Keeping your classroom organized is not only an effective tool for teachers but it helps students achieve more independence because they are not constantly asking you where things are located. Read the fantastic tips from teachers below to help you achieve your organized classroom goals.
Tips From Teachers
I organize all of my marking piles into freezer size Ziploc bags. This way all of the students work stay in one place and does not fall out in my school bag. Check out the photo here: Teacher Life Hack: Marking in Ziploc Bags Kristy from 2 Peas and a Dog.
Don’t grade every paper the students touch. Meghan Mathis from Fun Fresh Ideas
Managing the little things that clutter classrooms, teachers’ workspaces and minds. Ida Mae West from That Fun Reading Teacher
Get to know your custodian, secretary, bookkeeper, cafeteria worker, tech coach, and librarian. They will be your lifesavers when you really need them. Michele Luck from A Lesson Plan for Teachers
The better organized you are with lesson planning, having your activities ready to teach, and having a clear understanding of lessons being taught, the more successful you will be. That success will also provide a successful classroom environment for your students too. Laura Zank from Research Based Teaching Tools
When I find a resource I love and don’t want to forget about, I save it immediately – at that moment – in the proper digital folder for that unit. Each year, I create new digital folders for each topic of study. This way, the folder doesn’t become clogged with multiple versions of the same file from different years. I always save resources I don’t want to forget in the new folder – the one I’ll be using that year. I also have a hard copy file that I use for all magazine articles, newspaper articles, advertisements, and other examples I want to remember to show students in the future. Melissa from The Reading and Writing Haven
I would be lost without color-coding. Each one of my classes get a color, and I use this color for so many things – file folders of work, labeling students’ ISNs, binder clipping stacks of copies, etc. It takes very little time to implement, but it has amazing results for helping you sort quickly. Danielle from Teach Nouvelle
Routines! If you set up routines for how you collect and grade work, it streamlines the whole process. Lisa Spangler from Mrs. Spangler in the Middle
Absences can be a massive time sink. One way I manage absences effectively is to use student absentee folders. Have a folder made at the beginning of the year for each student. When a student is absent, put any materials you use that day in the folder. When the student returns, you hand the student the folder along with any other notes you have. Doc from Education with Doc Running
Before the school year starts, make notes of exactly what rules and procedures you are going to use to make your classroom run smoothly. Then teach these procedures from the moment the students walk through the door on the first day. Be consistent with them. This forces you to provide a place for everything in your classroom and a way to be sure everything stays in its place. Jenny Newberry from Bulletin Board Bonanza
Useful Organization Tips
- Classroom Organization Hacks
- Teacher Life Hack: WhiteBoard To Do List
- Teacher Life Hack: Gradebook Codes
- Teacher Life Hack: Plastic Storage for Novel Sets
- Teacher Life Hack: Coffee Can Storage
- Teacher Life Hack: Tidy Tub
- Teacher Life Hack: Photocopying Tip
- Teacher Life Hack: New Student Bag
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