If you follow us on Instagram, and we hope you do, you have seen Mary Beth! She has been part of the Barrington team since 2014. We thought it would fun to ask her how she uses her Barrington totes and accessories in real life.

What grade do you teach and what is your favorite thing about this age group?

I teach the third grade. It is a huge year academically and developmentally. It is so much fun to see how much the students change and grow during the school year. They seem like babies when they arrive in the Fall and leave for the summer knowing long division and how to write a paper.  

What is your favorite thing about being a teacher?

That’s easy! The kids are my favorite thing. I love their questions, comments and zest for life and learning. They say so many funny things and surprise me with their insight. I also enjoy getting my classroom ready for the first day of school. I absolutely love school supplies, and always have!      This is my third year to teach and I have learned a thing or two on how to arrange my classroom. For one thing,  I realized it would be helpful for me to have two desks - one for me to do my work and one desk to teach from. So, this Fall I treated myself to a stand-up desk for the front the classroom. This kitchen cart from Ikea was the perfect height for me and I like the clean lines and extra shelves to hold things I need to handy. This new arrangement is working well so far.  And also a cute area rug really perks up a learning center. I buy a brand new rug every year to add a fresh look to the room. I found this one at Walmart!

What is your “go-to” Barrington Tote?

Now that is a difficult question... right now I use 3 different bags on a daily basis!  The first bag I ever owned was the St. Anne Tote. It is for sure my go-to. I have actually collected a few St. Anne Totes over the years. I have carried it as a purse, travel bag, book bag. Right now I use one for my gym bag and keep one in the car for running errands. This tote is so versatile.

You mentioned that you use 3 bags daily...

Well, when the Petite Handbag came out, I decided to give it a try! I absolutely love the scale of this bag and have been using it as my main purse lately.  It is roomy enough for my favorite accessories like the Crosby Zippered Wallet and Eyeglass Case but small enough that I can easily see everything inside at a quick glance.  

I teach elementary school and take work home most evenings. I use a Nantucket Tote as my “homework bag”. This bag is so roomy and holds my lunch box, computer and school papers.

Actually, I have used another bag recently too….The St. Charles Yacht Tote.

When I have a particularly big load to haul to and from home and the classroom,  I put all 3 of my “daily bags” inside this big tote and then only had ONE bag to carry. I love this bag for weekend car trips too! It holds everything I need.  

Last question, do your students know you about your side job as a Barrington model?

Yes, they do! Several of the moms at the school have Barrington bags and recognized me from Instagram my first year of teaching. Students, who are interested in my side gig, will comment when I wear something to school that I wore during a photo shoot. The girls will ask me where I shop. It is really cute!

Now we want to know where you shop too!

Some of my favorite places to shop are J Crew, The Loft, The Gap, Vineyard Vines and Nordstrom. I tend to buy preppy classic clothes and jazz things up with fun jewelry and shoes. My most recent splurge were bracelets from Hazen & Co. Of course, no outfit is complete without a personalized monogram tote from Barrington!

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