Remember the time that messy pile of field trip forms, progress reports, and student homework assignments spread across the desk evoked feelings of calmness and tranquility? Me neither.
Disorganization is no fun. It toys with your sense of control and can affect your ability to be fully productive and efficient. Fortunately, TpT Teacher-Authors offer a variety of organizational tools for teachers, to help you keep it all (and we know there’s A LOT!) together.
Use these organizational tools to cure your chaos and tame your tension, too:
Grade Books and Tools
“I believe a good grade book is extremely valuable in keeping a teacher organized. Tracking student progress throughout the year in an orderly fashion makes report cards and progress reports so much easier. I have editable Common Core Grade Books for kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 that save time and energy by keeping all of your student data in one neat and organized location. Here’s Kindergarten Common Core Grade Book ***Now EDITABLE***.” – Lindsay Keegan
“Teacher Time Saver: Fill & Save Assignment Tracker and Grade Sheet (free!) is one of my lifelines at the beginning of the year because it truly helps me stay organized!” – The Third Wheel
“We’d drown in a wave of 6th grade math papers if we didn’t use our editable Weekly Math Grading Log (Weekly Math Menu) resource.” – J and J Math and More
Binders and Planners
“My Teacher Planner {Color: Linens} is easy to use and can be edited to fit your needs and classes year after year!” – Misty Miller
“Disorganized by nature, I’m always creating ways to help me stay on top of things in the classroom! Here’s one of my favorites from my store:
Conferring Notebook: Chevron Dot Theme.” – Rainbow City Learning
“Our Teacher Binder and Back to School Survival Kit {EDITABLE}! resource was created to get teachers through the first few weeks of school and keep them organized all year long! We’ve included a handy array of forms, calendar and schedule pages, substitute information printables, parent letters, and much more. The best part is that the binder can be personalized to best suit the needs of each teacher who purchases it! It has truly been a lifesaver for us this year.” – Curriculum Castle
“My goal this year was to start organized and stay organized — and my Turquoise & Gray Teacher Binder/Calendar 2014-2015 {Editable} has certainly helped make that happen!” – Cahill’s Creations
“My (newly updated for 2014-2015!) planner and binder organizer is designed to help the school SLP be organized and stylish at the same time! It’s also ideal for special education teachers and social workers. Take a look: Speech Language Pathologist Planner & Binder Organizer – Warm Tones.” – Natalie Snyders
“I just finished up some editable binder covers with matching spine labels! Here they are: Editable Binder Covers in Pastel 2.” – Sheila Cantonwine
“I have a binder just for TpT Sellers that helps to organize all of the parts of their store and small business. Here it is: 2014 – 15 TPT Seller Binder – Organization, Tracking, Planning and More! — it’s completely editable!” – Secondary Math Shop
Sub Plans
“These lessons are designed to keep students engaged, motivated, and on target with Common Core even while the teacher is out sick or on professional development. I have a this set (Fourth Grade Interactive Emergency Substitute Plans (ALL subjects) CCSS Aligned!), a set for just ELA, and a set for math, science and social studies combined!” – Chalk Box Tales
For Parent/Teacher Conferences
“With parent conferences just around the corner for many of us, I’ve created Parent Conference Forms Packet – Worry-Free Parent Teacher Conferences! to help teachers feel organized, confident, and prepared. What better way to approach parent/teacher conferences?” – Shelly Rees
“My Parent-Teacher Conference Forms ~ Editable resource is designed to ensure the most worry-free and organized conferences ever!” – Primary Teach”spiration”
Other Terrific Resources for Organization
“Keeping your computer links, games, and activities organized and accessible is tricky, but my free computer recipe cards help organize everything in one place. Here they are: Free Sample of Computer Recipe Cards for Online Math Game Success.” – Evil Math Wizard
“My FREE Editable Lesson Plan Template is cute and colorful and can be used at anytime throughout the year!” – Elementary Lesson Plans
“Many states have now adopted the Charlotte Danielson evaluation model. Teachers are required to document proof in specific domain categories. My district was an early adopter of this model many years ago so I offer a binder to help teachers stay organized while preparing for their evaluations. It’s available in three different designs but here’s the original: Evidence of Performance Binder.” – SunnyDaze
“Data is absolutely essential in the Special Education classroom to track the progress towards students’ IEP Goals. My unique, user-friendly data collection packet includes portable data cards for classroom assistants to participate in the data collection process. Student self-monitoring progress sheets are included, too! Here it is: Special Education IEP Goal Data Sheets for Teachers & Students.” – Autism Educators
“I offer a guide for secondary teachers because keeping track of 100+ students can be mind boggling, for sure! It’s full of tips and tricks that I’ve accumulated over the years to save my time (and sanity), so that I could spend more hours with my family and focus on my teaching while I was at work. Take a look: Classroom Organization for Secondary Teachers: A Guide to More Focused Students.” – Biology Roots
“I created my Teacher Blog Planner with Teacher-Authors in mind, but I think it would also work well for classroom blogs! It includes monthly calendars with social media reminders, as well as weekly planning forms for brainstorming posts and listing goals.” – Edventures at Home
***
Wow! What a wonderful set of resources to help you feel more zen-like and in control — while saving precious time and energy, too! When you feel your best, you can teach at your best. And when you teach at your best, your students win, big time.
(Feature image: Thanks to Silly Pillies for the teacher image and Kidsrcute for the font)
