Do you feel like your classroom is overflowing with piles of papers? Here are my top organization ideas for teachers that you can implement in your classroom today!
This post is all about organization ideas for teachers.
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Teachers can often feel overwhelmed with everything they need to keep track of. From lesson plans to meeting notes to student work, the papers can pile up quickly. As a teacher myself, I know this feeling all too well. In this post, we will explore practical and efficient organization ideas for teachers to keep the mountain of papers to a minimum.
You are going to learn how to create organization systems that will save you a ton of time in the future!
After learning these organization ideas for teachers, you will feel extra prepared and ready to take control of the paper chaos in your classroom.
This post is all about the best organization ideas for teachers that every teacher should know about.
Best Organization Ideas for Teachers
Organization Idea #1 – Create a file folder for each student at the beginning of the year
This is a tip that one of my coworkers gave me, during my first year of teaching. It is so simple, doesn’t take much time, and is extremely useful.
When you get your class list, go ahead and make a manilla file folder for each student right then. In this file, you will put your student information sheet, work samples, parent notes, absence excuses, monthly attendance trackers, and anything else of that student. Having a designated space for each student’s info will save you a TON of time in the future.
Organization Idea #2 – Create a system to stop collecting student papers
Collecting student work always seems to take longer than it should. As a result, instructional time is wasted. As a teacher myself, I know how precious instructional time is and how every minute of the day matters.
I do not collect student work by hand. Instead, I created a file system with each student’s number and placed it in a crate in the back of the room. When students finish the assignment, they file their paper in the appropriate file.
Every few days, usually Wednesdays and Fridays, I check to make sure each student has turned in their work. Below is a picture of the file system I have used every year.
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Here is the link for the exact crates that I use. They usually go on sale around the beginning of the school year. I bought them with my money instead of school funds so I can take them with me if I change schools.
If you can’t find them in stock at Walmart, here is a link for similar teal blue crates on Amazon.
I bought the hanging file folders on Amazon. Here is the link for those. They have them in many colors. I chose teal blue since it fits perfectly with my Under the Sea themed classroom.
Organization Idea #3 – Organize your hand-outs by day of the week
I aim to make all of my copies for the next week by the Friday of the week before. I organize all of my copies by subject in an accordion folder. Each day of the week gets its own accordion folder.
This has proved to be extremely helpful if for some reason I need to get a substitute at the last minute. The substitute can come in and know exactly what the lesson plans are for the day.
There is nothing worse than having to get a substitute at the last minute and having to ask a co-worker to make your copies for you.
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I bought these accordion folders on Amazon. They are a thicker plastic and have lasted me several years. I highly recommend them.
Organization Idea #4 – Create a system for returning student work
As teachers, we know how important it is to provide timely feedback to students. It can be challenging to keep up with grading and return student work in a timely manner.
My simple solution to this ongoing challenge is creating a system streamlining the process. I created “Student Mailboxes” to file papers once they are graded. They are labeled by student number and the same file folder color as the “Finished Work” files I mentioned above.
On Fridays, I bring the “Finished Work” crate home and look through the student’s work. When I get to school on Monday, I switch the files from the “Finished Work” bin to the “Student Mailbox” bin.
As a result, my graded papers are in the “Student Mailbox” and are ready for students to put in their take-home folders at the end of the day.
Sidenote: Before switching the files, be sure to check that the file folders that are currently in the “Student Mailboxes” do not have any papers in them. If you forget this important step, you will have papers in “Finished Work” that need should be in the “Student Mailboxes.”
This system has helped make my grading process more organized and efficient. I am all about anything that saves me time!
This picture was taken during my first year of teaching before I realized I could print out the hanging file labels. Regardless, this is a system I have used for the last 4 years and it has worked well for me.
Organization Idea #5 Go Digital!
If you are anything like me, the amount of papers that accumulate can be overwhelming! Piles of papers everywhere make me extremely anxious. As a result, I had to create a system that worked for me.
If you don’t need it this year, throw it away!
I do not keep a paper copy of everything. I only keep a paper copy of the additional worksheets that my coworkers may share with me. The only reason I do this is because I have not yet invested in a personal scanner.
If we had a scanner at school, I would just scan the document and then save it in my Google Drive.
I do almost everything digitally. My lesson plans are digital, I keep a digital file of the worksheets and any supplemental materials I use, and I also maintain my parent communication documents digitally.
I know not everyone is on the digital train, but I can honestly say, not having mountains of papers everywhere has helped save my sanity!
Whatever you choose to do, just remember, what works for one teacher may not work for another. These are my recommended organization ideas for teachers that I use in my classroom that work well for me.
This post was all about the best organization ideas for teachers.
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