I have piles of paper everywhere in my room in spite of my efforts to be more organized this year. My grade level team mate keeps everything in a bunch of notebooks and a few files. As soon as she gets a piece of paper, she hole punches it, files it or throws it away. I am not that decisive and I always think I'll have more time later. She also avoids doing "messy" or "complicated" projects, and I don't. Here are the main areas that I am having trouble: worksheet copies that I run off in advance and stockpile, faculty notes and forms, information about individual children (IEP, standardized test results, etc.) I need a really simple system for organizing stuff by subject matter. What do you do?
My fellow teacher is also super-organized, I am less so. I understand your issues. I can tell you how I tend to the ones above which I have managed.
I have a manila folder for each child that holds notes on their IEP, signs and returns and anything miscellaneous I may need to refer to later with a parent or team. Filing here is really easy because they're beside my desk and it truly takes seconds to file those things away. In my left hand bottom draw I have a notebook for faculty meetings. I take notes but in five years I've never looked at them again. I started throwing away faculty notes because someone else will always have them if I need them. However, I have sense enough to know if the principal has a pet project, start a file on those hand-outs. I have a simple file called principal. When my old principal left, I could throw all those notes out.
I use several forms often. I need lots of copies of those forms. They're in a small 3-draw file behind my desk. They're easy to get to and I simply replenish them when I'm low on copies. I go to the school secretary to get the form I need once or twice a year. She has a file and will get it for me easily.
I hate lots of worksheets hanging around so I copy just before I need them. We have a copy center that will make those copies. For me, I prefer to be just a week or so ahead. I get crazy when I have too much paper around me.
Now this is what I do with what I need most. I have a large file cabinet in the back of my room. I keep hundreds of file folders in there. This is organized first by subject, then by chapter. I pull from these frequently as I begin a new chapter or topic. All of my lessons, worksheets, tests are organized in each file, so I simply pull what I need and get them copied. In this large file folder I also have a large variety of graphic organizers I can pull from "on the fly." These are also stocked so if at the lest minute a timeline seems approprite I grab it. If a Venn Diagram is needed a grab it. All of these file folders fit nicely into one crate by the side of my desk with pendaflex folders labeled by subject. That's that.
So even though my fellow teacher is super-organized I find that I'm equally able. She far surpasses me though regarding grading papers. She's driven to correct them as she receives them. I need to be motivated so that leads to a paper pile-up. Unfortunately as I approach my fiftieth birthday I find myself less and less motivated to get to that pile of papers quickly.
I hate clutter, so I have to stay organized. This is what works for me:
1. I have a tray for every subject, on a table. When I make copies of the worksheets for the week, they go into the subject tray. When I'm teaching that subject, I can easily grab the worksheets. Make sure you criss-cross them, to keep the piles organized.
2. faculty notes and forms - I have a manilla folder that I keep all them in. If it's something I have to fill out and return, I have a tray that says "office" (near the ones above) - I know to fill those out and return them. As a matter of fact, if it's a small form, and it's something that takes 10 seconds to fill out, I do it in the mailroom when I first get it, so I can copy it and put it directly into the person's box. I keep a copy of everything and put it in the manilla folder. If someone ever says I didn't turn something in, I have a copy of it - so I can copy it again and turn it in a second time!
3. individual children - I have a manilla folder for each child, and I have a whole file drawer with just their folders in it (alphabetized). Any time I get a parent note, IEP, etc... it goes into that file.
4. If I have extra copies of worksheets, I make another stack for them. When I have a child in ISS (rare), we have to supply work for them. I pull a bunch of those worksheets until I can get the daily lesson ready for them.
My year goes so much more smoothly when I'm organized!
I am the super organized one! Here are my solutions:
I too have worksheets copied in advance. We have to put our copies in to be copied, so I have to do them in advance. I have five magazine file sized plastic buckets I have labeled as M-F. They sit on the top of the bookshelf behind my desk. I place books I am going to read, worksheets I an going to use, or samples I am going to show in these buckets. I also have a file folder in each bucket to put stuff for the following week behind the current week. I also have a small hanging file box next to these with files for: copies to be made, current units, book orders, sub folder, attendance slips, nurse passes, etc.
As for faculty notes and forms, I have a staff binder I place these things in. I have used dividers in this notebook labeled by subject: math, reading, writing, spelling. I also have a standards section and a section for calendars and other notices.
For my students, I also keep a file for each student, but I have them labeled by number so I can reuse the files each year. In these files I keep IEP's, parent notes, copies of notes I send home, etc.
I hope these help. I also try to clear off my desk each night before I go home so I have the piece of mind that everything has been taken care of each night before I go home.
for being a Pack Rat! Whenever any one needs something I usually have it ......someplace.
I do have some organizational skills though!
I have an old filing cabinet with 2 drawers divided by Months. I keep a file for seasonal items, special read-aloud materials etc there.
I have to keep a math folder and a working portfolio for each child as well as a Showcase folder and a folder for any and all corespondence, notes, observation sheets. I run off 2 extra copies of tests and handouts. Each child has a mailbox (interlocking file trays) where all take home material goes.
I use Staple paper boxes! There is one for each catagory of craft supply or major project (fabric & felt, foamie sheets, feathers, glitter and sequins, sewing supplies etc.)
Seriously, there is a spare room in my house where things land. My husband calls it, "The Room Where Books Go To Die".
Remember, a clean desk (or room) is the sign of an empty life!
I have a file folder for each child in my homeroom. I put every note, important paper, test score, iep, etc.
I have a large folder for the other 2 teachers classes that I teach 1 class per day. It is all mixed together but at least I know where to look for anything for those students.
I have a large hanging file for each subject for future papers
I have file cabinets for each subject that I keep units, supplemental materials, reference, etc.
I also have subject files for everthing that needs to be filed. I sometimes am too busy to file at the moment, so I place those papers in those files and get to them when I can.
I have just started putting tests/answer sheets in clear page protectors that I will keep in binders. I am hoping this also helps.
I never sit at my desk so the top usually is a dumping ground. I have solved this by selling my desk for the day for good behavior. Then I have to clean and organize it at least 1 time a week.
My thoughts is that a clean desk and super organized room is great but I would rather place my efforts on my students and planning my lessons. Every once in a while, I go in on a Saturday or over Spring and Christmas break and spend an entire day getting caught up and filing everything correctly. If not, there is always the end of the year mandatory days that I can do it.
Nice website, Mandy! Thanks for posting it. Teaching 3 different grade levels, 21 different individualized lessons, and all subject areas, organization is my biggest challenge.
1. I label file folders for each day of the week. When papers are copied I place them in the folder for the day of the week I will be using them. I place them in a paper tray on my desk.
2. As soon as I grade and record papers I place them in a file folder to be handed back at a later time. This way I can get a lot of papers off of my desk that aren't necessary. ( I place this file folder in a paper tray some where else in the room off of my desk)
3. Notes and forms- this is an area that I am still working on. I try to take care of any notes from the administration as quickly as possible so I can throw them out. All test results that we have are on a county database and in the students cum folder, so I don't have to worry about keeping these things. I only keep papers that are important or that I need to act on. The others I toss out.
3. Subject matter- I label file folders for each chapter I teach in a certain subject. Any activity that goes with that chapter I stick in that folder. Then they are stored in my filing cabinet. I only need to pull out the chapter I am work on each year.
I am not that organized. I find that a great way to organize is to THROW STUFF AWAY!!! This works at home and at work. I keep a spot in my desk for memos and stuff that I probably don't need but it's a CYA thing. At the end of the year, I throw it all away. I grade papers and keep them in a bin to pass back later. I have all my colored pens in a pencil pouch thingy to grade papers with. I think a secret to getting organized is to toss as much as you can as soon as you can.
03-11-2006, 02:36 PM
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