Getting Organized!

Last year I was just surviving.  

It was my first year.  I was hired the week before school started and first saw my classroom (which was a dirty, disheveled mess) the Friday before.  There was nothing in the classroom besides desks with computers, which all needed to be removed to change the room from the computer lab into my classroom.  I at least got a few tables in there with mismatching chairs.  I had one small whiteboard with the promise of another big one soon.  There was one large metal cabinet with broken doors.  The teachers desk had slang written on it from past years.

The actual teacher's desk didn't really work, so I used a table for my stuff. 

Cabinet that pretty much remained open the entire year.

This is the only picture I can find of my entire classroom from last year.  It wasn't too bad, but wasn't the best.  We did what we could.  We survived and everybody learned a lot.  (At least I learned a lot!)

I had mismatched chairs all year.  I never got the extra whiteboard.  Halfway through the year someone told me that the scribbles on the teachers desk were inappropriate, so since I couldn't wash it off I covered it up with a black permanent marker.  The cabinet was never fixed.

I was surviving.  I had no idea what supplies my students needed.  The regular supplies for a classroom?  Did I really have to tell them to bring a pencil and paper to my class?

This year has started off MUCH better.  

I'm in a new classroom and actually have things that work.  There is a small whiteboard, a large whiteboard, and two chalk boards on the walls.  There are two bookshelves, and a cabinet that locks.  I have a sink.  I have places to put things.

My classroom this year (taken before students came).  I need to replace this with a more recent photo. The two whiteboards are up in the room and there's more on the walls.

And I'm much wiser on what to tell students to bring.  Bring tissues boxes!  Bring sanitation wipes!  Bring hand sanitizer!  The school does not provide any of these things so you have to tell your students to bring it.  Maybe this isn't news to someone who grew up in American public schools, but for someone like me who grew up overseas and attending an international school where this stuff and more was provided for, it was novel for me.  (I guess our tuition paid for it, but I didn't think about that growing up!)

However, physical organization is not the only thing I learned from last year.  Getting your paperwork and documentation under control is equally important.  I was not organized at all.  I had a drawer that I put most important documents and I would look in that drawer every time I needed to find something and hoped it was down there. 

This year I have a binder that has a tab for every student.

It includes the following forms:

(1) Parent-Teacher Contact Log
A very important part of this form is whether or not the parents (dad or mom: and I note down which or both) can speak English so I know if I need to get a translator.  In the "other" portion, I note if any numbers listed in their school file don't work so I don't waste my time with those.

(2) Student Behavior Log
My favorite part of this form (and an inspired part of this form) is the student signature.  This is how the form works.  Student misbehaves.  I give warnings/consequences or have a talk with the student.  When class ends and they leave I mark down whatever happened and what I did (even if it was just a warning).  The next day the student comes in, I invite them over to the big desk while the other students are working on their Bell Ringer assignment.  I have them read, or I read to them, the statement I wrote.  I ask them if they remember that happening and if they agree with it.  If they do, they sign their name.  If not, then we change the statement until we both agree (this latter part has yet to ever happen).

This student signature has two benefits.  The first is immediate.  STUDENTS KNOW YOU'RE TRACKING THEM.  Also, you've just reminded them at the beginning of the next class of the warning you gave them last class so they're much better behaved. 

The second benefit will come later, if at all.  Last year I had a problem where there was bullying in my class.  It got so bad I escorted the young man to the office after class and explained everything to the AP.  He was placed into In-School-Suspension.  A few days later his mom comes in with him and wants a conference.  I'm pulled out of class to have this conference with mom, the AP, and the student.  The student denies anything happening.  Thankfully the AP backed me up and took my side.  For some reason nowadays, in the parents' eyes, teachers are out to get their students.  If the student fails, it's the teacher's fault.  If the student gets behavior consequences, it's the teacher's fault.  So the parent in this case was much more likely to believe her son than she was to believe me.  Thus, having this student signature on this event (and also the parent contact log, since I had contacted that parent a couple of times regarding this student behavior––something this parent also 'forgot.') would have been very helpful.

(3) Student Information
This is the sheet I had them fill out on the first day of school.  It's where I was informed as to whether or not their parents spoke English or not.  I also loved seeing their favorite things and what their parents did for their living.  It was so insightful.  I'm hoping I can review their interests and goals from time to time so that I can apply them to our lessons or talk about them to build better rapport.

I already feel much more prepared to tackle the year and anything it wants to throw at me.  As a middle school teacher, I know the behavior log would be too overwhelming to many of my peer teachers who see 180 students over two days.  As a special education teacher, I only have 30 students over two days that I worry about.  Thus, my forms are much more manageable.  It's what works for me, and so far it's worked really well.

Go ahead and use anything from this post that you think may work for you.  You don't have to use the whole thing.  You can cut/paste/morph/disassemble anything to suit your needs.   Good luck!