Disorganized? These Tips Can Help.
10 Tips To Get Organized
Disorganized? These Tips Can Help.
10 Tips To Get Organized
THERE IS A LOT OF VARIETY IN THE EDUCATION SPACE.
☑️ Pre-K to High School to College.
☑️ Teacher to aide to therapist.
☑️ From New York to Hawaii to the UK.
Maybe there are some things that are specific to you and your subject or your situation. But there are a lot of organizational tips that might be helpful for all of us.
After talking with a variety of educators, here are some I’ve learned.
THERE IS A LOT OF VARIETY IN THE EDUCATION SPACE.
☑️ Pre-K to High School to College.
☑️ Teacher to aide to therapist.
☑️ From New York to Hawaii to the UK.
Maybe there are some things that are specific to you and your subject or your situation. But there are a lot of organizational tips that might be helpful for all of us.
After talking with a variety of educators, here are some I’ve learned.
PLAN, BUT BE FLEXIBLE
Plan a couple of weeks in advance if possible, but don’t make those plans rigid. You need to be able to respond to student needs, unexpected circumstances, and potential absences or sicknesses (HELLO COVID).
However you plan, whether digitally or with a paper-planner, just be sure you can adjust throughout the process. I love using a paper planner for the day-to-day but a digital calendar for the big events and units. Each person is different, find out what system works best with YOUR type of organization instead of trying to copy someone else’s verbatim.
Consider starting with planning out each Unit you want to teach of the year, and what the main objectives are, but be okay if the HOW needs to change. For example, as a junior high art teacher, my techniques, lessons, and methods of instruction had to change when I was teaching virtually, but the learning objectives stayed the same.
PLAN, BUT BE FLEXIBLE
Plan a couple of weeks in advance if possible, but don’t make those plans rigid. You need to be able to respond to student needs, unexpected circumstances, and potential absences or sicknesses (HELLO COVID).
However you plan, whether digitally or with a paper-planner, just be sure you can adjust throughout the process. I love using a paper planner for the day-to-day but a digital calendar for the big events and units. Each person is different, find out what system works best with YOUR type of organization instead of trying to copy someone else’s verbatim.
Consider starting with planning out each Unit you want to teach of the year, and what the main objectives are, but be okay if the HOW needs to change. For example, as a junior high art teacher, my techniques, lessons, and methods of instruction had to change when I was teaching virtually, but the learning objectives stayed the same.
COLLABORATE
If you have other teachers that teach similar content, divide the workload! Even if you don’t want to do that (some of us are control freaks I know), consider having a shared Google Drive so that you can share resources. This can also go for purchasing resources on Teachers Pay Teachers (which is awesome because it supports other educators). All about working smarter, not harder!
HAVE A SYSTEM FOR PAPER
POV, you get handed a piece of paper of importance. You don’t know what to do with it at the moment, so you sit it on your desk. You get busy helping a student, then return to take action on that important document. But it’s nowhere to be found. Anyone else?
Consider creating a system for this! I have what I call a “Friday Box” (it’s a small box I got from Staples.) I put any sticky notes, to-do items, papers to file, etc. in that box that I make sure to either go through on my planning period or by the time I leave work on Friday.
I also have one of those little filing towers that I organize into “grade,” “copy,” or “hand back,” so that I have a system of what to do with student work.
I love jamming on organization, so I could go on, but create a system for this so that you aren’t overwhelmed by paper clutter!
HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR PREP
Are you telling me that I need to plan for my planning period? Yes, because otherwise, enter: distraction. I can’t be the only person who has spent a planning period watching TikTok, chatting with another teacher, or blankly staring at a wall because I was overwhelmed with to-dos. As educators, we ALWAYS have things to do, so make a list of a few things that are the MOST important for you to get done during your precious planning time each day.
HAVE A PLAN FOR UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES
Spend some time at the beginning of the year collecting simple lessons that you can do without a ton of time or prep. They can be used for subs, days where you don’t end up having time to plan, or if there is a little extra time in class one day. This will save you a lot of undue stress when things pop up.
COLLABORATE
If you have other teachers that teach similar content, divide the workload! Even if you don’t want to do that (some of us are control freaks I know), consider having a shared Google Drive so that you can share resources. This can also go for purchasing resources on Teachers Pay Teachers (which is awesome because it supports other educators). All about working smarter, not harder!
HAVE A SYSTEM FOR PAPER
POV, you get handed a piece of paper of importance. You don’t know what to do with it at the moment, so you sit it on your desk. You get busy helping a student, then return to take action on that important document. But it’s nowhere to be found. Anyone else?
Consider creating a system for this! I have what I call a “Friday Box” (it’s a small box I got from Staples.) I put any sticky notes, to-do items, papers to file, etc. in that box that I make sure to either go through on my planning period or by the time I leave work on Friday.
I also have one of those little filing towers that I organize into “grade,” “copy,” or “hand back,” so that I have a system of what to do with student work.
I love jamming on organization, so I could go on, but create a system for this so that you aren’t overwhelmed by paper clutter!
HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR PREP
Are you telling me that I need to plan for my planning period? Yes, because otherwise, enter: distraction. I can’t be the only person who has spent a planning period watching TikTok, chatting with another teacher, or blankly staring at a wall because I was overwhelmed with to-dos. As educators, we ALWAYS have things to do, so make a list of a few things that are the MOST important for you to get done during your precious planning time each day.
HAVE A PLAN FOR UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES
Spend some time at the beginning of the year collecting simple lessons that you can do without a ton of time or prep. They can be used for subs, days where you don’t end up having time to plan, or if there is a little extra time in class one day. This will save you a lot of undue stress when things pop up.
DON’T PROCRASTINATE
There’s a book called Eat the Frog, which is based on the premise that you should try to do the HARD thing first, so then everything else in your day comes easier. Try to do things you don’t enjoy doing as much FIRST when you’re completing to-do’s, so then your energy is higher, and then YOU CAN GET IT DONE (for me that thing is grading and phone calls).
DROP THE PERFECTIONISM
Stop trying to make everything perfect and pretty and focus on the minimum viable product. The bulletin board doesn’t have to be perfectly decorated, the slideshow doesn’t have to be fancy, the resources don’t have to be Pinterest-worthy. What is actually important and what will help your students?
DON’T PROCRASTINATE
There’s a book called Eat the Frog, which is based on the premise that you should try to do the HARD thing first, so then everything else in your day comes easier. Try to do things you don’t enjoy doing as much FIRST when you’re completing to-do’s, so then your energy is higher, and then YOU CAN GET IT DONE (for me that thing is grading and phone calls).
DROP THE PERFECTIONISM
Stop trying to make everything perfect and pretty and focus on the minimum viable product. The bulletin board doesn’t have to be perfectly decorated, the slideshow doesn’t have to be fancy, the resources don’t have to be Pinterest-worthy. What is actually important and what will help your students?
HAVE A CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
Because if your classroom isn’t organized and knows what’s up, NEITHER DO YOU. Have a plan in place BEFORE the school year starts, so that your students know the expectations and you can all learn and be productive together.
USE TECH RESOURCES TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER
I could go on and on about helpful resources, but one of my favorites is using Google Suite but in particular Google Forms. You can create forms for YOU to fill out for things like student modifications, parent contact logs, and behavior logs that can then be organized into a spreadsheet for future reference. I just bookmark these forms so that it’s a quick click, instead of pulling out a binder to keep these kind of records.
MAKE IT FUN
When you are doing things that you don’t always find enjoyable or can seem overwhelming, like lesson planning or grading, use PUMP UP MUSIC, add stickers to your planner, curl up on a Sunday morning and do lesson plan research if that’s your jam--just don’t make it all so grueling.
HAVE A CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
Because if your classroom isn’t organized and knows what’s up, NEITHER DO YOU. Have a plan in place BEFORE the school year starts, so that your students know the expectations and you can all learn and be productive together.
USE TECH RESOURCES TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER
I could go on and on about helpful resources, but one of my favorites is using Google Suite but in particular Google Forms. You can create forms for YOU to fill out for things like student modifications, parent contact logs, and behavior logs that can then be organized into a spreadsheet for future reference. I just bookmark these forms so that it’s a quick click, instead of pulling out a binder to keep these kind of records.
MAKE IT FUN
When you are doing things that you don’t always find enjoyable or can seem overwhelming, like lesson planning or grading, use PUMP UP MUSIC, add stickers to your planner, curl up on a Sunday morning and do lesson plan research if that’s your jam--just don’t make it all so grueling.
