Organize Your End of the Stress

Are you stressing about the end of the year and all you need and want to do before the final bell rings.  Start making your lists and marking your calendar to stay on track with all your Must-DO tasks
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Organizing the Teacher Files

Over the years I’ve used many different methods for organizing my classroom files, books and materials.  Like most beginning teacher I started out with the must have 4 drawer file cabinet.  Mine now resides in my garage storing my children’s library collection from when they were little.

As the years went by and my files grew.  I found it hard to find what I was looking for.  All the hanging folders were the same putrid olive green and all the folders were manila.   I had been given several boxes of slightly used colored hanging file folders with matching file folders.  It occurred to me that I could color code my files, making it easier to find things and to put things back.  I began with red for language arts, blue for math, green for science, yellow for art and black for social studies.  As the years went by, my grade levels changed frequently and my files grew and grew.  I was now up to two file cabinets and a ton of files.  At the end of each year I’d weed through the files, pull out what I knew I’d never use, and get rid of the extra few copies I had saved.  

As time went on I found that some of my files were enormous, especially the unit studies like the solar system or life cycles.  I started placing all of these units into binders.  Having everything in a binder made it easy to flip through the pages to find what I needed and put back immediately.  No more pulling random papers out of file folders, heading to the copy room then returning to the classroom and telling myself, “oh I’ll file those later.”  I even had a tub labeled “To Be Filed” 

Well, that “To Be Filed” tub grew from an overflowing tub, to a copy paper box.  It was then that I decided to make the switch.  I love the clean look of binders sitting all nice and neat and labeled on a shelf.  I love that all the papers are in plastic sheet protectors.  Now I just take the binder with me, take out the sheet protector, place it on the copy machine, then put it right back in the binder when I’m finished.  Yes, I still have to put the binder back on the shelf, but that only takes a few seconds.

Just in case you were wondering I haven’t let go of my obsession for color-coding I’ve now started buying red binders for Language Arts.  I use pretty printed scrapbook paper for the front and spines of the binders, if they aren’t already colored.  I make a cute cover and adhere it to the scrapbook paper.  I then laminate it so it can slide easily into the cover of the binder.  Here’s a trick, I discovered, maybe you already know this- when inserting the piece for the spine, open up the binder bending the covers backwards towards each other. This helps to slide the spine right in without bending the paper. 

The best place I’ve found to buy binders is Costco for the white ones and Target or Walmart for the colored ones.  As for those page protectors, Costco wins hands down.  They have the best price and they are nice and sturdy. 

So, I hope I’ve inspired you or at least got you thinking about how you keep your files.  This was a huge task that couldn't be done overnight, but you can make it a weekend project or add to your "To Do" list for the summer.  

Organizing Math & Literacy Centers

If you are like me, you probably have accumulated a ton of math and literacy printables to be used in your centers. Storing them in ziplock bags just won't do. For one, they are too big for the bags and all those little pieces fall out. I found these gems at the Dollar Tree and was ecstatic. They are polyvinyl envelopes with snap closures. I know you can find them at Target too, but they are a little more expensive. At the Dollar Tree they came in packs of 3 in red and blue. I'm using red for Language Arts, blue for Math. They have a snap closure and hold my centers perfectly.  I used the label maker to create my labels and store them upright in a plastic container. At some point I will probably adhere a label to the front listing all the centers inside each envelope. For now, I just clip each center together. For the small cards that some centers have, I use small ziplock baggies and binderclip them to the larger sheets.

TIP: print out the directions for the center with the name of  the website/blog you obtained it from.  This helps if you lose any pieces, can't remember how to play, or want to make another set in the future.  

I keep the envelopes in a plastic container on my teacher work shelf.  

Student Study Team...On the Go..

Thank you for all the comments and emails about my teacher/work bag...office away from home.   Today while carting all my stuff to my Student Study Team Meetings (I'm the school coordinator)  It occurred to me that I need to use a tote for these meetings.  I'm always jumbling files, CUM's, binders, forms, you know, paper work stuff.  I came home, grabbed an extra tote, because I have several of these and created my SST Tote.  I think my administrator will be thrilled that I'll have all my things so handy at our next SST meeting which is tomorrow.  I used a sterilite shoebox to make the bottom sturdy.

Also I wanted to let everyone know that I am a team captain for our local Relay for Life.  Our team Heart & Sole is using Thirty-One as a fundraiser.  All commissions from sales until April 29th will go towards our team goal.  So, if you are thinking you want a bag and you want to support the American Cnacer Society, now's your chance.

Teacher Work Bags

As a teacher, I have a lot of bags, bags of bags if you will. However, most aren't functional.  Most don't have a shape and everything ends up at the bottom.  I use different bags for different days; it just depends on what I need to cart to and from school.  There is one bag however that is my favorite bag.  I call it  my planning bag.  It is from Thirty-One.  It is their Organizing Utility Tote..  I love it because it holds a lot of stuff including my file crate, glasses, stapler, binder clips, and post-its.  I also keep advil, hand-sanitizer and lotion in one of the pockets.  The side pocket carries my pencil case with all my pens/sharpies.  This bag has 7 pockets- amazing and roomy. If you are interested in one of these bags just click a picture. to take you to my Thirty-One website.  I became a consultant because I LOVE these bags.  They make great student teacher gifts and they can be personalized.

I'd love to know what my readers use for their teacher work bag.


I'm adding a few links to desktop file organizers that would work in these bags.  Mine is the Oxford Decoflex. Amason, Office Depot, Kmart and Walmart all carry them.
Amazon
Office Depot
Office Max
Kmart 
Walmart

Tackling the Supply Drawers

If your classroom is like mine it is probably short on drawer space.  I sometimes feel like Goldilocks when it comes to my classroom and its drawers.  I used to be in another room that had 3 drawers  1 small, 1 medium and 1 large.  I loved how deep they were, but really they were too deep.  Two years ago I moved rooms and thought WOW instead of 3 drawers I have 5.  The first were to deep and these are too shallow.  I was forever getting things caught when trying to open or close.  A few weeks ago I had had it and decided it was time to reorganize and contain the chaos with containers.  I have an obsession with plastic containers.  I'll post about that at some later date.

I'm only showing you a small amount of what I really have.  Many are in my drawers.

I began by taking everything out of the drawers and sorting it into my plastic baskets..  I had multiples of the same item in several drawers.

As I sorted it became clear to me that I did not need the 20 something boxes of #2 pencils.  I teach kindergarten and we use the big pencils.  I also didn't need the overhead projector bulbs I had been hoarding- I now have an Elmo.  Quickly the baskets were filling up with like items.  I also had a larger basket for items I no longer needed like the projector bulbs.  Once everything was sorted into the baskets, I started arranging them in the drawers.  The items I would need most often like glue sticks were placed near the front of the drawers  I made it so the baskets didn't have much room to shift about.  I think once I'm happy with this I will use velcro to hold them in place.

I had some leftover items from the drawers that I was able to place in the cupboard above.  It has been three weeks and so far so good.

Now it is your turn.

1. Look around for classroom for those unused plastic baskets.
2. Pick one set of drawers to reorganize.
3. Make a box for things to put back in the supply room and another box for things to give away
4. Pull the trash can over
5. Pull everything out and start sorting.
6. Once it is all sorted go through it and ask yourself, "do I really need 12 boxes of staples or 5 boxes of binder rings"
7. Don't forget to check the ink in those pens- no use keeping them if they don't work.
8. Now put the basket in the drawers and arrange them.  You may need to do it a few times to make everything just so.
9. Get rid of the stuff from steps 3.
10. Post a picture to show us your hard work.

Student Library & Book Boxes

Organizing the books we make each week in class can be a challenge.  I wanted something that would be easy, inexpensive and reusable.  A box of ziplock bags, some labels, and a trip to Ikea was all it took. My room is shaped like a parallelogram, so the shelf under the whiteboard serves as the perfect spot to hold the book boxes.    I would prefer them to be out of sight, but having them out in the open makes it easy for the kids to get to.  Using the number system makes them reusable.  The best part is they are 5/$1.99.

At the end of the school year, I give the kids their bag with all their books for summer reading.