When I got my (first and current) school counseling job, one of the first things I decided to do was keep a designated space in my office for students to gather-up needed (free) school supplies or to grab a quick snack. Sure, this ends up costing several hundred dollars a year (probably similar to what a lot of teachers spend to stock their classrooms), but the pay-off is more than worth it in my mind.

If you are a savvy shopper, though, you can trim costs even more. I like to buy a lot of my school supplies for students in late August of each year–right before the start of the new school year. I typically purchase a couple dozen backpacks (hello, Five Below); folders; notebooks; sticky-note packages; highlighters; and crayons (shout-out, Kroger); and binders; bags of pretzels, fruit snacks; crackers; and Air-heads (my all-time favorite store, Dollar Tree–you are my Day #1 friend).

Without further ado, let’s get into my top five reasons for keeping a well-stocked counseling office.

1. Eliminate Excuses for Students:

No longer do I have to worry about students not having the basics for what they need in the classroom. Missing folders? Short on notebooks or binders? Need a new backpack? All I have to do is direct my students’ attention to the southeast corner of my office and they can take exactly what they need. I even created a sign that instructs them to grab what they need, and to let me know if they need anything else for school (and I will try my very best to pick it up for them). No excuses. A couple years ago, I even bought an alarm clock for one of my students because she had a hard time getting up every morning, making her regularly late to her 1^st Hour class. Over a year later, she remembered that alarm clock and even thanked me again for buying it for her, telling me that it made a big difference in her life (thank you, Target, for your $12 difference-maker alarm clock).

2. Provides an Opportunity for a Quick-Check-In:

One of the other big reasons that I keep a well-stocked counseling office is that I am all about doing whatever it takes to have regular foot-traffic in my office. Because I often don’t see my students every day–like most teachers do–I love that quick opportunity to say “hi” or ask a student how their weekend was–or just to let me know if they need anything else. If a student comes down to ask me if they can take some school supplies, or have a snack, it might be a quick conversation or might develop into a more lengthy conversation. Sometimes, students don’t have much time and need to grab what they need quickly; but other times, it allows students to spend a couple minutes doing some fun shopping! All the while, I can check-in with them to see how their day is going or to strike up a conversation with them about something that I know they may be interested in talking about.

3. Eliminate Stigma–Anyone Can Take What They Need:

In many schools, there are going to be students with an abundance of resources at home and there will also be students who do not have much of anything at home. I try to not make any assumptions when it comes to stocking-up my office. When it comes to students taking school supplies or snacks, I have an equal number of students that have parents/guardians/family members that can easily buy any needed school supplies or snacks; and I have an equal number of students that I know their family might not have that extra $5 for a new backpack or a few folders or notebooks for their classes. It all works out just fine. I have never once had a student completely clean me out, or hoard supplies–or even anything close. The hundreds of students I have worked with in the past six years all just take exactly what they need–nothing more, nothing less. It’s a beautiful thing.

4. Snacks: See Who’s Hungry:

Let’s face it: We all get hungry sometimes–especially growing students. With the majority of students back in our school buildings for in-person learning this year, they can often be at school for seven hours or more each day. Moreover, no longer are students’ kitchens within a short walking distance during the hours of a normal school day (like they were with remote learning or over the summer). What gives then? Waiting until lunch to eat? What about getting hungry after lunch? What about forgetting to bring a snack to school? No worries. I always keep a big bowl of pretzels and fruit snacks in my office that are available for anyone to take. What’s actually a bit interesting is that other staff members will pick-up a quick snack almost as often as students do–but that’s why they are there. Simply put: We work and learn better when we are not starving, and consuming a quick snack can provide a nice little boost during the school day. It also allows me to see if any students might be struggling with food insecurity (i.e. if anyone comes to my office every day for a snack–doesn’t happen often, but It does give me the ability to gauge food scarcity for any students).

5. Demonstrate That You Care (to Students and Staff):

Finally, dipping into our own pockets to buy school supplies and snacks for students is not a forced requirement of the job, and that’s why I think it has the potential to be even more impactful. Generosity matters. Meeting needs matters. Removing barriers to learning matters. Those things stand out–and students often take notice. I decided at the beginning of my career that I would run my own little un-scientific experiment and keep a designated section of free (new) school supplies in my office and see if anybody noticed. Well, if you walk in my office and immediately look to the right, there’s a whole large filing cabinet area on top with free supplies. It’s not in my immediate work space and it’s easy for students to get to–a win-win. Throughout the year, I’ll see what is running low and replenish as needed. It’s really that simple.

Here is a list of items that I like to keep in my office (with their exact–or estimated–costs each):

• backpacks ($5 at Five Below)
• 1” binders ($1 at Dollar Tree)
• spiral notebooks (around .25¢ at Kroger, in late August)
• standard two-pocket folders (around .25¢ at Kroger, in late August)
• sticky notes (around $1 at multiple stores)
• small crayon boxes (around $1 at multiple stores)
• highlighter markers packages (around $1 at Kroger, in late August)
• pencil cases ($1 at Dollar Tree)
• mini pretzel bags (6-count packages are $1 at Dollar Tree)
• fruit snacks (price varies a bit based on box size and brand)
• random college swag and other similar giveaway items (free)

–The Blue-Collar Counselor