I think I am instructionally, a very good teacher. However, organizationally, I am embarrassingly in need of a makeover. I am the teacher who can't find something I've run off for a lesson when I go to teach it. I have a messy heap for a desk and paperwork kicks my butt! I would love to hear your best organizational tips so that I can feel more in control this year. These tips can be how you organize your classroom space, organize paperwork, etc. Anything that keeps you working SMARTER, not HARDER! Many thanks in advance!
There has been a recent post on this so you may want to look in the archives. I think there were some pretty good ideas that I took note of. Here are a few things that I do to help my mess: 1. I set aside one day a week (Friday is my day) to stay late, clean, plan, run copies, grade papers, etc... 2. I have a paper tray on my filing cabinet for items that need to be refiled. This is my worst organizational thing. When the tray gets full I have to file it. 3. Give each child a red pen. Anything that is not being taken as a grade book grade - grade together. 4. Bins, Tubs, and containers! Get lots of them and organize your stuff and label the tubs. I just organized my friends cabinets. Her craft cabinet was the biggest best improvement. I used shoe size boxes with lids. Again the biggest thing for me that makes the most difference is the 1 day that I stay late and devote to cleaning, etc... Good luck!
Well this is also an area I need to work on even after teaching for 13 years
I am slowly getting better and I'm making more of a focus on it this year.
I bought a few filing shelves to sit on my desk (one has 12 shelves) - one I use for current mail, one for writing forms, one for all my homework pages, etc., so this is helpful.
I also have one tub that is for my filing - everything I take out of my files to photocopy goes there if I don't have time to immediately refile. At least then it's all in one place.
I have a little table by my desk that I've made a rule that it has to be cleared at the end of each day. This is where anything I've copied for the day, resources, etc., is put. Then I can find it quickly when I need it.
This year I am creating a marking binder right away so I can record marks and have my sheets all in one place.
As a teacher who has only been teaching a couple years, I get excited when I can post a reply and help another teacher. Organization is one of my strong points.
1) I have a file folder rack on my desk with a folder for each day of a week. If I run things off ahead of time I place it in the folder for the day I am going to use it. This way all I need is the folder and the lesson plan and I am ready to go. There are also folders in the rack for To Be graded, and for later use. Those are just items I didn't get to use in lesson, but would like to use another day. There is also an "extras" folder which I try to empty about once a week, saving any homework assignments in my filing cabinet for make-ups.
2) Next to my desk is my filing cabinet. On my filing cabinet are three paper bins marked with the subjects I teach and notes. This helps me keep any work kids hand in together and in some organized fashion.
3) Any paperwork from admin or the office that needs my attention gets placed in the corner of the blotter. I get to work early because I have a long commute so usually this pile gets checked in the morning to see what needs to be done when.
4) I also have a set book ends at the other corner of my desk. This is great for keeping books or binders you need handy, organized. I have one binder for old lesson plans for each subject, and one for my homework checking.
5)Everything else in my classroom that is in a bin or magazine rack is completely labeled (Centers, writer's notebooks, reading response journals, hall passes etc.)
I also put a filing tray on top of my filing cabinet, and when I have a spare moment (ha!) I file what I can in that amount of time.
I have a little plastic thing that holds letter-sized hanging folders on my desk. I keep a sub folder in there, along with letter-sized forms I may use during the day. I also have a folder for each day of the week, so if I run something off to be used on Friday, I put it in Friday's folder.
Each student has a cubby. When I grade their papers, I file them away in their cubbies to take home at the end of the week.
I have a cabinet right next to my desk that holds my teacher's manuals, any resource books I use frequently, and supplies I may need often. It also has a paper tray that holds work to be graded.
I have a rule for myself that I must clean off my desk at the end of the day before I go home.
Mine is similar to others. I get pretty stressed if I'm not organized - that's the anal side of me. Here are a few ideas:
1. Have a table set aside that is for all your paper trays. Have one designated for each subject OR day of the week. All your copies go in those trays for the week. Make those copies every Friday.
2. Have another tray for "office". That's anything that needs to go to the office. Then when you have your planning time, you just grab everything in the tray and head up there!
a. Copy anything that goes to the bookkeeper or secretary (sometimes they lose things!), and keep a manilla file with the copies. Put the original in the office tray to get turned in.
b. If you have something that needs to be copied (worksheet), throw a copy in the office tray.
c. If you have a parent to call, jot down the parent's name and number and throw that in the office tray.
3. Student mailboxes are WONDERFUL. I don't know how I did without them before. Any time I grade papers, I quickly sort them into the child's mailbox (the thin slotted kind). If I don't have time, I put the stack on top of the mailbox - and let my daughter do it for me later. Then on Fri. I can grab the child's stack, staple it, and put it in their graded paper folder.
4. I grade papers on my planning time (with a key to make it go faster), or at my son's basketball practice. I refuse to do it on weekends. You have to have some down-time and family-time!
5. I write all my lesson plans out and make any copies on Friday - then I go home knowing it's all ready for Monday!
Wonderful ideas!
Here is one that really helps me.
I have a special basket on my desk that is where students put any notes or messages for me. I kiddingly told my class I have a desk monster and if they give notes to me or they put them on my desk the monster winds up with them. (realisticlly I put them down or find them burried under a pile at the end of the day). When my class goes to activity I make a point of readinig my "mail" or things in the basket.
Like Kitty11701, I also have a folder for each day of the week. This is where I put copies I will need for that day. They are in a small filing crate on the table behind my desk. I only put the folder I need on my desk. I take this crate to the copy machine so that I can just stick the copies in the folder right away (and so I don't lose them before they make it into the folder). I also put a yellow highlighter line in the corner of all my originals...these get filed right away and I can easily tell which is the original (yellow highlighter does not copy on the copy machine).
I moved classrooms this year and making a point to make sure everything has a home. Then hopefully I can train myself and my students to make sure everything gets back to it's home. I have trustworthy students file papers into student folders (these are the papers that do not go home). This helps so much!
I also do many of the above ideas, but here are a few others. (Long)
First, buy lots of hanging files & file folders and then some of those file boxes from WalMart that have lids w/ handles. (They hold hanging files perfectly!) They're on the isle w/ the shoe box containers.
Then, label one crate/box w/ "Extra Papers" and inside it put a hanging folder labeled w/ each day of the week and one folder labeled "memos". When you pass out assignment papers to students, have a student put any leftover papers in the folder for the day. Any left over notes to be sent home from you, office, PTO, etc. go in the "memos" folder. This really helps when you have a student who is absent or the occasional student who loses an assignment or form. These students know to go to the "Extra Papers" crate and pull out the assignments from the day(s) they were absent or the lost form.
Label one crate/box w/ "To be Graded" and inside put hanging files labeled w/ each subject you teach. Once I collect an assignment, I immediately place the papers in the correct subject folder. When I'm ready to grade I just pull this crate off the shelf (don't forget the lid) and take it to my desk, daughter's soccer practice, or where ever I'm going to grade. Once I grade a set of papers, they go in the front of the box (if I'm not at home) or directly to the "Graded Papers" file if I'm at school.
Label one crate/box w/ "Graded Papers" and inside a hanging folder for each student in your class. Once you've graded a set of papers, have a trustworthy student, your personal child, or yourself file the graded papers into each student's file. When I'm ready to send home graded papers, I just pull them from the file and place them in the students folder to be sent home.
Like Javamomma, I have a tray for students to put notes from home in this tray only. However, I have the tray right next to the door so that students put the notes in the tray as soon as they walk in to my room. This keeps students from losing the notes also.
I also have a file crate next to my desk w/ a hanging folder for each day of the week. Then inside each hanging file, I have a file folder labeled w/ each subject I teach (I teach ALL). So once I've ran my copies for the week, the papers go into the correct subject and the day of the week in which I will need that paper to hand out to students. When it's time to teach Math on Tuesday, I pull out Tuesday's math folder and Voilą! I can pass out the day's math assignment to the students.
Thanks for asking this question. I have been teaching for 10 years and organization is not my strong point either. This year I will be working with two VERY organized people so I am making a HUGE effort to be more too! I LOVE all the ideas listed above and will definately use some!
I hope to incorporate more of all of your ideas into my classroom this year. And Amy, did you find that you were able to stay a bit more organized before your little man came into your life? I swear, my children turn my brain to mush sometimes! Anyway, thanks for letting me know I wasn't alone! Please feel free to keep the ideas coming- I am sucking them all up!
I have a plastic rolling "tower" that has five drawers. Each drawer is about 6-8 inches deep. The drawers are labeld Monday-Friday. I put everything I need to teach with that day in the appropriate drawer. Because the drawers are deep they will hold papers, books, items for science investigations and math manipulatives. They are great for a substitute. I bought them as Sam's Club for under $25 dollars. It has been the best $25 dollars I have spent in years.
YES! Definately more difficult to stay organized after the little man! You just want to get home in the evenings to see him and my desk would get piled up and so would papers....geesh! It seemed never ending. I am really going to try this year and if I STAY organized I won't have to give up time with him...
Maybe we can be encouragement for each other! You know, our own little organizational support group!
It takes time to organize. The best thing I've found is to sit down and list the major things that take your time, that you lose most often, or is the most headache. Organize that first. Be sure that you allow enough bins, organizers and big envelopes/2-gallon ziplocks to really get your stuff together.
If you allow yourself the time and proper resources and don't just "make-do" then you'll find a lot of stress gone.
I have been teaching 25 years, and I still am just HORRIBLE at STAYING organized. I have lots of good ideas and great intentions, but I am not good about follow-through. My desk is the school joke because it gets so piled up. In fact, my previous principal took a picture of it one day and put it in the yearbook!!! All my former students remember me by the messy desk. I'll have jr. high kids drop by for a visit (we are a preK-12 campus) just to see what my desk looks like!!! They get so excited when they can see brown!( the wood grain top)
That said, I do have good organizational tips. My first is color code. I color code all subject areas. That way I can see at a glance if something is blue, I know it's something for math, etc. I put all the work for the week in colored file pockets. I labeled one for each day of the week and keep them standing on a shelf behind my desk. There are 5 each for math, reading, language arts, spelling, and social studies/science.
I have 2 stacking trays on my desk. One is labeled for notes, etc. from parents. When the kids unpack in the morning, they put anything for me in this tray and I address it after we get started. The other tray is for things that need to go to the office. Believe it or not, this part of my desk stays organized.
I have individual mailboxes ( a cardboard divided paper sorter) for the kids. I have another box nearby for graded papers. I put all graded papers into the box for my class helpers to file in the mailboxes. On the wall by my desk is a numbered chart. ( I assign all students a number at the beginning of the year that they write on their papers, etc. This helps me quickly get things in alphabetical order. My class helpers put them in order for me before I grade.) Any way, on the numbered chart, I put up a post-it if a child is missing any assignment. Then at a glance I can see who needs to stay in at recess and finish work.
I have individual stacking trays for each subject for the kids to turn in papers to be graded. Then my helpers alphabetize them for me and paper clip each set.
I have pulled everything out of the closet and storage areas in my classroom and I am trying to organize myself. I know how to do it but I, too, have a problem with follow through. But this time, I have purchased tubs, containers, baggies, stickers, etc. in hoping that if everything has a "home" (I liked that phrasing) then it will be easy to return it. Thank you for all the wonderful ideas and let's all hope for a better world through organization!
Your post was humorous and also relieving to hear that a veteran teacher still struggles with organization. I'm sure you've heard the quote, "If a cluttered desk signifies a cluttered mind, what does an empty desk signify?" THAT'S US, HONEY! You also eluded to something that can be a great quality about us, but also a downfall. Like you, I am CONSTANTLY reading a new article, clipping a new idea, etc., to make me an even better teacher. But, all those articles and clippings don't file themselves. I really do probably need to lay off the Mailbox magazines for a while and organize the heap I haven't gotten to yet before clipping more. My teaching bag looks as bad as my desk, by the way, and when I can put that "Albatross" in the closet in June, it is the most uplifting feeling for me! Thanks for posting! I think your students are lucky to have a teacher who spends most of her time with them rather than at her desk, am I right?
I really like your five-drawer cart idea, as it will hold more than simple daily mail slots. I am definitely going to buy one of those for starts. Thanks for the great idea!
I bought one of those plastic drawer things. It was a smaller size with 6 drawers (each drawer was slightly bigger than a sheet of paper). I labeled each drawer with a day of the week and the last drawer with Next Week. Then as my aide or I make copies I can file them directly in the correct drawer for that lesson. If I was really on the ball and had stuff for the next week it went in the last drawer. The drawers were nice because they were big enough for books, project paper, etc that I might need. I also was able to keep things in the drawer that I use each week. For example, I used Mad Minutes in math. I copied a bunch and filed them in the correct drawer-addition on Monday, subtraction on Tuesday, etc. I didn't lose any copies last year!
I also make sure to copy two extras of everything. That way I always have an extra on hand if a child loses their homework or if I misplace my original. In addition to this I have a file tray on my desk for "extra" papers. After I pass out a homework assignment I put the two extras that I copied in that tray. I also put any extras of papers that the office might send home. I always have an "extra" on hand and when it gets full I just put it all in the recycle bin.
A time saver for me is my morning routine chart. I always write a list of things to do on the board for the children when they come in. I found myself writing the same reminders every day. I put the first part on chart paper:
Morning Routine
1. Unpack and put your snack in your desk.
2. Check your orange folder to turn in homework and look for notes.
3. Sharpen two pencils.
4. Use the restroom.
5. Copy your homework.
These things were the same every day. I put magnets on the chart paper and hang it on the board. Anything extra was written underneath it. That way the kids develop a routine of doing the same thing everyday. This is helpful when there is a sub in the room. I take away tickets if a child doesn't complete something from the list. Especially by the last month of school!!!
I have one basket for each subject I teach. The kids turn in all papers to the appropriate basket. I bought one of those accordian files. I empty the basket and put anything that needs corrected in the accordian folder in the correct section. I take the folder with me where ever I go.
One of my pet peeves is when kids don't put their name on papers. So I put a highlighter beside each turn-in basket. The kids need to highlight their name before turning it in (this takes some training). It reminds them to put their name on if they forgot.
I also created a small copy of the class list. (it's about
2" x4") Before placing papers in the accordian folder, I check off the names of students that have turned it in. I know quickly who owes me work. SOme people have the student's check off their own name as they turn it in, but I'd rather do it myself. It helps me remember who owes me something.
My last tip saved me a lot of irritation at the end of the day. My students have an assignment pad which they write assignments in each day. I used to allow 15 minutes at the end of each day to write down the work and have me check over it. I had more one student who was so slow that they could never get it done and I ended up writing it for them. Then I added it to the morning routine list. They started in the morning and finished during free time in the day. They had to have it done by recess or take a classmate's book outside with them to copy it. It worked wonders!!! It seems so simple now but I don't know why I didn't think of it before. It saves me 10 minutes at the end of the day because all I have to do is check over them.
Last edited by gloves2teach; 07-30-2006 at 09:31 PM..
I am very excited about the year ahead (09/10). It will be my first year teaching and I am very anxious about the organizational issues that I must solve. Here are my questions. What are the must haves for files. Some of this seems obvious. Student work, Committee notes, lesson plans. Is there any good reading out there that could be used as my bible?
07-26-2006, 09:40 PM
Then on Fri. I can grab the child's stack, staple it, and put it in their graded paper folder. 
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