Snow Day ❄
It's a beautiful day outside! Kansas is officially in a "white out" as inches and inches of enthusiastic snow falls to the ground. School's out all across the state and I'm just relaxing in our apartment, enjoying a cup of chai tea and mesmerized by this view....
I was thinking ahead yesterday and did as much homework as I could knowing that today I would be stuck inside and wanting to just relax. The Education Program at Wichita State is full of amazing professors and great knowledge. I'm really enjoying myself! But there are days when I just want to have nothing to do, like today!
So in honor of my lazy day, I thought I would share some essential items I have to have in my book bag.
Here is my sweet little Vera Bradley book bag... yellow & black to represent my shockers (who are 23-0 by the way)!
What's great about this bag is that I can actually fit a lot in it. Here are the things I cannot live without + some great tips for a successful semester.
1. LARGE BINDER
This is the holy grail of my bag... It's a 3" binder with a tab for every class. Any piece of paper I may receive goes here and I put a little colored tab on each class's syllabus so it can be easily retrieved. It's such a great and organized idea for any college student. My teaching program is 4 semesters long, so I will end up with 4 organized binders for each semester when I graduate. I have two so far! I also like to include items that make me smile, goals, a calendar, and encouraging quotes in my binder.
"The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately"
2. IDEAS GROW HERE
I am very excited about the purpose of this little notebook. I've turned this into a pre-teacher journal. Anything I experience or learn or important information I need for my future I write in this journal. It's a great idea for any college student who knows what they want to do and are on that path. This will be such fun to look back on but also a great place to find tools and information I may need to succeed once I am a teacher.
3. TO-DO NOTEBOOK
This notebook has been a life saver for me. I started this last semester and it has really worked for me as a student. Any time I am assigned something, I write it in this notebook with a empty box next to it so that when I am done with that task I can check it off and see what all I have done. I do have a planner, but this is just a much more organized and laid out option as to seeing what needs to be done.
4. POCKET ITEMS
These are items I always have in the front pocket of my book bag. They are easy to grab and I use them everyday. I always carry bars with me (my purse is also stocked full). They are the perfect snack to top me off, especially because I am usually at school all day. The two I have in my bag now are Kashi Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt (one of my favorite brands of bars) and a MediFast bar (such a great diet, check it out if you are looking to loose weight!). I also have chapstick which is essential for this time of year. My lips get chapped so easily when it's cold out. This is an EOS Ball and it is lemon scented. I also need a little perfume everyday, because like I said I am at school all day long. This roll on from Mary Kay is great when you are on the go. Lastly, I have some antibacterial wipes that I stole in handfuls from my doctors office! I'm a little bit of a germ freak and my hands feel dirty to me easily so these are nice to have.
5. PLANNER
This is my planner and organizer for last semester and this semester. I pictured it open because of two reasons. Mainly because I never have it closed, this reminds me to always check what may be coming up for me. And two I do not like the outside pattern (I'm a little picky about that!) During syllabus week, my #1 personal homework item is to go through every class calendar and record every assignment in my planner; that way I always know what is coming up and assignments can be easily changed if the professor changes their mind.
6. PENCIL POUCH
My pencil pouch is something I use everyday, I think it is important to color-code your notes while you are taking them. My pencil pouch is full of highlighters different kinds of pens, pencils, an eraser, and sticky tabs. So it really shouldn't be called a pencil pouch... Anyways, here are the brands of some of my must haves -- Paper Mate Flair pens, BiC ecolutions pencils, Sharpie Accent highlighters, BiC Mark It Fine Point Permanent Markers, and Paper Mate Ink Joy pens.
7. STICKY NOTES
I use these a lot to organize, make reminders, and to draw attention to important things. They are such a great tool for college students. Sometimes I use them to write down my 3 daily goals as mentioned in my previous post, I use them in my planner, in my textbooks, for studying, and reminders. Sometimes if I need to remember something I will write in on a sticky note and put it in my car so I can read it while I drive to school. I use them everywhere!
8. MINI VERA
This little guy is so handy for me during the school year. I'm not a big fan of carrying a purse AND a book bag... thats just too much! In this I include my student ID, credit card, USD 259 ID, drivers license and change for the vending machines. The size of this makes it easy to just put in my wallet if I am carrying my purse and then take it out and slip in my book bag for school days. That way I always have what I need on me.
9. MAKE-UP BAG
Even though this is a make-up bag, I don't have much make-up in there. This bag is for little things I may need during the day. Inside there is advil, my WSU name tag, girl items, kleenex's, mascara, hand lotion, and more chapstick. This has most certainly come in handy for those minor emergencies through out the day. It is nice to also have it all in one place, that way I am not digging for it in the middle of class.
I hope these tips can inspire you to be a better student, good luck this semester :)
"Doubt kills more dreams then failure ever will."
-Karim Seddiki
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