I bet if I looked at your teacher’s desk, it would be somewhere between completely spotless and totally buried in papers. It’s not perfect, but it works most of the time.
That said, I’ve learned that when the busier parts of the school year roll around (hello, report card season), I need to give my workspace a little extra attention. A cluttered desk can quickly lead to a cluttered mind, and when I’m surrounded by piles of things, I don’t feel like my best teacher-self.
Here are a few go-to classroom organization strategies for keeping your desk (and classroom) organized without it taking over your life.
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Middle School Classroom Organization Strategies
Decluttering and Managing Papers
One of the biggest areas where teachers need classroom organization strategies for is managing papers. Unless your school is a dedicated 1:1 school with available tech that is always ready and working, you will inevitably give and collect a lot of paper. To manage this paperwork, have a couple of simple systems in place.
Using bins and trays. Use paper-sized bins to help keep paperwork sorted. But when budgets are tight, use photocopy paper box lids with construction paper labels. The key is not perfection, but consistency.
A place for everything and everything in its place. That old saying applies here: every paper should have a home. Keep upcoming photocopies in a specific drawer or tray system. Organize them by subject, or label trays for each day.
A dedicated spot for missed work. Designate a separate tray for absent students. Place it near your daily copies, but don’t combine them. That way, students can find what they need without disrupting your carefully organized stack.
I like using a classroom mailbox system, where each student is assigned a number based on their class list order. This number goes on a hanging file folder in a bin, so missed work and other papers can be quickly sorted into that student’s mailbox.
This might not work if you see a lot of classes on a rotary schedule, but think of a system that can help manage papers for absent students.
Some teachers might use absent file folders and put a sticky note with the student’s name and class code on it. All missed work goes in this folder and is placed on the student’s desk when they return.
Keep it simple. Remember that complicated systems don’t last; not only are straightforward ones easy to put together, but they’re easier to maintain as well.
Organizing class time to maximize learning
When you’ve organized your space, it’s time to consider how to extend classroom organization strategies to class time. One method is to have a consistent routine for the day.
Prioritize the first five minutes of class. A consistent opening routine will set the tone for your students and your time together. This might mean using daily slides that outline the plan for the first chunk of the day and what students need to have out on their desks. It might also include attendance questions, like these: 365 Attendance Questions.
When students know what to expect each day, it can make for a smoother start to the day. Or when the day is not smooth, it means you have something ready to go and can then troubleshoot whatever you need to while the rest of the class gets into their day.
Chunk lesson time. We know that students do better with a clear focus that is not required for a long period of time. Focus on mini-lessons and guided practice to make the most of the time for each of your daily subjects.
Use timers. Setting timers helps to keep everyone on task if you’re looking for classroom organization strategies. They are a helpful tool for students to develop time management skills. They also provide data to teachers about who needs more time in what areas of study; this can help to differentiate lessons and work periods. You can try a simple timer or a classroom timer.
Be strategic with transitions. Transitioning from one chunk of a lesson to the next can be the most challenging part of teaching since this is when most classroom management issues arise. Having a good plan (along with the aforementioned timers) can lead to more successful transitions.
There are a few other classroom organization strategies that can help with transitions.
First, establish routines such as where and how students submit work or how to shift from group work to individual work or vice versa. If it’s a matter of shifting desks, then practice this with students at the start of the year. It’s a simple way to get students up and moving in those early days of class that actually fulfills a long-term purpose. (It’s one of those “future you will thank you” moments!)
Next, set up visual or verbal cues for students. This is something that can accompany your timers. Do you have a particular sound for the end of the timer? Choose a few options, so you have one that can be heard above the sound of a busy learning classroom and one that is better suited to when students are quietly completing independent work. You can also just do a simple hand count down. Hold up your hand, and loudly say, “Eyes on me in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1”. Find a cue that works for you.
Finally, remember that drawer of copies you’d set up? Having materials prepared is always helpful in keeping classroom chaos at bay.
End with purpose. Dedicate the last few minutes to reflect or review, or even to preview the next lesson. You can use exit tickets, quick summary discussions, or any other quick assessment or closure activity to finalize the lesson time before shifting to the next.
And don’t be afraid to complete an impromptu brain break, such as quick stretches or mindfulness activities, before shifting to the next part of the school day. These moments of refocusing and resetting are purposeful, too.
I also want to add one of my classroom organization strategies for general peace of mind: have a long-range plan for each course. This means less scrambling day-to-day in all facets of teacher life. Grab a free set of long-range plans for grades 6 to 8, including split 6/7 and 7/8 classes.
Tips for getting ahead and staying ahead
To get ahead and stay ahead, you could stay late or come in early, but that’s something to try to keep to a minimum. During the regular moments of the school year, try to keep this to 1-2 days per week at most. You want to make sure you’re keeping yourself well-rested and taking breaks from school to rest and relax.
Instead, focus on using preps to the best of your ability. Close the door to your classroom if that’s where you’re working, or if in a shared space, put on some headphones so you can focus on what you need to do (if this strategy works for you).
Then, batch or bundle your tasks. You might do all your copies for the week on one day and then dedicate another day to adding your digital aspects to your learning management system (LMS).
I liked to stay late on a Thursday or Friday and get as many copies completed as possible. Then use another day to upload all your digital lessons into your LMS.
Time Management or Finding Time
Finally, the biggest of classroom organization strategies is to prioritize. Not everything can be done or needs to be done all at once.
Consider: What is one spot that could use the most attention, and when can you carve out the time to do it?
Set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes or have a playlist with 3-4 songs that add up to about 10 minutes. Then, press play and go! You will be surprised at how much you can accomplish in those 10-minute intervals.
And once you have the taste of that success, you’ll want more, and so you’ll create a routine/habit to dedicate a bit of time each week to tackling one area for decluttering or for creating a new system.
Additional Resources for Organization
- Classroom Organization Ideas
- 5 Realistic and Achievable Middle School Student Organization Tips
- How To Teach Students Organization Skills
- Helpful Middle and High School Classroom Organization and Setup Ideas
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