Coming back to school is always a whirlwind of excitement and preparation. We work tirelessly to make our classrooms look inviting for our students and plan lessons that will engage them. Two years ago, I went on maternity leave, and when I returned, I only had one day to pack up my entire classroom. I threw all my materials into bins without any system. What a disaster! When August arrived, unpacking and organizing my classroom was a challenge. I spent many hours organizing everything and preparing for the first day of school. I just knew there had to be a better way, and I vowed that by the end of the year, I’d do something to make the next back-to-school season easier. Keep reading to find out the 3 things that I did that year to organize my classroom.
Binder Organization System
One of the first things I did was start a binder organization system. No matter how color-coded my filing cabinet was, I struggled to find what I was looking for. I decided to use binders instead. By creating binders for each subject area, I slipped a copy into the binder whenever I used a resource. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I decided to do this! To prepare for Meet the Teacher, all I had to do was open my “Back To School” binder and look at what I handed out last year. Everything was there: my welcome letter, supply list, school uniform policy, district handbook, etc. Of course, some things needed to be updated, but at least I had an idea of what I needed. It’s much better than remembering what I did the year before. This system has been a HUGE time and stress saver for me. If you don’t have a system in place, give this one a try!
Mentor Text Organization
Next, I organized my mentor texts by unit of study. I invested in magazine holders and labeled them for each reading and writing unit of study. Whenever I used a book in a mini-lesson or read-aloud, I placed it in the appropriate holder. I added more categories like Science, Math, and Social Studies throughout the year. The work I put into organizing my mentor texts has been super helpful to me this year. What a time saver! For the first week of school, I grabbed my “Back To School” magazine holder, placed it on my desk, and was ready to go for the week. Easy Peasy!
Math Centers Overhaul
My math centers were a mess because I randomly threw everything into bins. All year, I wasted time searching for centers or making new ones. UUGHH! By the time the year ended, I vowed not to start another year like that. I made it my mission to clean them up!! I bought clear bins from Target and labeled each with a math concept. Inspired by Catherine Reed at Brown Bag Teacher, this system eliminated the frantic search for centers and saved precious time throughout the year. I used additional magazine holders to store resources like place value mats, 120 charts, and number lines.
I hope these tips are helpful to you or spark some organization inspiration.
