Teachers do have a lot on their plate. From preparing lessons, to coming up with fun activities to entertain their students, and to keep everything neat and tidy in classrooms and work stations. With all these tasks to accomplish, there are times when you leave your table less tidy than normal. Although this is forgivable in some situations, as a teacher, you need to keep in mind that your work and your character can play a role in the development of your students. Seeing a cluttered desk with you having to go through everything just to find something is not really the ideal model to show your students, right? Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to help make you an organized teacher in no time.

Have a plan

It’s hard to achieve something when you don’t have a plan in place and this is exactly what you need when it comes to sorting through the chaos that is called the cabinet in your classroom or your desk. Take the time to visualize what you really want to achieve out of all the clutter that you need to arrange so that you will have an idea on how to go on about it. Have a checklist too so you will know what tasks you need to accomplish.

Prepare your papers

If you are using a paper-based teaching style then you should start preparing your lessons in advance. It’s never a good idea to do everything at the last minute because it can put a lot of stress on you not to mention affect your organizational skills. By preparing your papers early on, you will be able to organize them in file folders for each lesson so you won’t have to go through everything all the time.

Do them once if possible

Most teachers often come up with a new lesson plan each year for their students. And although this is admirable, storing files of previous lesson plans, and using them for reference, can be a huge time saver on your part. This way, you don’t have to redo the whole thing all the time.

Use a communal folder

A communal folder for each grade in the staff room can help organize all materials that you are using so that you and the rest of the teachers will have available lessons as needed.

Design your space for your use

When referring to organization as a teacher, it’s more about physical space. The best approach to this is to create a structure in your classroom that can be adjusted according to the needs of your activities and lessons. The walls in your classroom can be utilized as well for your word wall, number line, anchor charts and the like.

Prepare handouts

It is always a good idea to prepare some handouts for new students that are going to arrive in the first few months of the school year. With these handouts already printed, you are ready to welcome the new additions to your growing class every day. 

It’s really not that hard to stay organized even when your days are quite busy at school. With a good plan and early preparation, you will find that it is easier to maintain an organized classroom and work desk all the time. Plus, there is no need to feel stressed out too because everything you need is right where you need them.