Organize Classroom at End of Year
Teachers Arrange and Store Teacher Materials to Finish School Year
May 12, 2008
Teachers Organize Their Classroom
Even the most type-A personality teachers stress about staying organized because it enhances a positive learning environment. Newer teachers are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to organization because they are making up their filing system as they go along. At the end of the school year, they can find themselves facing several half-completed, unsuccessful systems and wondering where to begin.
Try the Binder System to Organize Lessons
Good organization promotes efficient classroom management. By using a three-ring binder system, teachers can quickly organize their teaching materials. Binders are great because they are easily labeled, inexpensive and papers can easily be moved from one place to another. Store all of the master copies of lessons and teacher-made materials in separate page protectors so you never accidentally hand it out. Keep this copy clean and use it as your master for future photocopying. In addition to organizing thematic and skills-based lesson plans, you can use separate binders to organize and store:
- Administrative paperwork
- Professional development documentation
- Classroom observations and feedback
Purge Duplicate Materials
As you are cleaning out your classroom and preparing to store your materials for next school year, keep an eye out for duplicate materials. Remember, space is at a premium so you don’t need to save thirty-five copies of your teacher-made tests. Chances are you will not teach the same material in exactly the same order next year. Save a few master copies of tests as reference and make handwritten notes of how you can improve your test for next year. Consider purchasing a shredder for your classroom so you can properly discard paperwork containing student information, such as I.E.P.’s (Individual Education Plans), as well as tests. Encourage students to take home their writing portfolios.
Manage Your Files, Don’t Let Your Files Manage You
New teachers make files for everything. Think of how you can condense these files and place them in broader categories. For example, all of your teacher observations and administrative feedback should go in an administrative file. Do not mix these papers in with your lesson plans. Each category should then have its own file box or storage container, which can be kept at home during the summer months and brought back to school. Even though it may seem like a daunting task, go through all of your files before you carry them home. You may find that a lot of paperwork, especially pertaining to specific students, can now be discarded.
Electronic Files are Essential
Hopefully, you have been saving your teacher-made study guides, activities, tests and quizzes all throughout the year. But where have you saved them? Many teachers work a little at home, a bit on their laptop and occasionally in the teacher’s workroom. Now is the time to diligently retrace your steps, clutching your trusty flash drive, and save everything in one place. You can go back during the summer and organize your electronic files into meaningful folders, but for now just be sure you have everything. Then, take home your flash drive and back it all up.
Gather Up Your Teacher Supplies
Have you accumulated two dozen highlighters? Don’t know where to store your office supplies? Small, snap-top containers are glorious items for teachers developing a storage method. Purchase several in the same size so they are easy to store in one box. Sort your paper clips, staples, flashcards, white-out, pens and pencils and keep them in separate containers for easy access next year.
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