Seven Tips to Keep Your Day Organized and Productive

An organized teacher is an effective teacher. Here are eight tips to keep your classroom orderly and running smoothly:

1. Create a daily folder. Whether you plan on the weekends or go into school early each day, spend time organizing what you will do in class each day of the week and putting any materials in a labeled folder for that day.
2. Keep an agenda. A detailed agenda will keep your day from veering off course, whether you teach one class of third-graders or several class periods of math students.
3. Set up inboxes for important papers. Pick a corner of the room where students can turn in completed classwork, completed homework, parent notes and other important papers in separate, labeled inboxes.
4. Organize your desk. Your desk is an easy catch-all for all other paperwork. Get ahead of the clutter by labeling trays for grading, filing, distributing, reviewing, shredding, or other.
5. Have a place for everything. Designate spaces for everything students use, from laptops to pencils, from books to disinfecting wipes. Use laminated posters to make it easy for students to glance at an area and see what belongs there.
6. Label it all. Clean-up time is easier when students know exactly where you keep supplies and don’t have to ask you over and over. Use jars, tins, boxes, crates, baskets, or whatever you prefer to keep everything tidy.
7. Spend time every day cleaning up. With 20 or more students a day in and out of your room (more if you teach a subject multiple times a day), it’s easy for rooms to get messy and disheveled. Even a few minutes a day putting things away and having students do the same will help.

The more organized you are, the better teacher you’ll be. Commit to organization and you’ll notice a big difference in your stress level and effectiveness.