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I love being organised. There is nothing better than having everything ready in advance. So when I started working as a teacher, I was instantly excited to find new ways to better organise my time. It is often overwhelming trying to manage everything at once, especially with multiple classes! Yet, the impossible does not exist. Therefore, after many trial runs, here are my 5 ways to stay organised as a teacher.
1. Always tidy your classroom at the end of the day
Tidy mind, tidy space. And vice-versa. There is nothing worse than coming in on a Monday morning to find your classroom still in a mess. Not only does it start the week on a bad note, but it ends up costing you time. Even though you’re exhausted on a Friday evening, tidying up makes a world of difference! I make sure to tuck in chairs, realign the tables, wipe the board clean, and tidy my desk every day before leaving. This way, if I happen to be running late, at least my classroom is ready and organised. This also sets the tone for your pupils as they find their space clean and tidy. It is important to teach your pupils to look after their classroom as this not only gives them responsibility, but it helps you out too.
2. Print worksheets in advance
When I say in advance, I mean at least a week in advance. If you’ve already planned ahead, you should have all of your documents ready to be printed so make use of the first week back to print them all. If not, try and print at least for the whole week. It saves so much time printing in advance, especially if you have to cut up worksheets or adjust them, for example. It equally means you avoid the constant queue for the printer. Also, if ever you find yourself with some spare time at the end of a lesson, or there’s a last minute timetable change, then you have lesson content ready to go! By having all your activities ready, this can help with behaviour management and also keeps your pupils from getting bored. I ended up being able to sleep in for an extra thirty minutes every day once I started printing ahead of time. Seems to be a win-win all round!
3. Keep spares of everything in your locker
I’m known for being over-prepared, but I’ve found it really handy to keep spare things in my locker at school. This means a second pencil case with all the stationery items including scissors and glue, a spare water bottle, snacks, some money for lunch, hand wipes, toothbrush and toothpaste, and hair ties. Having a back up stock of things is really helpful for the days when you’re running late or you forget something. I also just like knowing that I always have spares on me just in case. Teaching is unpredictable as we know! Plus, having a spare pencil case means that you can let some of the kids borrow pens or glue when they don’t have theirs, which can save time and arguments.
Tidy mind, tidy space
4. Use sticky notes or post-its for reminders
Sticky notes are so useful for jotting down notes in class, like who forgot their homework or whose parents need calling. But they are equally useful for reminding yourself. My teaching experience changed when I started leaving sticky notes for myself. The trick is, at the end of the day, to grab a big sticky note and brain dump everything you need to do on to it. I like to do it for all of my weekly tasks. Then, I leave the sticky note on my computer. That way, when I get to school the next morning, I start by prioritising my tasks for the day. This means I don’t forget things and it allows me to take a mental break from work when I leave the classroom. I also sometimes leave a sticky note on a pupil’s desk for them to find if I know I have to remind them of something! They’re always handy to have so I recommend getting the big rectangle ones.
5. Try colour-coding your classes
Colour-coding is a really great way to stay organised, as long as you don’t go overboard. By having a different colour for each class, or level, you can stay on top of work. I personally colour-code by level as I find it easier than by class. For example, my Year 8 classes are blue. This means that I have a blue folder for their worksheets (printed in advance, obviously!), blue sticky notes for them, and I write their classes in blue in my planner. That way, I can quickly see where everything is for each level and I always have everything in the right place. Since colours help with memorising things, it also helps me to remember my timetable! Not only is colour-coding useful, but it’s also fun too. It brightens up your planner and your classroom too.
Final thoughts…
Being organised can be difficult, especially as a teacher. It also sometimes means sacrificing an hour or two every Sunday to make sure things are ready beforehand. However, by preparing things in advance, you really do make your life easier. It is important to keep on top of things as much as possible in order to avoid burnout or worse. Often, it is the smallest changes that make the biggest differences. You don’t need to go and buy three planners or plan your week hour by hour but you could, say, mark those papers earlier or send that email today instead of tomorrow.
Being organised is a habit and so it will take time to make improvements. Soon enough, though, you’ll notice you’ve become more organised with very little effort!
If you have any other tips on how to stay organised, make sure to share them below.
Check out my blog post on What I Have Learnt So Far as a Teacher
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