School and the City

Classroom organization can be overwhelming. I get it. A new school year is coming - Let's do our best to organize that classroom for efficiency. Organization is a tough topic because it's different for everyone. What works for me might not work for you, and that's totally okay. You'll have to experiment in order to create systems that work for you. Here's what works for me: Use all the bins! I'm a big fan of plastic drawers ! The drawers pictured above are used for storing my copies (and other materials) for the week. I put copies and such for next week in the bottom drawer as I work on plans throughout the week. I also use plastic drawers to store small group materials, papers that need to be graded or sorted, etc. They are cheap and effective! I like using 12 x 12 scrapbooking bins to store my units: books, games, task cards, posters, etc. These are the Iris brand. I got mine on sale at Michael's for $2.50 each, an...

Whether you are a brand new teacher or a veteran teacher moving to a new grade level or subject area, this post is to encourage you to grow your content knowledge now. This may seem like a no-brainer to you, but it certainly wasn't for me. When I was hired for my first year of teaching, I was hired to teach 2nd grade. Before being hired, I had spent less than 2 weeks in a 2nd grade classroom. In the middle of the year. In a different state. I began my first year of teaching having noooo idea what I would be teaching my students. I cringe just thinking back on this. I'm not suggesting you spend your summer studying or doing any heavy lifting when it comes to content knowledge. But if you know what grade level or subject area you will be teaching, spend just a little bit of time getting familiar with your content. Find state resources to learn your content. Google your state standards. Read them. See if your state - or even your district - has...