Liz’s 2025 Teacher Hacks: Work Smarter, Not Harder

I want to begin with a disclaimer…not all of these hacks are my own. Quite a few of the ones I’m about to share have been shared with me by teachers and other professionals that I work with. I’m blessed to work with such collaborative professionals!

These hacks are broken into 4 categories: the car, the student, the teacher, and material preparation. At the end is a listing of resources. Some of the hacks could fit in multiple areas. I am currently working on a Teacher Hacks Take Two that I plan to share in the future. 

Hacks for cars

1. Storage: I like to have a small plastic basket to transport materials easily between my car and the building for delivery. I prefer plastic baskets so if something spills, it’s easy to clean up. I have several baskets, one for the floorboard behind the passenger seat and others that sit in the passenger/back seat as needed. The one on my floor board typically contains materials no longer needed in the classroom and occasionally my lunch kit. I put binder clips on the edge of the basket to secure materials to reduce rolling around in the car. It also works great with items you’ve purchased while you’re on the go! I tag the items with the campus or person’s name so I can reach them quickly when it’s time to deliver them. 
2. Rain, Rain Go Away: Rain ponchos work great for when your hands are full and can’t hold one more thing, like an umbrella. Plus, I always end up leaving my umbrellas somewhere. Rain ponchos also work great to cover your materials while transporting them from your car into the building. This keeps the items from getting wet and is a great tool to use if you want to hide something to surprise the student/teacher with.
3. Blanket: I keep a lap blanket in my car for multiple purposes. I use blankets for covering items for safety during transport, protect seats when putting items on them, and for added warmth when needed.
4. Student project trays: Working with activities that have a lot of pieces? Use trays to keep them separate and from rolling around the car. I add tape on the side and write the student’s initials on them for ease of grabbing the right tray, for the right campus, and for the right student. The trays also stack easily. Frequently when working with students, the items we are working on need time to dry, and I can’t leave them in the classroom. A 3-Drawer storage container makes a perfect option for me, and it fits nicely in the back of my car without taking up a lot of space.
5. Teaching material storage: I found a portable 12.25 in. x 13 in. Plastic Garden Scooter from Home Depot. Not only is there a lot of storage space inside, but you can use it as a seat, up to 225 lbs. The cushion is also removable, which saves the knees. I have found this to be very durable and other items can be stacked on top. I typically use bungee cords to secure them. This has truly been an amazing item for me this school year, and I had placed it on my Amazon Teacher Wish List. This helps in several of my classrooms where there aren’t enough chairs to go around. No problem! I’ll just bring my own!
6. Deodorizer for the car: This was a new hack to me! Does your car smell like take-out food? Gym clothes? Or worse? Take a piece of bread (stale one is even better) and soak it in some plain old distilled vinegar. Throw it in the bottom of any garbage can/container overnight in your car, then in the morning toss it away. All the nasty smells will be gone! This was a tip from one of my teachers. She overheard me mentioning my car smells after I accidently left the windows down and it rained the night before. It worked like a charm!
7. Moisture absorber: Tired of foggy windows in the mornings when you need to leave for work? Place a rice-filled sock in your car overnight, and it will act as a moisture absorber, helping to prevent those foggy windows during cold weather by drawing excess moisture from the air inside your vehicle. Another tip from a teacher. The trick is to put it on the dashboard. I haven’t used this one…yet!

Hacks for my students

I am always looking for good hacks to use with my students so they can better access classroom materials. I am fortunate that I work with collaborative teams that think outside of the box. In fact, I’m not sure we even know where the box is anymore! 

1. Mr. Play Doh Head: Are your students having difficulty putting the pieces into Mr. Potato Head? Try Play Doh! Pieces easily fit into it, and the students can help manipulate the Play Doh into the shape they want. I took it a step farther, and in October, I combined orange and green Play Doh and introduced it as “Mr. Pumpkin Head”. I combine 2 or more colors for each month’s theme. This is a tip from a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)I work with. I’m not saying to give up on our favorite plastic Mr. Potato Head, but this will give the student a chance at success. Keep pulling in Mr. Potato Head, but be willing to change it up!
2. Busy hands: Do you have a student who flaps their hands or materials? Try a portable hand-held fan. This tool looks more appropriate than paper flapping and won’t tear the paper. It also makes a lot less noise! The student can then be taught that this is what one uses when the need arises to flap and that the worksheet is for class use. Some children flap their hands when they’re excited and stop after a little while as they calm down. This can happen repeatedly for no apparent reason. This is my hack.
3. Desktop trash can: This was a genius idea from one of the OT’s I work with. Using old coffee cans or plastic containers as trash cans on a student’s desk or work area. I use duct tape on the outside to add contrast, as well as to cover any container marketing. Create a slit/hole in the top for students to put the trash in, or the top can be removed depending on the task. I’ve also seen OTs use this as an “all done” container for putting finished visuals in. She sorts the visual from the trash out later.
4. Tissues/Trash boxes: When it’s “Kleenex time” in the room, try this fun hack I found in one of the Facebook groups I belong to. An empty Kleenex box is rubber banded together with one still containing usable tissues. Students can pull out clean tissues as needed and put them into the empty box once used. This hack is a great way to keep the area clean and to work on skills! One way to adapt this is to place masking tape around the ‘trash box’ so students can find it more easily. One of the teachers I work with also includes hand sanitizer between the two boxes. 
5. Personal space: For students who are learning to remain in their own space, use painters’ tape to divide the table into sections for the student. I had fun with this. I had a student who had trouble keeping his hands in his space, even with the tape, so we called it the Eagan-Flores line. We came up with penalties for either of us going over the line without the other’s permission. This one is an oldy, but goodie. I’ve been using this long before I became a TVI when I was still a life skills teacher. I did it for a student who seemed to have trouble keeping his hands in his own area. This solution ended that problem.
6. Classroom materials: Student materials can be difficult for some teachers to organize in the classroom. An Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher I work with provided this amazing hack that I’ve shared with every class I work with, and with families! She labels containers, binders, and supply boxes with large print (preferably in bold dark font), images (I prefer real pictures), and when needed, with braille or a tactile symbol.
7. Cutting paper: Is your student struggling to hold the paper safely when cutting with scissors? Try using a clothespin! The OT’s I work with recommend using the plastic ones since students are usually able to open them more easily with reduced chance for splinters. Adapted scissors are always something to talk with the OT about. 
8. Behavioral concerns: An AMAZING kindergarten teacher discovered  that giving a student we share her lanyard was not only soothing, but diminished behaviors. Together, we created one using the visuals she uses with him. The yellow plastic card has a calming strip on one side and a soft felt texture on the backside. The texture and calming strip was chosen by the student. Remember that behaviors change over time. What works one day/week/month might not work the next. This worked for 3 months. We are now trying different things with input from his parents and a neurologist. Heavy Duty Lanyard available from Amazon.
9. Juice boxes: Ever wonder how to make the juice box easier to grasp for our students? Folding out the flaps on the top of the juice box makes it easier for small hands to grasp without dropping it. A teacher sent me this one. She uses it with some of her Pre-K students.
10. Aversion to sticky textures: Activities involving liquid glue or other similar textures don’t need to be omitted. Just use a glove on the one hand that is being used to stabilize the craft or food item. My student is now a full participant with no hesitation! I wish I’d have thought of this years ago!
11. Aversion to sticky textures?: Activities involving liquid glue or other similar textures don’t need to be omitted. Just use a glove on the one hand that is being used to stabilize the craft or food item. My student is now a full participant with no hesitation! I wish I’d have thought of this years ago! This is my hack.

Hacks for teachers

We all need a hack or two or twenty to help us out! As an itinerant teacher, I seem to be juggling everything in life. Trying to find some stability in a world full of chaos can be quite tricky. Hopefully I have something useful for you!

1. Confidential clipboard: Observing a student? Need confidentiality as you take notes? Laminate a file folder after cutting out a piece on the top of the folder (top cover only) where the clip will secure the back page. Once laminated, trim that cut away piece out. Now you can automatically cover your notes when not writing! I prefer to use a clipboard that has storage capability for pens/paper when I’m doing my observations or any type of data collection. Plus, with this type of clipboard, I can store business cards, “sorry I missed you” notes, and other items. This is a genius tip from a career center teacher I work with! 
2. Teacher tools app: This has been a priceless tool for me. I have dyscalculia. I’m always worrying that I did the math wrong. Well, this wonderful app on my phone has a grader, stopwatch, and a running record that I can use to calculate words per minute in reading. The app is free. This is an app I found, while searching for something else, of course! 
3. Need a translator: On an Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) lesson and the translator is a no show? In a parking lot and someone needs help but neither of you speak the same language? Both have happened to me. Try the Google Translate App. It has text translation: Translate between 108 languages simply by typing. You can have conversations, translate bilingual conversations on the fly (70 languages). It’s not completely accurate but still a good option. No cell service or WIFI? Not a problem. This works offline: Translate with no internet connection (59 languages). This is an ECI parent hack. This has saved me many times, and it’s helped me while in the community with people I’ve never met before.
4. Screen cleaning: I like to clean my iPad screens between students. I also like to have my students help with the cleaning. Touchscreen Mist Cleaner is a great tool for that. The top is where the student presses down to mist the screen. Then the sides of the cleaner are used to wipe the screen. It’s fun and easy to use! I found this while looking for a better iPad cleaner than what I was using. My students have stopped groaning about cleaning the iPad or their communication device and now ask to do it. We’ve lovingly nicknamed it “The Cleaner!” Touchscreen Mist Cleaner, Screen Cleaner from Amazon.
5. Play-Doh as a clean up tool: If your student is using glitter in art activities, or glitter was used prior to your lesson, use Play-Doh as a cleanup tool. By rolling Play-Doh over the glitter, you’ll be able to pick up every single speck of glitter on the table/desk top. First off… I don’t like glitter, but my OTs LOVE glitter! It’s on the desk/materials long after they leave. I’ve taken to carrying a small amount with me just in case. NOTE: newer Play-Doh works best.
6. Sticky Notes: Did you know you could run sticky notes through a printer? Me either! By printing directly onto the sticky notes, you can personalize whole pages of sticky notes at once. Great to use if you’re using sticky notes to write the same thing on. DISCLAIMER: I have not tried this, but this came highly recommended from a teacher I work with. She stressed using a printer and not a copier. 
7. Shaving cream: Have you ever taken a moment to really think about the dirt and germs on the desks in the classrooms or areas where we work with students? Pretty disgusting once you start thinking about it. You can purchase inexpensive shaving cream at a dollar store, and then squirt it all over the desks. Students can explore the texture, draw in it, etc. NOTE: There is odorless shaving cream. It is harder to find and a little more expensive though and be careful of allergies. This is a life skills teacher hack. I’ve also had my students use gloves if they didn’t like the texture but wanted to join in with their peers. 
8. Binder clips and cables: Student desks/work areas tend to be cluttered with paper, books, and VI technology/devices. So many cables to keep up with. This is a great way to help organize their work area so their power cords can be found easily. Also works great for teachers too! I saw this at our dept. of special education office. A cheaper solution than the options seen online.
9. Permanent marker problems: Have you ever accidentally written something with a permanent marker? Or has one of your students ever tried to draw something on a white board with a permanent marker? You can remove the ink by writing over it with a dry-erase marker. When you wipe over the words/images again, it should disappear in an instant. Goo Gone also works great. This works well in a pinch! This is also a tip from a teacher I work with.
10. Pom poms & dry erase markers: By adding pom-poms to the dry eraser marker cap, you’ll always know which markers are yours. They also work great as erasers…just secure them well before putting in students’ hands. This is from a teacher I work with that found this tip also on Facebook.
11. Toothpaste on whiteboards: This was a new idea to me, too! As a TVI, there’s nothing more annoying than a whiteboard that’s no longer white when our students need to access it. Just recommend to the teacher that they can use toothpaste to clean the whiteboard by wiping it on and off with a cloth. If that doesn’t work, try a mixture of water and white vinegar. 
12. Not enough hands: I take a lot of photos/videos to share with the parents, and as a way to document progress. When I’m helping a student, my hands are full. I found a phone tripod that has a wireless remote and is compatible with the iPhone or android phones. I started using this during the pandemic. I use the remote frequently with my toe so both my hands are free to help my student. Phone Tripod/Remote from Amazon.
13. AI to the rescue: Writing goals, PLAAFPs (Present Levels of Academic Achievement) and Functional Performance, and even report writing can be difficult. An AI generator does help in rewording your thoughts and framing your words. Remember NOT to use students’ names or any identifying information (district name, etc.). My district is using MagicSchool, the free version at this time.

NOT a Hack, But a Necessity: Strategies for mental health. You HAVE to take time for yourself. Find something you enjoy doing, and do it daily. You can’t be effective in your job if you’re not taking care of yourself.

---

Information about third party providers, products, and services does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Perkins School for the Blind. It is the user’s responsibility to verify and investigate providers, products, and services. References to or information regarding commercial products, information, services, manufacturer, or company do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Perkins.