Always organize

TeacherBlog: http://www.teachercreated.com/blog/?p=31

• These include descriptions of classroom activities, resources (books, Web sites, books, magazines, etc), and issues that were discussed.
  

As a first year teacher (well technically second but it’s my first year teaching a core subject) I am starting to get a better understanding on how to run a classroom. What management strategies can help benefit a classroom and students, how to successfully work out your plans for the week, and even how to work with colleagues on how to gain resources to benefit students.

But in a world full of papers, tests, assignments, and books, how do we manage to organize it all?
The author discusses the benefits on organization inside the classroom. With everything in its right place, the author says that organization will not only benefit the teacher but the students as well. How the teacher organizes their room is a clear sign of what she expects from her students, in both organization of their own and behavior wise. Students seem to respond better in an environment that is clean, safe, and predictable.

The author also describes the benefits toward a teacher:

The immediate benefits of a well-organized classroom to the teacher are clear—less wasted time and therefore more efficiency. Not so immediately apparent, perhaps, are the following very significant elements:

• reduced teacher fatigue

• improved student-teacher relations

• improved parent-teacher relations

• increased job satisfaction

• increased enthusiasm for professional growth

• increased student academic progress

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I have to agree with this completely. I remember when I first started and how hard it was to actually put things into place, watch my students, and give out the next assignment. Now I have come to learn that having everything, almost every detail, put in a place where I can remember is so helpful. I can hand out assignments quickly, and I’m not scrambling for last minute things.

• Include any follow-up of activities that you tried with your students that you had learned about from the list, shared with other teachers, or used for another graduate course.
  

I know how important organization is to me, and I stress it very heavily on my classes. I check to see if everything is put away in their desks and cubbies, and that nothing is left behind. They understand that the first step to accomplishment is to be organized in your work.