What's in your TTOC bag?
By the Teachers Teaching on Call Advisory Committee
A teacher teaching on call (TTOC) never quite knows what the day will bring. One morning might involve leading a Kindergarten class through story time and carpet games, while the afternoon could mean supporting a high school science lab or supervising a gym full of energetic students. With so much variety, being prepared is essential. In addition to a variety of flexible lesson plans and activities, over time, many TTOCs develop a “go-to” bag filled with tools that help create calm, build connections, and support learning — no matter the classroom or grade level. In this article, we’re sharing what’s in our TTOC bag and how each item helps us feel confident, organized, and ready for anything the day holds.
This list doesn’t exempt the employer from providing the necessities for a properly equipped classroom, however TTOCs often experience the reality of walking into an under-resourced classroom or an unfamiliar environment where they can’t find something when they need it.
Here’s what we carry in our TTOC bags
Hand sanitizer: Prepare for snack time and avoid germs with clean hands.
Hair ties: Prepare for a surprise gym class or an unexpected lab. Wear your personal protective equipment (PPE)!
Safety glasses: Again, PPE.
Whistle: Get the students’ attention in a gym class or outdoor learning experience.
USB drive: Useful when your computer does not connect to the printer and you need to get those copies fast. Also useful to store some ready-to-use worksheets than can be printed and photocopied when a day plan is not available.
Wardrobe car tote: Have your wardrobe prepared for any surprise. Sometimes you are assigned to attend a field trip or outdoor adventure with the potential of any weather, so have a tote in your car that includes rain gear, gloves, boots, socks, hat, sunglasses, or crampons (we see you, northern BC!).
Snacks: Choose your favourite to help you get through the day.
Prizes: For days when students need a bit of extrinsic motivation. Candy and stickers are our favourites.
Deck of cards: A great way to randomize group-making or for a game of probability.
Utensils (spoons, forks, knives): Some days, there’s no time to get to the staffroom and you need to prepare to eat in your classroom or learning space for the day.
Advil/Tylenol: Days can be long and loud.
Band-Aids: For any bumps on the playground or paper cuts from the printers.
Tissues: For those sniffles (or tears).
Sticky notes and a pen: Jot down notes while you’re on the go so you don’t forget things to include in your notes for the returning teachers later.
Ready-to-go lessons: Like the 30 circles challenge that was previously published in Teacher magazine.
