As a teacher, one thing you probably have a lot of is paperwork. From student information to quizzes and worksheets to final papers and more, you may find yourself swimming in a sea of papers. Fortunately, there are a few easy things you can do to stay organized — you’ll need some filing cabinets or bins and you’ll also need custom tape and labels. So let’s look at a few great organizational tips.
Utilize colors: One of the easiest ways to keep things separate is by using colors. Whether you have different classes you need to keep papers separate for, want to separate papers for various subjects, or even want to keep individual student paperwork separate, colors can help. Assign each of your classes a color so students know that their work for that class goes in the bin, folder, or box with that specific color on it. Using colors is a very simple way to stay organized. You can even use custom dry erase labels to easily change which subjects certain colors are for.
Systemize student information: Keeping track of students’ information is a big part of a teacher’s job. You should start with one binder or bin that holds all of the classroom information, like school contacts, the student roster, and emergency information. You can then break that down even further for each individual student — have a labeled folder for each student containing their important medical information, emergency contacts, and any other essential information. But make sure to keep these files in a secure location in the classroom.
Label everything: Labels are truly a teacher’s best friend. Did you know that on average, four weeks is lost every year due to trying to find misfiled or mislabeled documents? This is why it’s so important to keep everything in your classroom labeled. You should have some sort of filing system for students’ work that can be labeled with their name, the class subject, or even the type of assignment. You should use a filing cabinet or even clear filing bins to store all of your labeled paperwork in so it can easily be found when needed. You’ll need custom tape and labels to put on your files so you can find what you need easily.
Staying organized doesn’t have to be hard. Keep these simple tips in mind and with the right supplies, you’ll be organized in no time.
