RWRR All Recs: Office/Classroom Supplies Edition

July 24, 2024

Hello, friends! Thanks to all of you who shared my McSweeney’s piece, “Ernest Hemingway Visits Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club” last week. I started being “serious” about writing as a satirist, and it has been awhile since I’ve written any humor, so it was fun to submit a piece in that vein.

After many requests, my comprehensive guide to the best office supplies has arrived, just in time for back-to-school. One thing about me is that office supplies are one of the great loves of my life. It’s no exaggeration to say that office supplies were a major factor in my decision to become a teacher.

Because both my home office and my classroom resemble a mini Office Depot, I’ve made this one post, but divided things into categories for your convenience. I hope you enjoy! Also: none of these are affiliate links, just to be clear. This is service journalism bbys!

Pens

In my opinion, the perfect pen is the Muji 0.5mm black gel pen. It’s the smoothest-writing gel pen I’ve ever used. It doesn’t smudge. I love it. I order them in bulk because I simply do not enjoy writing without them.

In a close second, we have the Pentel InkJoy Gel Pen. I think the colors are fun, and I use them occasionally in my classroom, but in general, I prefer a black pen, and tend to only use a black pen. I don’t know why, other than using a different color makes me feel too wacky? I have issues (we knew that).

Honorable mention goes to the U Brand U-Eco Gel Pen. I don’t know what possessed me to try them, as I rarely deviate from what I know I love when it comes to pens, but these are pretty great. They write smoothly, albeit a little thicker than I prefer. Still, I wouldn’t kick them out of my notebook.

Pencils

If you’re over the age of 14 and still writing in pencil outside of math class, I am judging you harshly. Sorry. I hate pencils. They break! They’re smudgy! What is the point (graphite, I know — get it? Man, I hate myself!)?

BUT. There is one exception. Blackwing pencils.

If you’re going to use a pencil, these are the ones. Try an Audition Pack so you can find your favorite kind. They didn’t fully convert me to being a pencil person, but they did get me to use pencil occasionally.

If we’re talking about pencils for your child, absolutely do not get them a Blackwing pencil. Get them the old standby: Ticonderoga, #2, PRE-SHARPENED FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. I am begging you. Please. Do not make them have to sharpen a pencil every day. Also, buy a lot of them. My class went through something unbelievable last year, like 7,000 pencils. I don’t know if the kids eat them or what, but I could not keep my class in pencils last year. I’m well-stocked for the year and don’t really have a classroom wishlist, but if I did, it would just be boxes of pencils and tissues, the two things I never have enough of.

Markers/Highlighters

Come for the nostalgia, stay because these suckers last forever. I make a lot of charts in my classroom, and Mr. Sketch colors are bright and hold up well. They’re cheap and the scents are even better than you remember.

I have strong feelings about highlighters. I’m obsessed with my Zebra Mildliners. I love the variety of colors, the level of pigment, their refusal to smudge, everything.

Notebooks

My all-time favorite perfect notebook is a Grid Notebook from Appointed. I have them in many colors and have been using them for a few years. I find them absolutely delightful and perfect. The paper is luxurious, nothing smears, and it’s fancy enough to feel special but not so expensive that I feel like I shouldn’t use it. It simply cannot be improved upon.

For less precious things, I am a big fan of the old fashioned Moleskine, soft cover, size XL or XXL. I hate a tiny notebook. I need room to sprawl. That said, every few months, I decide that I’m going to stop using the Notes App as my diary when I’m out of the house and use a notebook like a Real Writer and for the five minutes that endeavor lasts, I also like a Moleskine Cahier pocket notebook.

Desk Organization

I’ve become a big fan of having a big dotted sticky note as a desk pad, and I prefer this Panopad from Studio Neat. I use it to take notes or doodle, and I like that it has a sticky back so that I can plot things out and hang on to them for later use.

I have two of these little caddies. I use one for reading supplies — my aforementioned Mildliners, book flags, a notebook where I reflect on what I’m reading, bookmarks, and other things. I also use one for carrying around my journaling supplies for Morning Pages and such. They’re the perfect size and they’re so cute.

I love this little organizer I keep on my desk. It’s large enough to keep some extra pens, Post-It’s, a stapler, and other items I need, but not so large that it takes up too much room on my desk.

Correspondance

One of the best changes I’ve made in recent years has been making an effort to send more snail mail to my friends, specifically to mark birthdays and other occasions. I always keep cards on hand now so that I don’t have to run to the store each time. I keep these Rifle Paper Birthday Cards, Rifle Paper Thank You Notes, and these Pep Talk Postcards on hand. I also keep a few cards for weddings, sympathy, baby showers, etc. around, too.

I’m also obsessed with these super-cute Thinking Of You stamps (though now I simply must get some Jeopardy stamps!).

Other Supplies

The binder clip is my favorite office supply, and I love these smiley-faced ones so much. They’re silly and cheerful, and using them makes me happy.

I have this absolute workhorse of a three-hole punch. I’m not sure if it’s truly 50% reduced effort but it punches many pages at once, doesn’t slip, and is easy to measure.

We’ve already discussed how I feel about my personal laminator. I will say it again: I love it. I think it’s worth every penny. I use it more frequently than you might imagine, both at home and at work.

For organizing anything, write-on sticky tabs are the best thing on earth. I love the color variety on these.

For some whimsy, the polka dot ones are also adorable.

I want to be someone who can write in books; alas, I am not. I do highlight and love to put flags on passages I want to return to. These are my favorite tabs.

For The Classroom

This section is likely more useful for my teacher-friends, but if you like office supplies, you’re likely to find something you’ll love here, too.

These plastic baskets are great for storing supplies. Currently, Target has some, but I got these from Amazon. I love that these come with little lids, making them stackable. I use them for pens that my students use for grammar activities, and I like that I can stack them easily.

I put magnets on literally everything in my classroom. I laminate things like bell schedules, standards, classroom rules, information about routines/voice levels/expectations, signs for no-name work, etc. and put magnets on the back so I can easily hang them on my whiteboard. A laminator + magnets is a powerful combination.

I love these hanging folders. I teach two grade levels, so I use one for 7th grade and one for 8th grade, label each folder with a day of the week, and then put that day’s work inside of it so that students who were absent can grab the things they missed.

Do not play when it comes to the dry erase markers. Rose Art or Up and Up and whatever else are not good enough. I need my chisel tip sharp, my colors vibrant, and a smell so toxic I might die. Expo or nothing.

Teachers, listen to me: while everything is on sale, buy two packs of multicolored Expo markers and two packs of black markers. After Winter Break, replace all your soft, shitty markers with the new ones. By that point in the year, your energy will be thoroughly sapped, so even something like new Expo markers will be the dopamine your brain needs to help you make it ‘til Spring Break. I know that sounds ridiculous now, but remember, things feel very bleak in January.

I’m so sorry to say that I don’t have a link for this but the brand is Seville Classics and every few years, Costco has these organizers in stock. They are the absolute best. They last FOREVER. Yes, they are sharp enough to kill you and very solid, but they’ve held up longer than any other classroom supply I own. I’ve had them for nearly all of my career, and I love them. If you ever spot them, GRAB THEM, and do not let them go.

I use stamps in my classroom every day, and my favorites come from Sniggle Sloth on Etsy. I love the different size options (the extra small ones are perfect if you stamp planners, like I do!) and the self-inking ones hold up well!

Long live the binder sheet protector. I keep master copies of things and this is the only way they remain pristine. I highly recommend them. A great purchase to help you feel more organized, especially at that point in the school year that we all inevitably hit where it feels as if everything is spiraling out of control. Putting curriculum in binder sheet protectors makes it at least look like you know what you’re doing.

If you’re looking for bulk highlighters for use in a classroom setting, I’ve ordered these Shuttle Art ones a few times and they are delightful and the colors are perfect, especially if you do Step Up To Writing or any other program that asks for you to have students highlight different parts of their writing or other work.

Please, for the love, buy markers that reflect diversity, even if you don’t teach in a diverse school. It matters, even in these ways that seem small.

Respect yourself and your students: don’t waste time on anything but Crayola. The Classpack is amazing. I still get excited when I get a new one.