Weekly Teaching Tip: The Organization Cycle

You may be wondering why I'm bringing up the topic of organization when many of us are at the end of our school year. This is a topic for the start of school, right? Wrong. What we do at the end can affect the next beginning. Organization is a prime example. So often we end our year in a bit of chaos. We’re tired, the kids are tired, and the last thing we want to do is get all of that stuff organized. Over the summer we recharge and often brainstorm new ideas to implement during the next year. This usually translates into making new "products" for use in the classroom (thinking folders, bulletin board items, rotating center files, etc.). However, instead of implementing these new ideas, how much of your time is spent sorting and organizing the mess left previously? I know it happens to me every year. Do you find the same? This year, let’s make it our goal to get organized before leaving for summer break. This will help us be prepared for the new school year and have more time to implement those great ideas we’ve brainstormed over the summer. Below are a few tips to help with this process.

Student teachers

I know you are busy trying to find a job, filling out applications, and interviewing with schools. However, don't forget about taking some time to organize all of those great ideas and handouts you've collected so far. Find a 3-ring binder and get some tabbed dividers. You'll want to organize all that information by subject and area of teaching. Some of your tabs should include: Special Education, ESL, Classroom Management, Student Discipline, Parent Communication, Assessment, Technology, First Day of School, Professional Development, and of course you want sections for each subject area you may end up teaching. If you already have a lot of papers and Masters of handouts, you may want several binders for easy access (one binder per unit or content area).

New Teachers

You've been through an entire year now and have added to your collection. You also have a better idea of what works and what doesn't work for your classroom and your particular school.

·         Take 15 minutes each afternoon and go through your old student teaching files. Are there any ideas or forms you know now from experience you'll rarely use? Take the plunge and either pitch the paper or put it in a separate 3-ring binder with tabs for organization.

·         When you've gone through those files, start in on your files from this year. Did you have left-over student handouts? Keep one as a Master copy and put the rest in the recycling bin. Trust me, you'll forget you have them next year and they'll just start piling up. Even worse, you may choose to tweak the handout here and there and will end up with completely useless copies. Recycle!

·         Consider making Unit Binders. Place all of your lesson plans and handouts for each unit in a single binder and label it. When that same unit comes up again next year, you'll have everything in one place.

·         Go through your classroom library. You might assign an especially bright student who always finishes their work early to help you with this task. Get those books organized either by author's last name, by genre, or by topic. Count them to see how many you have and make an inventory list. This will help you keep track of books that are lost. Always add new books to your inventory before you put them on the shelves. I also add the price so that if I know a student lost the book, they can reimburse me for its replacement.

Veteran Teachers

If it has been a while since you went through your files, get started today! If you only spend 20 minutes a day, you'll have so much more organized than you did last year!

·         Organize units into binders. Place the lesson plans and handouts for each unit into a single binder and label it. This is the best way to sort through those old file folders full of assignments you haven’t used in years. Either pitch them or put them in the back with a special tab labeled "Other Possible Assignments". That way you can refer to them and look over different ideas you've used in the past without cluttering up your filing cabinet with more unused files.

·         While you're going through those unit folders, pull out all those extra handouts and put them in the recycle bin. If it is something you know for a fact you will remember the extras, then keep them. Otherwise, the paper is being wasted and is a perfect target for termites and other nasty paper-eating bugs. I have kept extra handouts for years thinking that I would used them again. When the unit resurfaces, what do I do? Make more copies in a class set! Where are those extras from last year? They’re still sitting in the filing cabinet. Recycle that paper and let it have a new life!

·         Once you've gotten through your unit/handout files, start in on all those other files you've collected over the years. You know the ones - lesson plan and grade books from 8 years ago, staff development handouts, calendars from 5 years ago, memos from the administration, counselor, and school district, files of items you intended to purchase but never did, etc. The entire top drawer of my filing cabinet is dedicated to this kind of stuff and yours probably is too! Take 15 minutes a day, no more, and go through the files one at a time. If you find something important tyou either want or need to keep, then hang on to it. Otherwise, pitch the papers into the recycling bin.

·         You might consider adding important certificates from Staff Developments or other trainings into a special "Portfolio" binder (if you don't already have one). Place these important documents into clear sleeve protectors so you don't end up tearing or punching holes in them. You never know when they will be needed for a higher degree or a different position within the school district.

·         Are the memos from last year still necessary? If not, recycle, recycle, recycle. Do you see a pattern among several files? Could you place those documents into a single binder with tabs to keep everything organized? I personally am a binder person. However, you may discover that your file folders are still the best way to keep everything organized for you. The most important thing is that at least you've cleared away the chaff.

For everyone I highly recommend spending no more than 15 or 20 minutes each day going through one file folder at a time. Otherwise you will burn-out among everything else that must happen during this time of year. Yes, it will take some time, but just think how nice it will be next year to walk into your classroom knowing that your papers are in order, your units are ready to go (for the most part), and you can easily find those ideas you thought you lost a long time ago! There really is an organization cycle; what we do near the end of one school year can help make next even better. Why not take the time now to get on top of that cycle rather than always feeling behind?

If you have any other strategies you use for getting organized at the end of the year you’d like to share with us, please email me and I’ll add it to our Idea Share in the next newsletter!