Are you someone who needs some simple teacher organization tips? Do you find yourself staying late at school every day? Are you missing soccer games and taking home a lot of fast food dinners? Girl….I hear you! This was such a problem for me for so long!
I decided I need to get organized and stop living at school! So how did I do it?
1. Use a checklist.
I used to have scraps of paper and post it notes everywhere! Jumping from one thing to the next and never really feeling very organized at all. One day I decided to create a checklist of the things I did every week ~ you know, those tasks that we have to do all the time (write lesson plans, grade papers, run copies, etc). When you have a checklist you can do a quick glance at your tasks for the day and stick to it. Keep your checklist at the front of your plan book or on a clipboard for easy access.
2. Use your planning time wisely.
It's really easy to let your precious planning time slip by as you chat with a friend or linger a little too long in the teachers lounge. Try to use your planning time wisely. I like to be prepared with my copies that I need to make and take them with me as I drop my kiddos off for their special class, lunch or recess. I head straight to the teacher work room and get to work!
Try to figure out a time when there won't be a line for the copier….Is before school a better time to make copies? What about when everybody else is at lunch? Can you squeeze a few minutes in then while everyone else is busy doing something else?
3. Assign a day to specific tasks.
This is KEY to staying organized and getting things done AT SCHOOL DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. Make a list of all the tasks that you have to do each week. Now decide which days you will work on each task.
Think about how that looks….when do you want to write your weekly newsletter? Do you send it home on Monday or Friday? Pick the day that works best for that. Do you send homework folders? What day do you want to work on those?
I have specific tasks that I do each day of the week. I know what they are and so it makes it so much easier for me to complete things in a timely manner. Here's how I use my planning time each week:
MONDAY – Grade Spelling Pretests, Run off homework copies and stuff homework folders
TUESDAY – Write my guided reading plans for the week and organize materials.
WEDNESDAY – Write my plans for the next week, Grade papers and enter grades in grade book.
THURSDAY – Run all my copies for the next week, Prep craft materials and pull books for next week.
FRIDAY – Write weekly newsletter, Grade weekly assessments, Change my “I Can” statements on bulletin board for next week.
Super simple! I hope these tips help you get out the door and home on time!
Click here to grab a copy of my Weekly Checklists to help you with your planning!
This is wonderful! Thank you so much!
I never take work home. However, I do end up staying too late some days. This will help me stay more organized and hopefully leave work on time! 🙂
I just love it. Thanks for sharing those hints.
Go in an hour early. Sometimes the best intentions don't happen. I've been teaching for over twenty years and some days are just more productive than others. Depends on what happens during the course of the day. Just like motherhood!
Thank you! I need to add to my to do list: check out any new posts from Firstieland aka molly! Thank you!