as the teacher fights a seemingly losing battle against limited resources and outdated protocols. The challenges of remote teaching during the pandemic have not helped.

Though concepts like project-based learning, restorative justice, and Individualized Education Programs are important evidence of progress, we can look at statistics about teacher turnover and abandonment of the profession to get a sense of the ongoing problem:

K-12 teachers and related employees have the highest burnout level of all industries in the US.¹
Over 44 percent of K-12 employees and 52 percent of teachers feel “always” or “very often” burned out.¹
Forty-four percent of public schools have full or part-time teaching vacancies.²

Small outreach can make a big difference in tough times. School survival kits for teachers and administrators can show these hard-working, underpaid and over-stressed critical workers that we support them.

Why Should I Add My Logo to Teacher Back-to-School Survival Kit Items?

A big part of teacher burnout is not feeling seen and supported. This impacts mental and physical health and can lead to exhaustion, detachment, and a career change. If you’re providing teachers with a show of support and a helping hand in the form of a school survival kit, maximize the impact by attaching a custom message and your logo to the gift.

A customized gift makes your outreach more personal and allows your teachers and administrators to associate your name with ongoing support each time they use one of your gifts. This benefits the teacher recipient as well as your small business or cause.

What Do Teachers Want in a Back-to-School Teacher Survival Kit?

School survival kits designed for teachers serve three important functions. They:

Show Support: Let teachers know you care and support them.

Supplies Gap: Provide them with essential supplies that they would otherwise have to purchase out of their own pockets.

Encourage Self-Care: Provide them with gifts that remind them to incorporate self-care into their daily teaching routine.

Classroom Supplies Survival Kit

There are some supplies teachers can never get enough of. Think sticky notes, highlighters, and hand sanitizer. Include essentials like these in your back-to-school classroom kit:

Rectangular Yellow Highlighter – Chisel Tip: High function, low price, and always in use.

Design Wrap Sticky Notes & Flags: A little of every type of sticky they might need, and your branding on the front.

Mood Pencils: Add a little whimsy to every word written with these fun pencils (number two lead type).

Pencil Sharpener: When there’s a back-log at the shared classroom sharpener, hand these out for in-seat use.

1 oz Hand Sanitizer with Carabiner: No kid’s left unsanitized with these carabiner-style sanitizer gift.

Teacher’s Personal Back-to-School Survival Kit

Encourage teachers to take care of themselves with a back-to-school survival kit that focuses on handy gifts that keep them feeling their best as they give their all to the students. We like these:

Reflections Manicure Set: Tuck this case in a desk drawer or purse for necessary nail care on the fly.

Custom Chocolate Bars – Individually Wrapped: Apples only go so far. These bite-size chocolates are just right for uplifting tired teachers between classes.

Full Color 17 oz. Stainless Nyla Water Bottle: They’ll stay hydrated and in style with this sturdy water bottle made that’s easy to fill and carry.

Printed “Hang In There” First Aid Kit: Who says a boo-boo kit can’t be beautiful? With this trendy first aid kit, your teachers can make safety first look fashionable.

Mineral Soft Touch Stylus Pen & Flashlight Gift Set with Rose Gold Trim: Students can look but this elegant set is just for the teacher.

Support Teachers by Providing Gifts for Their Students

Now that you’ve taken care of teachers and administrators, spread the back-to-school spirits to kids and parents as well with back-to-school survival kits for kids. This will help teachers get their class off to a positive start and show your support for the challenging and life-changing role they play in so many young lives. For back-to-school survival kit gifts for kids of all ages, from elementary school to college, plus parents and teachers, too, check out our blog post, Back to School Gifts for Students, Teachers, and Parents.

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