\
Whether you’re a full-time teacher or you homeschool your kids, you need to know how to organize classroom supplies. Teachers have an abundance of paper, markers, crayons, books and stickers–especially elementary teachers. A classroom that is neat and orderly is a classroom where the kids and the teacher function best. But organizing an entire classroom can be overwhelming! Stick around for today’s ideas on how to organize classroom supplies.
The easiest place to start when you organize classroom supplies is with your own desk. A teacher’s desk is the place where she goes to regroup, talk to kids one-on-one, or conference with another teacher. A desk that is cluttered and messy doesn’t help a teacher’s state of mind! Keep items stored on your desk to a minimum, so you can model how you want your students to keep their own desks. Keep a space cleared for grading papers, and another area for meeting with students. And if you need a spot for a chocolate stash, then so be it!
Baskets and bins are very useful when you organize classroom supplies. Small bins for pencils, crayons and markers are useful inside your desk drawers and on bookshelves. Larger bins for papers, art supplies and books help keep all your bookshelves organized. Remember that what you can easily see is also easier to access in a pinch!
One of the most important organization tasks for a classroom is to organize a substitute folder. This folder is going to save your life and the life of your substitute teachers, especially if you are caught in an emergency type of situation and have little time to prepare. Prepare this information before the school year starts, and your classroom won’t suffer if you have to be gone when you weren’t planning on it.
A great help to organize classroom supplies is to keep a cubby for each child in the class. This is a spot where each child can return their homework, books, and other papers. It’s also an easy way for you to distribute papers, homework folders and books to the children without chasing them down or walking from desk to desk. Remember that time-savers are also important organization helps!
Do you have any other tips to organize classroom supplies? Please share with us in the comments!
Leave a Reply