Do you ever look down at your teacher desk and wonder how it got so messy and what all those papers are for?! My first year of teaching I was SO unorganized and it made my job a lot harder. I decided to take control of my messes and organize all the papers better. This is a list of great teaching organization systems that you need in your classroom now!
During the day, I use these systems to keep my desk organized. During my plan, in the mornings, or after school, I will look at these systems of organization to see if I need to do anything, like make copies, deliver papers, file stuff away, etc. This saves so much time! Whenever I get papers, I put them where they should go on my desk. This way, I can get stuff done and move on to something else instead of taking time to organize my desk.
These organization ideas will help you organize all the papers you get throughout the day. Staying organized throughout the day helps you leave work on time and stay prepared for the next day.
I have gotten to the point where I plan and make all copies for the following week the week before. So by Friday, I am completely prepared for the following week and can take time to myself over the weekend! No more struggling to make it to the copier right before the lesson I am teaching and then to find out the copier isn’t working (this has happened to me way too many times to keep this up). These are the best ways to stay organized!
1. Teacher Mailbox
This is a box or tray located in your room where students turn in IMPORTANT papers, like parent notes, excuses, permission forms, money orders, etc. All class work has a different place. This is the spot for all important papers that you need to deal with immediately. This way, these papers won’t get lost in the everyday classroom papers or lost on your desk.
2. Turn In Tray
This is all the papers that students turn in throughout the day. It goes in the turn in tray every time. I always tell students to never hand me a paper because I will lose it. It needs to go in the turn in tray or mailbox, unless I specifically tell them otherwise. With this tray, I know it is all student work and I can sort through it at a later time.
3. Papers to Grade
I keep a few trays stacked on top of each other for papers to grade, file, copy, and deliver. The grading tray is for papers that I need to grade or enter grades. I take the papers from the turn in tray and only put them into the grading tray if I want to grade them.
Secret: I don’t always grade EVERY paper the students turn in. I tell them if they don’t get it back with a grade on it, it was “participation grade”. This way, students think everything is important that they do in the classroom but I don’t have to grade everything. That would just be too much for me.
4. Papers to File
Whenever I make copies from the master copy from my teaching binder, I put it in this tray to know that I need to file it away at some point. Or papers that need to be put in the students’ file or in my filing cabinet. If you want to read more about my teaching resource binder and how I organize all my resources click here.
5. Paper to Copy
This is where I put papers that I need to copy for the following week. This way, whenever I have time to go make copies, I just pick up the pile in the tray. When I am planning, I take out my resource from my binder and put it in this tray. This way, I can easily make copies that I need whenever I have time (or no one is at the copier!).
6. Papers to Deliver
I seem to always have papers that I need to give to other teachers or take to the office. I put all papers that need to be given to someone or taken to the office in this tray. This way, on plan, I can grab the pile and deliver the papers. I also sometimes have a student deliver the papers. This is just a way to keep the papers organized.
7. Folder for Each Day of the Week
This is one of the BEST ideas I found and use to organize. My cooperating teacher when I was student teaching had this system and I loved it. Basically, you have a folder for each day Monday – Friday. Each day’s folder you put all the copies and papers you will need for that day.
So, when I am teaching Monday, I will easily know that all my copies and activities for the day is in the Monday folder. On Friday afternoon or Monday morning, I will take all the copies I made the week before and organize it into the correct day folders so I am completely ready for the week.
8. Copies for Next Week
After I make my copies for the following week, I like to keep these papers paper clipped together in a tray or drawer. This way, it will stay off my desk, but I will easily be able to organize it all when the next week comes. I like to stay a week ahead in my planning and making copies. This saves me so much time and I am not so stressed throughout the week.
9. Place for Print Weekly
This is usually a tray or drawer that I keep all the resources I print every week, like the Daily 5 Choice Board or writing rubric for the weekly writing prompt. This way, I can easily grab the things that I make copies of every week. I also sometimes print copies for multiple weeks, so I can just count out how many I need that week (or if a student misplaces their paper).
I hope these 9 organizational ideas will help you out in your classroom. You will be a better teacher when you are organized and prepared. Hopefully, these systems will help you stay organized throughout the day and keep your desk in order!
If you want to organize your whole classroom, read our post here on tips to declutter your classroom.
Click here to check out 7 essentials for an organized teacher desk.
Thank you for Continually Learning with us!
Kyle and Sarah
