I am linking up with Fun in 4B and Beyond to share some things I cannot live without. 

This month I want to share my teacher bag. I have had several different bags over the last 4 years and I think I have finally found the one - the perfect teacher bag.

Before I introduce you to the best bag ever, I would like to take you on my teacher bag journey. It all started 4 years ago at the end of my student teaching. My amazing mentor bought me a beautiful bag from LL Bean. She had my name embroidered on the front and filled it with all the goodies a new teacher would need. 

This is not exactly what my bag looked like - mine was a gorgeous eggplant bag with long teal straps.  and it bag served me well as I finished out my senior year and then for the year I worked as an ed. tech III. 

But then I received my first classroom placement and I found myself carting back and forth more books and papers than my pretty canvas bag could possibly ever hold. Enter the very large traditional backpack.

I originally bought this bag to use on a trip to Italy during my senior spring break. It worked great as I had to carry 10 days worth of clothing and accessories on boats, trains, and planes. Once I realized that my canvas bag wasn't cutting it anymore, I knew that this versatile backpack would definitely hold all of the teacher manuals and student papers I was starting to carry. I used this bag for the next two years. However, I found that even this large backpack did not hold EVERYTHING and it is not the most stylish. Plus, it is very difficult to put a stuffed backpack on with a heavy winter coat...

So when one of the lovely ladies that I work with started showing off her teacher bag - I knew I had to have one. It had pockets on the outside, it had pockets on the inside. It had a matching lunchbox and looked more like my original teacher bag which I missed dearly. So after walking around my friend's classroom carrying her bag, I knew I needed to order one.

The bag came in fun vibrant colors and I could order accessories too! So for the second half of the school year I used my Thirty-One super organizer tote with the all-important zip-top (so stuff didn't fall out when the bag tipped over in the car!). I loved this bag! I could literally fit ANYTHING I could possibly EVER need in it - my teacher's manuals, my computer, my lunchbox, and a myriad of other things. And that was the problem. The bag was so big I was always carrying around extra things. I had to clean my bag out constantly because things would get lost in all of the pockets or would be hidden at the bottom, covered by the many books and folders that I carried around "just in case" All summer I was on the lookout for a better solution.

Enter the best bag ever!

In September, Thirty-One ran a special on the All Day organizing tote. My friend suggested that I order it. And I am so glad I did! My bag holds my lesson plan binder, my grade book (also in a binder), my computer, iPad, and lunch box. All that stuff fills out the bag but that means that I cannot carry around things that I do not need. I am more purposeful about what goes in my bag now that I have limited space. I love the smaller zippered pocket inside for my pens and pencils. The larger inner pocket holds my wallet, badge, and room key, while the outside pocket is great for my phone and car keys. I also love that the bag is a durable fabric that, so far, is not showing dirt or wear. If you're looking for a new teacher bag, I highly suggest the All-Day Organizing tote by Thirty-One. 

What do you use as a teacher bag? Have you struggled to find a bag that works for you? Are there other Thiry-One products that you suggest for teacher friends?

Don't forget to head back to Fun in 4B to see other items teachers can't live without!