Create an Emergency Bag for Work

“By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.” — Benjamin Franklin

Music teachers spend a lot of time at school, and many of them don’t live near their schools. Situations will occur, and it’s best to be prepared. For personal medical emergencies, make sure that you know where the nearest hospital or quick care is located. However, there are plenty of days when I have needed supplies for non-emergency situations. I recommend having the following items at your disposal. Consider storing them in a drawer, cabinet or even a small crate in your car.

1. Dress clothing: Consider having a set of dress clothing in your office or in your car if you are a traveling teacher. I have used these on occasion when a district employee came over for a picture with the group, and I was dressed for marching band rehearsal or instrument repair day. An extra set of dress clothing can also help in case you spill or tear your clothing right before the concert.

2. Deodorant: Keep a stick in your desk drawer for those times that you feel “unsure.” Or, keep one in a travel bag. It’s not recommended to keep one in your car. I am still cleaning out melted deodorant from the center car console.

3. Non-perishable food: Somedays, you may forget your lunch or your lunch money. Consider having a few cans of soup or some other prepackaged food that you can rely on for those days. If you have a school lunch line that allows you to prepay, you can also put a few dollars on here and use this as a backup plan.

4. Water bottle: Some people bring water bottles back and forth. If you are able, consider keeping an extra one at school, or even one that you exclusively use at school in order to cut down on the items you have to travel with.

5. Travel hygiene items: In addition to deodorant listed above, consider other small travel items for “just in case events,” including a toothbrush, toothpaste, or, if you’re a contact lens wearer, contact lens solution.

6. Flushable wipes: I’m not going to go into any reason why. I’ll just say to always have freshness as a priority.

7. Lint roller: Helpful for making sure you are presentable for your concert, board meeting or parent meeting.

8. Feminine hygiene products: If your school doesn’t supply these in the bathroom, throw a few in your desk drawer.

9. Hairbrush or comb: Again, we’re just making sure that we’re presentable for our professional job.

10. Pain relievers: such as ibuprofen or aspirin. Just be sure to not keep these accessible to children.

11. Backup shoes: If you often wear dress shoes to school, consider having a backup pair of comfortable shoes for days that end up having quite a bit of walking. If you’re attending a festival, definitely bring comfortable shoes for those off-stage moments. On the contrary, if your footwear is typically casual, have a quick set of nicer shoes for the moments listed above.

12. Coat/jacket: If possible, I recommend having an extra one that you can either hang in your office or keep in your car. It can help you manage sudden weather changes in the event you have to leave the building during the day.

13. Safety pins: I’ve had a few instances of buttons coming off clothing or small tears. A safety pin helped me at least get through the day.

14. Cell phone charger: I typically keep one connected in my office. For traveling teachers, consider a cord connected to a standard plug, or even a rechargeable power bank.

15. Instrument repair items: I keep crochet needles, small screwdrivers and even plastic drinking straws around to help with instrument repair emergencies. For even more on this, check out my article on Instrument Repair Hacks.

And what’s the most important thing to have? A realistic expectation that you’ll never be able to plan for everything, and that’s fine. The best stories never start or end with “everything went to plan!”