Tips to maintain the freshness of the first day of school on the 100th day of school. Organization skills are invaluable for students in and outside the classroom.
Classroom organization is crucial to reducing stress in the classroom. Clearing clutter from desks, walls and the floor will make your class feel fresh and energized. Kids will not feel so weighted down with excess papers in their knapsacks and desks.
Teacher's Desk
Clutter free, only have items on the desk that are used daily. Keep a good amount of supplies in the drawers or in baskets behind the desk on a shelf. Everything should be neatly arranged. Place a plant on the desk to represent growth of your school kids.
Child's Desk
Once a week have the children, organize the items inside their desks. Encourage them to clear out their backpacks as well.
Books
Books are a part of learning and every subject has at least one. Have a place for the books to discourage pile ups. Have an area labeled for library books, art books; if there are designated spots, the child is more likely to place in the correct spot.
Jackets and Boots
All of those jackets and boots during the colder months are hurriedly placed against a wall. Label the hooks and teach the kids how the items should be placed. Have a jacket and boot monitor and rotate daily or weekly. If someone is constantly being messy let him assist the monitor until he/she learns how to keep their stuff organized. Make it fun and add incentives for the students.
Lunches
Lunch is eaten at school by many of the students. There is a pile up of litter, half eaten sandwiches and spilled milk. Have programs in place to limit the mess. Leave a recycle box in the room for juice and milk boxes. A garbage container with a lid is good for half eaten sandwiches. Place some paper towel and a spray bottle with soap in a convenient location to clean the desks and any spilled milk. Designate a table or basket for lunches.
Wall Designs
Classroom walls are covered with artwork and learning materials. Remove and update on a regular basis. Be creative with the murals and rotate eye view artwork. Jimmy should not always be at the bottom of the wall because his last name starts with Z.
Students Tests ,Projects & Assignments
Invest in a filing cabinet that you can bring from class to class. The cabinet is great for all of your students’ assignments. Label the folders with their names in alphabetical order. The rolling cabinet gives the teacher easy access to show the students’ work to parents, principal and other teachers.
Organizing Marks
Have a binder for all tests, projects and assignments that are given a mark. Place folders in the binder to hold the tests. At the front of the binder place the class list to record marks.
Blackboards
Blackboards are a useful training medium. Clean them nightly and alternate the permanent material on a regular basis. The multiplication table will be read the first couple of times, but soon the numbers will become a part of the blackboard. Kids need variety and something that catches their attention. Have fun with the colored chalk.
School Paper
There will be an excess of school paper throughout the year. Teach the kids how to reuse and recycle paper. Have kids use the back of old homework for math problems or use for arts and crafts. Let you and the kids be creative and be amazed at your creations.
