This is how Mrs. Dreiss, another 3rd grade teacher at my school, keeps track of papers kids turn in. When they complete an assignment, they erase their number from the board, so the children and teacher can tell at a glance what is left outstanding.
Here's the teacher's area in Mrs. Fransceze's room when she taught 2nd grade gifted. She thought it looked really messy, but I like the arrangement: it's very economical with space. Personally I don't like when the teacher's area consumes the entire room: I like to have all papers, books, etc. in one area near my desk and let the rest of the classroom be for the children. Mrs. Fransceze put all her binders and teachers guides on the built-in shelves behind her desk and added a small bulletin board to hang calendars and art children make for her. (I always wonder what to do with all their little drawings... it seems so heartless to through them away but you can't keep everything!). The small student desk to the side of her desk is for students to turn in papers, and the trapeziod table looks ready to handle any project or group of papers that comes her way.
Mrs. Widelitz teaches 3rd grade at my school and uses those clippy hangers to attach posters, then stores them on chart stands and/or portable wardrobes, which you can buy in Target or similar. I like this system because it's easy to sort through them, and if you have a problem with roaches at your school (who doesn't?), the bugs don't have any cool, dark cardboard boxes to hide in. You don't even have to take the posters off the hangers when you want to use them in a lesson: tie a piece of yarn to a tack and stick the tack above your board, then hang the hanger from the yarn. When the lesson is over, put the hanger back on the rack. Couldn't be simpler!
Mrs. Ginter teaches 1st grade and has a ton of books on tape. She hung a dowel rod at the either end of the shelf and lets the bags hang inside the shelf. How creative!
Mrs. Fransceze found that her non-adjustable chart stand was too high for her second graders to reach, so she intertwined two pipe cleaners and strung the pocket chart up that way. Very resourceful.
This is the work of Mrs. Paige, a first grade teacher at my school- my inspiration for organizing all my lesson materials! She has one drawer for each story in the reading curriculum.
She typed up labels for the stories, and then keeps inside anything relevant.
Website visitor contribution 6/25/06
"Hi, Ms. Powell,
I really love your website! I’m an organization freak, too, and I’m always looking for fresh ideas. One thing I found is a fantastic desk organizer from Staples. It is very large, but it is the only thing you will have to have on your desk. Everything I had spread out in containers, etc., along the top portion of my desk (pen/mark/scissors/white-out carousel, paperclips, frequently used folders, planning book, behavior notebook, sub folder, medicine notebook, fits in the compartments of this ONE organizer. Also, I have room for my “everything file folder” for each child in my class. Now I don’t have to run to the filing cabinet every morning when I get parent notes, tardy slips, etc., to file these. I love this organizer! I wish I had a photo of my desk with this in use; maybe I’ll send one after school starts." THANKS, MELANIE- I REMEMBER SEEING THE "Desk Apprentice Rotating Desk Organizer" ON THE SHOW "THE APPRENTICE" AND LOVING IT! THAT'S A LOT OF ORGANIZATION FOR $30, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO CHECK THAT OUT! STAPLES OFFERS DISCOUNTS TO TEACHERS AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR, TOO. CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO VISIT STAPLES' WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN ORDER THE ORGANIZER.
UPDATE 7/21/06: I ORDERED THIS FROM STAPLES FOR ONLY $20 (ON SALE) AND HAD IT DELIVERED TO ME FOR FREE!! IF YOU SIGN UP WITH STAPLES' TEACHER REWARDS PROGRAM (NO FEES, JUST FILL OUT A FORM), YOU CAN GET FREE DELIVERY ON ORDERS OF ANY AMOUNT. THEY DELIVERED THE NEXT DAY AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT. BEST OF ALL, I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!!! WHAT A STEAL FOR $20!!
