So you’re looking for some teacher organization tools? I get it, teaching can be super overwhelming and trying to get (and stay) organized is a huge task. I hear you! I like to keep things as simple and minimal as possible. The idea of having 100 plastic bins, each with different contents isn’t how I roll, in fact, that’s kind of overwhelming. I want to start off by saying that this is how I keep me, my classroom and my students organized. Also, important to note, I’m only talking physical space here. Not everything I recommend is going to work for every person and every classroom. I hope that you can find at least one useful thing that you can implement.
Turn in bin
There are a few options when it comes to turn in bins. Some people like to keep their periods or blocks separate from each other and have the kids submit work into different bins. I’m not one of those people. I just assume that the kids are going to make a bunch of mistakes throughout the year, and I’ll wind up marking an assignment as missing when it really isn’t. For simplicity sake, I have all my kids, regardless of their block or class, turn in to the same bin. It’s actually a $1 blue bin I got from Dollar Tree. I use book rings and hang a laminated card from the bin so I could easily mark it “Mrs. Reavy Turn In Bin.” I put my name on it because I have shared my classroom before.
Graded Work to be Returned
One of my favorite teacher organization tools is my sterilite drawer system! I teach just three main sections of chemistry now, but I have taught more in the past. These drawers come in threes and are perfect for sorting work that has been graded and needs to be passed back to students. The drawers are nice because they are closed, meaning there is a limit to how much can fit in there. It’s a good reminder to me to pass back papers.
My students usually pass back work so the process isn’t so bad. I use binder clips to hold tests and quizzes together. I don’t like to have students pass those back because I feel that a student’s grade on assessments is their business only. By clipping them together, I know what papers I need to pass back and what I can let kids help me with. These drawers could easily be labeled, but I just put them in order in which I see the classes, with my earliest class at the top. The years I taught 4 classes, I just put the fourth class on top with a paperweight, but I’d just buy a second set of drawers if I ever needed them. I use them all over my house, so it’d be easy to borrow too.
How to Store Work for Absent Kids
I love these rainbow folders for another of my favorite teacher organization tools. I hang this hanging folder system using a Command Hook. (Always listen to the rules your custodial staff makes – THEY are the ones in charge!) I used to label the folders Monday through Friday. Then I got an alternating schedule so I instead labeled them using my lesson coding system. I got these dry erase sleeves (you could use a simple page protector or laminated sheet of paper). I write on the sleeve which lesson is in each folder using my coding system.
Bell Ringers Self Assessment
I’m working on getting my bell ringers on to TPT. I’m really not a huge fan of bell ringers in the first place… The year I started them, my school was CRAZY about data, so I gave in and went along with the plans. After answering the questions, I show students the answers on the board and they grade themselves. I was grading them for completion. It was basically one score for the marking period with points taken away when they didn’t do the grading.
The point was really for them to recognize whether or not they were understanding the material. The questions were ALWAYS review questions – never something fresh. And the idea is that students are being made aware of the fact that they are or are not ready for the upcoming midterm or final exam. So I got this 3 section organizer for them to drop their bell ringers into. They’d mark themselves as a “lost puppy,” if they had no idea what was going on. Which became a label students would give themselves in class. “Mrs. Reavy – I’m a lost puppy right now, can you explain this in a different way?” It was a way to make not understanding chemistry a smaller beast and lightens the mood.
I really wanted to see how kids were FEELING about chemistry as the year went on. This was really just anecdotal data I was collecting. I tried to piece together things like “wow – they really hate those kinetics questions” and take notes for the times that midterm or final exam review came up. Read more about how I integrate self assessment in my chemistry classes.
Task Card Storage
Another favorite teacher organization tool is my photo storage boxes. These are big bins that hold smaller bins that are perfect for task cards and smaller manipulatives. I have a box that holds 4×6 cards, and another that holds 5×7 cards. (If you have just one or two task card sets you can also find individual boxes, though some people swear by the always faithful ziplock bag.)
When it comes to printing task cards, I try to shrink them so they will fit in the 4×6 boxes since those are usually easier to find and cheaper. I usually can print 8 or 12 copies of my card sorts and put the whole class set in just one of these boxes.
These bins are great because you can put all the little bins in order or move them around really easily. I put labels in the front of my boxes, but you don’t need to because they’re see-through. Although, labeling the tops would probably be a bit better, (like spining a book). I actually keep my big bins at home, and just carry in the small boxes as needed because my classroom storage kind of stinks.
Laminated Paper Storage
Once you laminate game boards or things like it, they’re basically impossible to store. You need a thousand binder clips to hold them together because they slip out so easily. They’re too big for pocket folders. Punching holes to put them in a binder basically defeats the purpose of laminating them in the first place. And I’ve never had a file cabinet that didn’t have a warped bar for the hanging folders (or even allowed the drawers to open nicely…)
I store all of my game board in 12×12 sterilite drawers. I labeled them with my unit numbers. Depending on how much you have, you may be able to get away having one drawer for a few months worth of stuff. If you don’t have a lot of task cards, you could store them here too.
I also stuff these drawers with leftover copies that I’ll use as sub plans or for reducing my number of copies needed next year. Again, a file cabinet could work for this, but I’ve never had any luck with a good file cabinet. With this system I can literally just throw stuff in the drawer and forget about it until next year. I even leave myself to do lists for the future. For instance, I know that at the beginning of my Kinetics Unit, I’ll need some glow sticks, so I have a note in the drawer reminding me to get them. The drawer system maybe isn’t the most logical, but I swear by it for me.
Organizing Lab Supplies
Now this really deserves its own post. But the situation of how your lab is organized is so personal and highly depends on the cabinets and drawers (and even the supplies) you’re working with. But I’ll give you a small chunk of my advice.
Unless you have “at the bench” organization, don’t set up individual stations. They have a tendency to just become a mis-matched disaster half way through the year. And trying to manage that is just too much work for me. Especially when you have glassware drying in a drying rack, it’s just chaos trying to figure out what equipment goes where. I’d rather a particular shelf for all of the beakers. Then you can have your detention students or volunteers collect all the beakers from the drying rack and put them in their proper place. I find this process to be ESPECIALLY true if you share a lab with another teacher.
What if it doesn’t work out?
Finding what works for you can take a few tries. I feel like I didn’t have my physical space organized until my fourth year of teaching. I got most of it right during my first year, but the details needed to be ironed out. Save your receipts so you can return what isn’t working for you. If it’s too late to return something, you can try to trade with other teachers. I also love to dump my unwanted things in the faculty room with a note “free to a good home.” Just because it doesn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else! Maybe you’ll get this trend going in your school and you’ll find something there that you can happily receive as a hand-me-down.
