It’s an unavoidable part of teaching: overtime, some of your classroom supplies wind up lost, broken, or stolen. Unfortunately, school headphones are no exception, but we can help!
These tips may help prevent your headphones from getting broken or lost and help them last all year and beyond!
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Proper School Headphone Storage
Cords are often the first thing to fail on a set of headphones. When your headphone cords are a tangled mess, they’re more likely to catch on something and separate from the unit. On the other hand, if you coil them too tightly around the headset, you risk bending and fraying the wires.
Optimal storage should keep all of your cords neat and separated without winding them too tightly. Our 6 Organizing Hacks for Classroom Headphones will help you clear the clutter and keep your learning headphones, headsets, or earbuds in pristine condition.
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Replaceable Covers for School Headphones
If you need to reuse your learning headphones from year to year or share them between students, replaceable headphone covers protect your investment and keep your headphones sanitary for your students. Covers help with hygiene, cleanliness, and preventing the spread of illness and lice.
For a fraction of the cost of brand new headphones, foam covers help each student have a “like new” experience when using classroom headphones.
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Care and Cleaning School Headphones
Even a particularly grungy pair of headphones can be saved with proper cleaning. Ear pieces, of course, are the most important part to keep clean.
Earpieces on most over-ear sets usually stay relatively clean with normal use. Simply remove any stray hairs that appear and wipe down the headset with a skin-safe cleaning solution as needed.
Foam ear cushions can usually be removed and washed with a drop of gentle soap (like a plain castile soap) as needed; air dry and then return to the headset. Leather ear cushions can be damaged by harsh cleaners, so it’s best to wipe them down with water only or a special headphone cleaner.
Earbuds can require more cleaning as they’re more likely to gather wax than traditional headphones. You may also want to be more careful with the kind of cleaner you use since earbuds contact more sensitive skin than other headphones. A headphone cleaner or a 1:4 solution of a gentle soap and water work well. Simply wet a paper towel with the solution and wipe off the earbuds, taking care not to get water in the unit.
Cleaning each set yourself can be time-consuming, so instruct students to follow these cleaning steps each time they store shared headphones.
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Labeling
Labeling your learning headphones with numbers or students’ names will make it easier to track down lost sets. If each student has his or her own pair of headphones, consider adding a sticker or tag with their name to each set.
If students share headphones or if you plan to reuse your headphones next year, try labeling your headphones with numbers instead of names. Assign a number to each student and keep a list. When a set goes missing, you’ll know which students to ask first.
Adding a label with your name or classroom number is another good idea. If a student or teacher finds a pair on campus, they’ll know where to return it.
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Choosing the Right Headphones for Your Class
An elementary classroom needs different headphones than a high school classroom. If you teach younger grades, invest in headphones that are designed specifically for kids.
These headphones are usually made with flexible plastic, making them less likely to bend and break. They also often have thicker, more durable cords that are more resistant to bending or separating from the unit.
Our Flex-Phones Foam Headphones fit the bill. They’re built to stand up to even the rowdiest of students, and they come with an adjustable sizing band to fit heads of all sizes.
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Teach Students Proper Usage
From kindergarteners to seniors, students can be rough on classroom equipment. Go over a few ground rules with your students and post a sign or two in your classroom as a reminder.
Here are a few guidelines you may want to set up for your students:
- Be gentle when removing headphone jacks from the computer or other devices. (Yanking on the cords can eventually damage the audio quality and lead to static.)
- Avoid bending cords or twisting them tightly around your fingers. (This can cause the wires inside to bend and lead to poor audio quality.)
- Wipe down earpieces as needed.
- Neatly coil cords for storage, but avoid wrapping them too tightly around the headphones. (Again, this can damage the wires.)
- Return headphones to the designated storage area.
Whether your classroom headphones are school-supplied, parent-supplied, or teacher-supplied, you need them to last! Sometimes things happen. If you need assistance email our friendly team. We hope these valuable tips can help you minimize loss and damage. We understand how important it is to keep your headphones working as long as possible.
If you’re still searching for learning headphones for your classroom, we’d love to learn about your classroom needs and help you pick the perfect set! We also offer volume discounts and accept purchase orders. We accept tax exemption certificates for qualified institutions. Please get in touch with our friendly team today. Email us customercare@learningheadphones.com or give us a call at (888)-294-1032. Our goal is to help you find exactly what you need. We strive to make the process quick and easy to save you time and money.
