Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Teacher's Box Review: January 2015

I signed up for The Teacher's Box late in January and then there were a bunch of snowstorms, which is why I am posting my review of January's box so late! The Teacher's Box is a subscription box for teachers of all grade levels, and that's exactly why I chose to sign up for this one. My husband teaches high school English and I wanted to get him some treats for his classroom. I used to teach, too, before getting into my current work, and I also have a sister who teaches. So I am aware of how much teachers spend on supplies and how nice it is to get little classroom products sent to you. However, the only other subscription box like this is Elementary Box, and my husband doesn't have any use for things for kids. Most of his students are juniors and seniors, so they really don't (at least hopefully) need flashcards and such. 

What I loved about this box is that the supplies weren't just useful for him, but they were all things he can use, if that makes sense. What I mean is that everything can be brought to his classroom, but he's pretty well stocked on cleaning supplies and wet wipes through his school, so I can hang onto those for us at home. In fact, the Shout to Go wipes, wet wipes, and first aid kit are all products I buy every time we travel, so now we have them on hand!

My husband works for a school that actually provides lunch to teachers for free, and they get long lunch breaks. He still manages not to go to the cafeteria much, though, and ends up snacking at his desk while he instead uses the time for prepping and grading (in exchange for lunch and longer breaks, teachers at his school work longer days and teach more classes). So he was very excited about the big bag of pretzel crisps and Goldfish!

There was also a really nice water bottle. Although my husband doesn't use these, I will and it's my favorite color! This is the perfect teacher gift, though, because often you go several classes without being able to even leave the room, and unless you have your own bottle of water or drink, your voice starts to go. 

He is going to pass the reminder bracelets along to a colleague, but I would have loved these when I was teaching. My entire desk was covered in post-it notes, or I used my hand to write things down. I like these, because I could keep them at the ready and use them to note something without interrupting a lesson. Very handy!

I'm making him put up the little pink Rockstar at Work sign, because his students will get a kick out of it. We had a long argument a few years ago about stickers. I always put them on quizzes and tests, even for seniors, and I can't tell you how much students loved getting stickers regardless of their ages. My husband thought his students would think stickers were dumb, so I made him promise to at least try it. Of course, they didn't think they were dumb, and now he goes through a ton of stickers each year because they think it's great to get one. It's also a really easy motivator if you only use them for high marks. So I think this will be funny for them, because he's definitely the entertaining teacher. 

The last item is like the Holy Grail for teachers - a giant pack of Sharpies!! I told him I would be happy to take them off his hands, but alas, no. Sharpies are really the best writing utensil and getting a pack of them is way too exciting for us, I think! My husband said the only thing missing, which he said should make its way in every box, would be red pens. Mostly because he's running out and needs them! :)

If you know anyone who teaches, or if you're a teacher yourself, definitely check out The Teacher's Box! This would work for any grade level, even college. I know Crafty teaches and she'd love most of the items in this box either for her classroom or just to have! At the holidays, I may order a few boxes for all the teachers in my life (there are lots!). 




2 comments:

  1. That package is awesome! I have some teachers who might just be getting this for the end of the year. I love that water bottle too!

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  2. I wish our box was like yours. Unfortunately, they either ran out of funding or stopped caring. This was the biggest waste of money I have ever seen. My husband bought me what he thought was a one month box for Christmas. It didnt come until halfway through January due to "shipping issues with the weather". Before I even got my first box, they charged us for a second box (it was only supposed to be a one month box!) When we got the first box, it had maybe 8 items in it and every single one of them had a $1 dollar store price tag on it. There was one pack of stickers, a tiny wall calendar, gift tags, a card game and a couple other useless items. Not one of the items would I ever describe as being used by a teacher, and like I said, they all had $1 price tags on them! I would not recommend this to anyone.

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