Teacher organization is something you can either conquer or allow to become the bane of your existence. One of the biggest issues I see with new teachers is the culture shock of having so much to do on a constant basis. You feel like you’re on a hamster wheel. You plan. You set up. You teach. You grade. And then you have to do it all over again…immediately. And if you skip a beat, you are sunk, and then you keep sinking deeper. The key? You have to get and stay organized. It sounds hard… and it is. But with a few simple tricks and some work done upfront, it is possible. Read here for ideas that can work for you.
Teacher Organization: Map Out Your Year to Stay Organized
In my opinion, you can’t have a successful year without giving yourself an overview of what and when you will cover in your class. This means making a calendar for the year.
When I do this, I first create one document that has all of my months and yes, even days. It is, of course, editable. I put in any special days of which I am aware, such as days off, parent/teacher conferences, testing dates, etc. Three is a column for the unit and then I plug in as much as I can. It’s not super specific…it might just say “Informational Text reading unit lesson 2” or “Essay body paragraph 1”. I got a little bit fancier as the years have gone on and began linking the actual lesson, but don’t worry about that yet. Just having this outline is a game-changer.
Although I know not everyone likes doing work in the summer, I find that making this calendar is my year-long life saving device. Even if you are reading this in the middle of the year, I recommend doing this for the rest of the year. When it’s done, you will feel a complete sense of relief.
It’s not hard to make, but if you would like a free planning calendar, you can grab mine. Click here for your free planning calendar. This calendar will be updated yearly, so just download again at the beginning of next year. You can use it digitally and/or print it. I usually use a digital copy, but as I approach a new month I copy the month and keep it on my desk for easy reference. It’s a must for teacher organization.
Get a Week Ahead in Your Planning
Planning is key for teacher organization. Now that you have your year mapped out, it’s time to plan for two weeks. After that, you just plan a week at a time, which will always keep you a week ahead. This is something that has saved my mind! Being a week ahead helps you to function better in so many ways. You can really focus on your kids better because you’re not always worried about what you have to do the next day.
After you have your first two weeks down, create a planning system for yourself. I like to do the bulk of my planning on the weekends, but that is up to you. Whatever you do, I would do this in 2 or 3 separate days. I prefer to do planning in 2 or 3 thirty-minute time periods, rather than just cramming it all in. My brain can’t handle that much all at once as it can feel tedious. Look at my plan below for some tips.
Teacher Organization: My planning routine:
- Friday prep time at school: Create my new planning template (I use Genesis online planning as per my school guidelines). I refer to my yearly calendar, tweak as needed, put in all the dates and special activities, and then I have an outline. I don’t have the brain power for much more on a Friday.
- Saturday: I start the process. As I have been teaching for a long time, I definitely have lots of resources, so I copy and paste and then start tweaking.
- Sunday: I put in any specifics, such as links and standards.
This system allows me to spend a little time without getting overwhelmed. If you don’t like to work on weekends, perhaps planning on Wednesday/Thursday for the following week will work best. But you will always have your calendar that you created, and you will see how much time and aggravation that will save you.
P.S. – Save your calendar…you can copy it from year to year. It is easier to just change the dates and tweak than starting from scratch.
Teacher Organization: Create Your 3 Non-Negotiables Daily To-Do List
Having a long list of things to do at work is a real downer. When you work like this, you feel defeated from the beginning of the day. We are not office workers…our job is to be there and to be engaged with our kids, so doing a million tasks is just not feasible.
Instead, create 3 non-negotiables for each day of the week. You can adjust it a bit, but having a system in place will help you to get rid of that overwhelmed feeling. Here is my system. Again, I tweak it as needed, but at least I go into each week with a plan. You will notice that posting work for the following day is the first thing I do. I have a sense of relief and accomplishment knowing that what they need the next day is already up and ready to go.
My weekly teacher organization plan:
- Monday: Post any work for Tuesday on my Google Classroom™, put in any grades, and one miscellaneous “administrative task” (examples: start SGO paperwork, fill in conference sheet, work on field trip form, etc.).
- Tuesday: Post any work for Wednesday on my Google Classroom™, grading, parent emails
- Wednesday: Post any work for Thursday on my Google Classroom™, one administrative task, and copy any items for next week (keep your future copy work organized somewhere so that this is easier for you).
- Thursday: Post any work for Friday on my Google Classroom™, grading, student concerns (sending an email home, checking in with the guidance counselor, having a quick talk with a student, etc.)
- Friday: Post any work for Monday on my Google Classroom™, start planning (as discussed above), classroom organization (there’s always something to organize…bookshelves, a new bulletin board, clean up a desk drawer, clean off your desk to prepare for a fresh week, etc.)
I am not saying that this is all you do, but these 3 non-negotiables will help you to have a structure and a starting point. Go into your day knowing that you will get these 3 items done, and if there is time/energy, you will do any other miscellaneous tasks. I know there are so, so many miscellaneous tasks. I keep them on digital post its and try to get to them in order of importance.
Do Bits of Work instead of Huge Chunks to Stay Organized
A long time ago, I realized that if I tried to do too much of any one task I became overwhelmed. I am the type that can do 100 small jobs but not one huge job. Kind of like when I had to pack up and move into a new home…the thought overwhelmed me, but then I split it into rooms and from there split the room into sections, mapped out when I would do it, and it was so much better.
The same holds true for me with teaching tasks. Thinking about grading 80 essays is overwhelming, to say the least. But assigning myself 5 a day at specific times is something I can digest.
As teachers, the work is voluminous. It starts to swallow you whole if you don’t manage it. Here is a system that might work for you. This is something I recommended to a student teacher years ago, and she found it very helpful.
First, write down the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that you have to do. These tasks are often recurring. Then, break them down into smaller sections if they are too big (such as the essay example). Then, assign them a specific, definitive time. Don’t just say, “I’m going to grade 5 essays today.” Say, “I am going to grade 2 essays during my prep and 3 at home today.” Otherwise, you will have no time frame. When we have no time frame, we often spend way too much time when it just isn’t necessary. I promise, it will make a huge difference.
Delegate Tasks to Students
There are things that students can do that are barely noticeable to them, yet if you let them take the reins, it could save you hours per week. I’m not talking about taking away instructional time. There are little tweaks that can really add up if you start thinking like this.
As an example, I have a group of girls who organize my papers on Monday morning during homeroom. We have a specific system, and this is something that would probably take me 20 minutes to do on my own. That is 20 minutes that I could spend grading an essay! And guess what…they love it. They do a great job.
Another example is having 2 students who are librarians in each class. It is up to them to put books away and make sure the library is maintained. And again…they love it and it saves me time.
I urge you to think about the tasks that can be easily delegated to kids in your class. A class is a community, after all, and they need to be active participants.
Plan for (and Enjoy) Downtime
One last word of caution…you must, must, must schedule in your downtime/time away from work. Take it from me…I have “workaholic” tendencies. I had to schedule it in, like I would anything else. For example, between the hours of 3:30 and 7:00 there is no school work getting done. Nothing. Not even an email check. After school, I have family obligations, errands, and quite frankly, sometimes I need a nap. If I don’t get that balance, I will eventually fall apart. I also enjoy doing a little work on Saturdays…but only for an hour while I have my coffee. I find this time peaceful as I’m up earlier than the rest of the house. And that’s it for the rest of the day.
Again, I urge you to come up with a system for your downtime, and keep it like you would any appointment. If you are in teaching for the long-run, this is imperative.
I hope these tips were helpful.
I would love to hear how you stay organized. Please feel free to leave your comments and questions below!
Wishing you and your students all the best.
-Linda A. “All in One Middle School“
