Ready, Set, Organize!
By Peter Barnes

Many teachers are naturally well-organized, with immaculate desks and steel-trap minds. As a certified member of the Organizationally Challenged Society, however, I must work constantly to keep my classroom together. For those of you who can empathize, here are some strategies I use to stay sane.

Keep a notebook nearby at all times
I used to scribble on various scraps of paper that I left everywhere or accidentally threw out. A day planner was no better, since I often left it in other classrooms or at home. The solution: a pocket-sized notebook and a pocket-sized calendar. They go with me everywhere and contain all of the valuable bits of information my brain refuses to store.

Purge old stuff
Yes, I know you're killing trees, but don't try to save all those extra copies of last year's math test. Recycle them instead. You'll probably change the test next year anyway. The same thing goes for that binder of language arts lessons, circa 1983. Pull out what might be useful and throw the rest away. Trust me, you won't miss it.

Get a USB flash drive
These amazing gadgets cost about $40 and are the size of a stick of chewing gum. Put one on your key chain and you can carry 128 MB of files back and forth from school to home. No more sorting through floppy disks looking for old files. You can probably fit every file on one flash drive and find them quickly if you've set up a flash drive filing system from the beginning.

Clear your desk before you leave each day
Resist the temptation to leave a mess for Monday morning. File away all those memos and PTA reminders. You don't have to finish all of your mundane tasks before going home, but it sure helps to get them off your desk and into a "To Do" file folder.

Put responsibility on your students
Those of us who teach students ages 10 and above should expect our students to remember things for themselves. Need to leave for a dentist appointment at 2:30? Make sure you let me know before you go. Want help with fractions? Come find me at recess. Putting responsibility on students helps them develop independence and takes some of the mental burden off of us.

For some of us, staying organized is a constant battle. I will never stop losing important papers and missing morning meetings, but at least you can't say that it's for lack of trying.

Peter Barnes teaches fifth grade in New Albany, OH.