Hi friends!! Does your desk always end up BURIED by the end of the school day from all of the paper work that comes in and adds up while you’re teaching?!
MINE NEVER DOES!!
And I’m sharing my TOP FIVE TIPS with you to help you ORGANIZE, TAME, and MINIMIZE the stacks of paperwork! They’ll never clutter your desk again!
I’m going to go through these 5 tips with some explanation and then BONUS CONTENT, Y’ALL, there’s a VIDEO at the end of this post FROM MY CLASSROOM to show you where I put alllllll of my papers!!
5 tips to tame the paperwork! Here we go!! . . .
My FIRST tip seems like a no brainer but it is CLUTCH! Whatever papers you have in your hand when you walk into your classroom, PUT THEM AWAY RIGHT AWAY!!! Don’t lay them on your desk, don’t toss them in a pile – NO!! File them and put them in their place right away!
If it’s copies to send home, add them to kids’ mailboxes. If it’s the staff meeting agenda, add it to your staff meeting folder or notebook to have with you when you head to the staff meeting. If it’s the lunch count bag, put it back in the lunch count basket IMMEDIATELY!! These things have a place. PUT THEM THERE!! CHECK! Moving on!
Tip number 2 is have a hiding spot. Sometimes, we get a handout in our mailbox or from another teacher that is only something that we need to hang on to until a particular day that the handout affects. For example – the picture day schedule. I toss that in my desk calendar, under the current month, and I keep it there ONLY until picture day and then BOOM, it’s gone and trashed and off my desk. I do that with a variety of things – including adjusted schedules that apply for certain days, fundraiser info, etc. Find a little hiding spot, so the papers don’t get lost!, and put those random papers there – ONLY UNTIL YOU NEED THEM! And then get rid of them!
Tip #3 is buy, label, and USE baskets, trays, and drawers!! In the video below you will see that I have trays for everything. Literally EVERY paper I get in my hands has a place. I have trays/drawers labeled:
copy
to file
laminate
meeting notes
grade
in bin (kid work)
Monday – Friday
extras
lunch count
and MORE!
You’ll see all of them in action in the video below!
See! I told you. EVERY PAPER CAN HAVE A PLACE!! . . . and not ONE of those places is on your desk!
Tip number 4 is MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DAILY DRAWERS!! I have used the Monday through Friday drawers for all ten years of my teaching career for my daily copies/read aloud/other teaching materials. You can use them for SO much more than that!
For example! I have a book study on Thursdays at my school – my book study book and syllabus is in my THURSDAY drawer. If we don’t get to an activity that I have copied for Tuesday, guess what, I toss it in the Wednesday drawer before I leave on Tuesday. I have parent teacher conferences next Wednesday night with a parent whose scissors were left behind at the Halloween party last week… yep, you guessed it. The scissors are in the Wednesday drawer!! MAKE THE MOST OF THOSE DRAWERS!! They will do you favor after favor if you utilize them correctly and consistently!
And tip #5 – OLD SCHOOL FILE FOLDERS ARE JUST FINE, TOO!! Maybe your papers don’t quite fit into the category of your drawers or baskets. Maybe you’ve got some GREAT handouts from a staff meeting on strategies to use with kiddos with autism, but you can’t use them this year because you don’t have any autistic kiddos in your classroom. Grab a file folder. Grab your flair pen. Label said file folder. ALPHABETIZE the file. Close the drawer. Again – NO PAPERS ON YOUR DESK!! LOVE!
Sound too good to be true?! Watch my Facebook Live video to see EXACTLY how these systems all work seamlessly for me!
Still have more questions about where certain things go?! I’d love to hear from you! COMMENT BELOW!! 🙂
Thanks so much for reading, friends!
Thank you for sharing your amazing organizational skills!!! I am sooo jealous of your storage areas !! I basically have an open room with 2 bookcases 🙂
Karen
Thank you! I saw the tail end of your scope! It's great to know I can refer back to it as often as needed on your blog!
Seriously Ashley, what a great post. So engaging to read with TONS of practical tips. Your voice and enthusiasm comes out in your writing. I always feel like you're talking directly to ME. I LOVED your idea of having a secret spot to hide the little bit paper clutter. SMART.
I'm VERY thankful to have the space to give everything its proper place! DO YOUR BEST WITH WHAT YOU HAVE!! Thanks for your sweet comment!! 🙂
Yay!! I'm so glad this is helpful, Brandon!!! I hope you're having a great week!
AHHH! THANK YOU SHEILA!! Getting a compliment on a blog post from the QUEEN of juicy blog posts makes me SQUEAL!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Every time I blog or scope, I channel my inner SHEILA!! xoxoxoxo You're a rockstar, girl!
Hi Ashley,
How do you file all your programs eg weekly maths programs, literacy/ guided reading programs? Are these in folders? What would you suggest for organising laminated games for daily 5 and guided math? Thanks.. love this post.
Amelia
Hi Ashley, love this post! Where did you purchase your desk calendar from!
Thanks, Amelia
Target, of course!