The Basket of Chips is an handwritten newspaper published in Hopkinton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in 1857.
It includes poems, moralistic and religious reflections, and a parody song. The editors indicated in the introduction of the newspaper that most of the articles were borrowed from other newspapers at the time, since they did not have any contributions from their audience. However, one of the articles, which seems to be original to this newspaper, describes a young woman's first experience with becoming a teacher. She recounted her feelings and anxieties while preparing for and taking the certification exam. She also described the commencement ceremony and the subjects she was assigned to teach.