Organization is soo important! Even if you are a TYPE B teacher like me you can still be super organized at school. One of the first things I noticed as a mom when my kids were in elementary school was the organization of the teacher/classroom they had each year. It is your first impression and it’s very crucial to start off on the right foot. They may walk by your room when you aren’t there
( let’s say they are registering and it’s a few days before schools starts ). Obviously your first real impression is YOU – your smile and warm personality. But, your room/space matters too. Is it welcoming, easy to navigate and get around? There are so many things to think about when planning out your classroom. But beyond that planning out your first week.
For instance ~ have you thought about what you will do on the very first day when students are arriving with bags of donations? I set up copy boxes or bins with labels. Parents or the kids can place their donations in the corresponding bins so that it’s not just a #hotmess of Target bags on the back table. All of the pencils are in a bin, all of the glue sticks are in another bin,etc. When you have some quiet time later ( yeah right ) you can then move them from the bins into your very organized cabinet space which of course is pre labeled as well with supplies. Having these set up ahead of time is of little effort to you BUT it says a lot about you to the parents. It sends a message that you care and you’re planning ahead. If you are planning ahead for something like this you will certainly plan ahead for more important things that really matter to their child.
Easy Peasy ~ you are organized, kids have direction if they are ‘dumping’ their donations and parents know where to put things if they are bringing things in. The beautiful thing is if you are busy talking to parents on the first day and other parents have bags to donate they can easily see what to do with them without getting in a line to talk to you. #winning
Another important thing to have on that first day if you teach K-1 is a checklist on a clipboard on HOW kids get home the first day. That is a must have. Now that I’m in third I don’t have to worry about that anymore. How do you collect supplies?
