The BaSiC essentials as a sub

I dont know about you, but I am soo happy that it is the weekend! I had a couple long days in the classroom, and for some reason a lot of the kiddos are terribly sick.  I even had to send one poor boy home because I thought his lung was going to jump out at me when I was trying to help him understand the 24 hour clock  (YIKES).  He did go home at lunch, but I guess we were having too much fun that he had to come back for the rest of the day... what can I say ;).  Now I have decided that as a substitute teacher there are some essentials that you have to bring every day and I have complied a list:

1. Hand sanitizer!! Those kiddos are vessels of sickness (I still love them just the same).  I prefer to use Bath and Body, but it is always a good idea to have an unscented sanitizer just in case the school is scent sensitivities.
2. A whistle.  This is for basic classroom management.  You never know if you are teaching gym all day, so be prepared to do so.  I also do not like the idea of using borrowing another teachers whistle.  This relates to point number 1, ewwww.
3. A note book.  I usually keep one on hand so I can write down students names that worked really well, had a note for their teacher, or students that need more attention.  At the end of the day I am usually exhausted and cannot for the life of me remember which student was a star and what I should highlight in my lovely notes to their teacher.  I also use this book to write down neat ideas I see in their class, I am convinced I will forget things so I am a stickler for note taking.
4. My ipad or a good book.  I swear I am a grrrrreat teacher, but I have had some sub calls where the first hour is a prep.  I find I have ample time to prepare and do any side projects for the teacher, so having another tool is great to keep along.
5. Chocolate.  Depending on the day, this trumps all 4 and is the only thing I need to survive.  My reasoning for this..... Grade 8.  There is something about that age that forces me to consume chocolate, I am not sure if there is a connection yet.  I will do some more research and let you know ;)

Those are my main essential items that I cannot leave the house without.  So what are some things that you just have to have at your job?

I also want to give a big thanks to Ann at Mrs. Greene's Kindergarten Korner for the lovely post about my blog! I appreciate it :)