Keeping Things Organized - My Favorite Tips, by Missy Butcher, 6th Grade Teacher, West Wilson MIddle School

My favorite tips for keeping things organized

I will never forget 11 years ago when I stepped into the classroom for the first time; I was so excited! I’d grown up teaching  my classroom of stuffed teddy bears, but this was for real….my own students! I was ready to embark on my life-long dream of being a teacher. I would soon learn that being a new teacher, with all the disarray of the new experience in the classroom, is challenging enough! I realized that I had to get organized! Being that I am a structured individual who likes routines, cleanliness, and everything to have its place, I needed to instill this into my career. And, while I am self-motivated to figure this out for myself, I soon realized that many of my middle school students were not. So, in my apprentice years of teaching, I created and learned a few techniques of keeping myself organized, and showing my students how to do so as well. Below are some organization tid-bits that I’d love to share with my teacher 

My organization tips:

1.  Students & Standards. I saw where another teacher had done this, so I can’t take 

credit, but it is  brilliantly worth sharing! Take a 3 ring binder, and create sections for the following:

class rosters, student data, grades, lesson plans, standards, pacing guides, resources, etc. With all

the on-hand information we teachers need for

our students and our curriculum, this keeps it 

all in one place. At the beginning of each school 

year, I buy a new, durable binder that will hold 

all this information. Then, I create tabs 

to the information to stay separated. This is my 

school “Bible,” and I love having it all in one place!

2.  Structure & Routine. As an ELA 

teacher, it is overwhelming to have so many standards to teach.  I find that setting up routine in my 

class not only helps students, but also with my lesson planning.  For example, Mondays & Tuesday 

are set aside for informational text studies. Wednesday are for writing focus. Thursdays and Fridays 

are literature study. Kids need structure, and they value

routine so they know what to expect.   Even with 

the routine, it still allows variety within the weeks,

which kids also love!

3.  What are we doing today?

KUDOS. Not only  is organization important 

for planning, but it’s also essential for chunking 

class time. When my students walk into 

everyday, they like to know what’s going on in 

class that day. They may know the focus, but they 

also need to know the standards, objectives, 

and class agenda. Everyday, I post my KUDOs 

for this reason. K is what we will KNOW. 

U is what we will UNDERSTAND. 

DO is for the class agenda. 

This posted everyday presents consistency and

expectations. 

My students' organization tips:

1. Students' Divider Tabs. I think many teachers constantly tell their students to be 

       organized, and we assume they already know how. Showing our students how to be organize is an essential like skill! As the beginning of each school year, I purchase bright, neon paper to print dividers for students’ binders. I use BEP funds to purchase sheet protectors, so these divider tabs are durable  and last all school year. The dividers include: bell ringers, classwork, homework, writing, and graded work. Everything that is given in class has a place within the students’ binders. I can honestly attest that I have had 100% student satisfaction with this! Even the most disorganized students will find a  way to keep everything in its place because they’ve been shown HOW. Any teacher can do this, and the divider tabs can be customized to the teacher’s subject content and/or personal style.  

As a veteran teacher, I’ve learned over the last few years just how organization helps me keep my priorities and responsibilities in order. I would encourage new teachers to find an organization style that works for them, and it may involve trial/error. Seek other teachers’ tips for organization as well to learn! The tips I’ve shared are the ones that I’ve found to be effective for myself and my students. After all, an organized classroom is a happy classroom. J