Create a parent form which includes email and street addresses. Many times, the “front office” form does not include all of the information you might want to have on hand (e-mail addresses for example). In September, as part of your “Back to School” package, ask parents to fill out this form specifically for your files. You may not get 100% response, but you will get enough to make it worthwhile. Give them a spot to write any special notes to you about their child (Example: please try to sit her in the front of the room, allergic to peanuts, etc.). I find that I most often use this information form for emails, so I make a set of forms for both home and school. I even save them from year-to-year. You would not believe how often I have used them to contact a student to congratulate him or her on an accomplishment I heard about in a later year.
Keep a small reserve of student supplies on hand. Although making students responsible for their supplies is important, it should not be at the expense of the rest of the class. Plus, pens run out of ink, pencil points break, etc. It might be helpful to order a set of personalized pencils that say “Return to Mr. Smith.” Another idea is to charge students (it does not need to be money) for borrowing items from you, so they remember to return them.
Make three days worth of emergency substitute plans. Your school or school district may have other requirements for substitute plans, so check with them first. If not, three days is a good ballpark. Be sure the work is meaningful (if it involves a video, create a worksheet or puzzle to go with the video) and can easily be a stand-alone lesson in your curriculum. Have a class set of puzzles, etc. as filler material. Use the internet to find a few substitute folder ideas and print these out for the emergency plans. You also need attendance sheets, seating charts, disciplinary slips, your schedule, class lists, notepad, pens, and include a package of mints or hard candies and a bottle of water. Lastly, make sure to grade the first set of substitute lessons you provide to students (even if it is just a portion of the assignment). It sends the message that all work completed in your class is important, and the students will quickly learn that your expectations are the same whether you are in the room or not.
Keep just two copies of everything you actually use/create.
Remember, with the internet and a computer, just about any written resource is at your fingertips instantly. If the classroom teaching materials your district provides are not enough, you can type what you need into a search engine and items out in minutes. Your co-workers likely have books and worksheets you could borrow if you ever found it necessary. Keeping multiple copies just takes up space. Keep two! The exception to this rule is a class set of tests, hand-outs, stories, picture prompts, etc. which you use from year-to-year. Keep in mind that if you have not looked at a piece of paper in more than a school year, it is likely you can toss it out. It is also important to consider that you should try to handle each piece of paper only once. This can be tough for a teacher to follow, but keep this adage in mind the next time to stuff your backpack with papers from your desk. If you can do it and get rid of it quickly, just get the job done, so it does not come back to haunt you later.
Use slim binders (up to 3”) and acetate sleeves to organize those copies. You might try using a labeled binder for each unit, and for every hand-out or idea you find that might be helpful in that unit (even if you do not use it immediately). Place the item in an acetate sleeve and keep it in the labeled notebook. As an English teacher, I have a notebook for every novel I teach, one for grammar, one for writing assignments and high-stakes test practice, and one for each month of the school year. All together, I have about 20, and they sit on a shelf in my classroom. Needless to say, they come in very handy, not only to me, but also to my English colleagues. If I need a quick October brain-teaser or interesting journal prompt for a “Do Now” activity, I just pull out my binder.
Create computer templates for materials you use regularly. For example, your lesson plan template should be on your computer named Lesson Plan Template. Each time you write a new plan, call up this file and use the “Save As” function. “Save As” Lesson Plan Week of xxxxxx, and place in an appropriate folder on your computer. The same can be done for Multiple-Choice Test Template, etc. Put all the templates in the same folder, so you can easily find them.
Color-code materials. If you teach more than one preparation (Example: Academic English and English Honors), color-code your materials. The same works for an elementary teacher who teaches many different subjects. If you can, use different-colored paper for assignments in different preparations or disciplines. If you cannot do this for each student, make your photocopy master out of a different-colored paper and use that master for the “file” copy. If paper does not work, use color-coded labels or file folders. Also consider using different colors for student records in each class. Example: First period is blue; second period is yellow, etc.
Do not waste class time to take attendance. Once students are working, take the roll call by silently viewing the room. If you have a seating chart, it is easy to see who is missing. You can also take a head count. As previously suggested, a “Do Now” activity is crucial in helping with small tasks like this one. It is during this activity that “housework” like attendance can be completed.
Enlist students to help you with classroom chores. At the end of the day, or the end of the class, have students look around their desks and pick up any trash, papers, or items from the floor. You can assign one student to pick up specific items and return them to their proper places. Additionally, let them help you with other small tasks like erasing the board, changing the date for the next day, collecting distributed writing utensils, etc. At every grade level, students will gladly help you to pass out papers, collect papers, pass out journals, distribute and collect supplies, etc. If you have an elementary classroom, it is appropriate to have a “chore” list and rotate students’ names accordingly. Many students with behavioral issues act the way they do because they need to move around. Asking such students to help you, and making sure they meet your expectations, can often improve the relationship between you and that student. Inevitably, when you improve that relationship, your classroom will be a more peaceful place.
Purchase (or have it included in your yearly departmental budget) storage containers which work for you. These can include and should not be limited to plastic shoe boxes, file cabinets, file boxes, plastic crates, plastic drawers, magazine file holders, baskets, etc. The various Dollar and Odd Lot stores have these items at very reasonable prices. Clear plastic is always a good idea so you can see through the container and quickly get an idea of what might be inside. Use cardboard file boxes or plastic tubs to store holiday projects, modeled projects of different types, art supplies, bingo chips, Popsicle sticks, markers, crayons, etc. Label boxes/containers accordingly if needed.
If you have a desk, an area in each room, or even a rolling cart -- organize it. It is helpful to have an organizer with a few slots in your area. Label the slots (For example: to read/sort; to keep on hand; to do; filing; to read; lesson planning issues, etc.).
Keep an “expandable” hanging file box on your desk or traveling cart, and create folders for items you need regularly. For example, I have a file for the previously mentioned homework slips, and a file for assignments needed when students do not complete the homework and cannot be part of the classroom activity.
Keep a 13-pocket (more of less is fine too, whatever you can find at the store), for meetings. In one or two of the pockets, keep a small calculator, pens, pencils, pad for writing, white-out, etc. It will help you to look extremely organized, even if you are not. Take everything you need from the meeting site, and then go through it afterwards to decide what you need to do and when.
Set aside one afternoon every two weeks to go through and file (even in the waste basket) all of your papers. As simple as this idea may sound, few teachers really do it. If you do, the paperwork will not become as overwhelming.
Keep one spot in the room (or in each room/rolling cart) for your personal items. If it is your own room, this is an easy task. If you share a room, ask the other teacher(s) if you can use a drawer in a filing cabinet or the desk, etc. On a rolling cart, use a container. Keep a bottle of water (for emergencies), band-aids, aspirin (Tylenol, etc.), a mirror, tweezers, antacid, mints, personal hygiene items like a toothbrush, etc. Having these items close at hand in every classroom can save you time from walking all around the school.
A book rack or bookshelf can be invaluable. It is a great place to put teachers’ guides and other teacher resources. It should be placed in easy reach of where you spend most of your day. It can include your district publications and the list of state standards as well.
Whenever possible, have students pass papers/items to those next to them rather than in front or behind them. Passing across cuts down on how often students are accidentally dropping papers because the next person can see the material coming. It can also be helpful to pass around baskets to collect papers.
Use plastic baskets to hand-out papers. Put a pile of papers in the basket and have it passed around. When possible, keep the passing around pattern the same so that all students regularly receive the materials and no one is left out. The last student to receive the paper should put the basket in a central location so that everyone knows where the basket is. If by chance someone did not get a paper, needs another paper, or received too many papers, they can go to the basket without disturbing you or the class.
If students are sitting in groups, have one student be responsible for collecting the work for the group. For more sensitive materials (with grades for example), have students place their papers upside-down in the middle of the table and collect them yourself.
Use Popsicle sticks (craft sticks) to organize activities in the classroom. Put the name of each student on an individual craft stick. Keep these sticks organized by class. When you need to randomly call students for groups, reading aloud, answering questions, etc., use the craft sticks so that your choosing is random. It keeps your students on their toes, and it makes your choices fair. Students who are reluctant to volunteer become active participants. Another idea, especially for younger grades, is to use index cards. These cards can be shuffled and used the same way as the craft sticks, but they also provide you a place to take notes if needed.
Use playing cards (or children’s playing cards/flashcards) to create random groupings. Have the seating arrangement set-up in advance (pairs, triads, groups of four, etc.). Stand at the door and have students take a card, and guide them as to where to sit. Once the first few are seated, have them hold up their cards. As other students enter the room and take a card, they find their partners. I DO NOT ALLOW STUDENTS TO SWITCH partners, and my students know better than to complain or make faces about their partners. If they do, they need to make a public apology. Even with random pairings, you can have some interesting control. If you want the groups to be boys with boys, as students enter the room, you can use your left hand for the boys and your right hand for the girls. If you use this idea regularly, students begin to quickly know what to do, and they even enjoy it.
The younger the student you teach, the more home/teacher communication you will likely have on file. As an elementary school teacher, you will want to have a folder for each student. Then all year you have a concise record of every note you have either written to or received from home. The folder can achieve multiple goals, like collecting “Missing Homework” slips for later communication.
The older the student, the more likely they will try to escape from the classroom by using the bathroom as an excuse. At the beginning of a new quarter give each student a piece of paper with three bathroom passes drawn on it. They may use them during the quarter, but if they do not, add extra points to their final marking period test grade. It motivates the students to use the restroom during their normal break times, and really cuts back on class time disruptions!
If you are a novice teacher, and have not already figured this fact out, teaching is very hard work. It is hugely rewarding and amazingly wonderful, but time-consuming. The adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place” is of the utmost importance to a teacher because ultimately, it saves you time. It is not possible to try all of these ideas simultaneously, but if you add them slowly, you can save more-and-more time with each year you teach. If you are a seasoned teacher, looking for some new ideas or just looking for a reminder of ideas you have heard in the past, but never tried, I hope this list gives you some updates to consider.
After pondering my ten-years as an English teacher, I do not think I gained control over the paperwork until about year five, so do not be too hard on yourself if it takes you awhile. In the end, it is all about collaboration. When you see a teacher use a practice that seems interesting, ask about it. More often than not, the other educator will share their idea with you. Just remember, a few years from now, when you are the seasoned professional, share; share; share!
Last but not least, Ms. Powell from Florida must be, or was at one time, an amazing teacher. Back in 2006, when I began to really understand my chosen career, but also realized how much time it took to do well, I got serious about being the best teacher I could be. At that time, I came across her website and I bookmarked it. I have returned to it from time-to-time because she shares so much of what she has learned along the way, and has since written a great book too. You might want to check her ideas out at http://www.mspowell.com or http://www.thecornerstoneforteachers.com. I also regularly post the ideas that I find, try-out, or create, at my own twitter account: www.twitter.com/GuidingTeachers (Jeri Asaro) and Emma McDonald, the author and owner of this website also has a twitter account to follow: www.twitter.com/itpg. Feel free to follow us!
