I have been neglectful in my Challenge duties. Thanks to @jcolque for her 30 day challenge to help me reflect about my teaching practices.
Day 5: How do you keep your classroom organized?
People who know me are laughing at the topic, because organized Valerie is an oxymoron.
I use wikis as file cabinets and blogs as chalk boards. I am not the organizational queen.
To be honest, if I do have something well organized it is generally by accident. Meaning,
- I completed a task
- I lose the resources
- so I re-do the task
- before actually finishing the task for the second time, I find on the first attempt
- I then combine the two efforts and voila; I have perfection
I exaggerate but not by much. =}
Ways to organize
Room arrangement:
I will do a better job of creating different areas within the classroom. I don’t have room for ‘centers’ but I can create definite areas for reading supplies, writing/art supplies, etc. My room is a self serve type of atmosphere and the students are free to help themselves when they need materials. I need a supply chief to help me keep the areas stocked with needed supplies.
Paperwork:
Online is the way to go. I use wikis/blogs to communicate. I use forms and charts as a way to organize. I am trying to go as ‘paper-free’ as possible. No paper to keep track of goes a lonnng way in keeping me organized.
Time Management:
Again, online is the way to go.
- I will utilize Google Calendar more this year. I keep dates and important deadlines available on my blogs and wikis but I want to also share a calendar this year to help everyone out with long range planning and dates.
- Self checking online tests help save time.
- Assigning students numbers helps to quickly organize paperwork.
- Templates for regularly completed paperwork.
These are just a few tips from an UnOrganized person.
