"How does he do it?" You ask yourself this as you watch the "super teacher" skip down the hall. Mr. Super preps for three classes, coaches soccer, chairs the diversity committee, and heads the annual toy drive. You, on the other hand, can barely keep up with the reading for your English class. Your desk is a tornado of papers and your grade book boasts a legion of blank assignment columns.
Though you have your own teaching talents, you lack the secret Mr. Super possesses: organization.
Luckily, you are reading this article. This, the last article in our series on classroom management, list five sure-fire ways of getting your classroom, and your cluttered brain, more organized.
BUILD IT IN. Structure your classroom so that organization is organic. Have students place homework in bins, clean up after activities, or mark quizzes after they complete them.
RISE EARLY. Arrive thirty minutes early. Make copies, read passages, or mark those last five papers. You will beat the morning rush and have first dibs on supplies.
STAY LATE. At the end of the day, spend thirty minutes marking quizzes, recording grades, or making notes for the following session. Your mind will be fresh with ideas from the day.
Look out for other articles in this series, including the following:
Look out for other articles in this series, including the following:
- Tips to Avoid A Classroom Horror Scene
- What to Do When All Your Students Hate You
- Five Things A Teacher Should Never Ever Do
- How to Deal with the "Problem" Student
- Tackling Talkers, Whisperers, and Note Passers
- Avoid Loosing Students, and Your Mind, on Field Trips
- How to Win Your Students' Trust and Their Hearts
- Stay Sane. Stay Organized.
Author's Bio
James Guilford, a graduate of Emory University and Columbia University, has worked in education for nearly a decade. Download the entire classroom management series for free at http://www.jamesguilford.com/free_resources. In addition to this e-book, you will find chapters from Guilford's young adult novel, The Pencil Test, lesson plans, and other free resources.
SCALE BACK. If you can't keep up with grading, then give different types of assignments or give fewer assignments. Focus on quality, not quantity. Sometimes less is more.
JUST DO IT. Write the recommendation, respond to the survey, or fill out the new insurance forms immediately. As much as possible, complete minor tasks as they arise.
Mr. Super has his secrets, and now you have yours. Employ the tips in this article to stay sane and organized. Doing so will greatly improve your effectiveness and your sanity.
