I often hear the question, “How do you have time for it all?” “How do you organize your classroom without sacrificing your free time?” I always leave after school as soon as my students are dismissed. This was not always the case. Over the years I’ve learned how to implement systems and stay on top of my to-do list so I don’t leave work feeling overwhelmed with things I need to do!
From the outside looking in, it seems like I am always caught up on everything I need to do. My classroom is always left orderly and clean, student supplies are easily accessible, and my teacher area is organized. Of course, everyone deals with their own struggles when it comes to the things needed to be done. Although I consider myself and classroom organization pro, I still get overwhelmed sometimes when my plate is more than full.
The mindset of overcoming that feeling is what is most important. With the correct systems in place, you will be able to organize your classroom without sacrificing your free time. Grab my free classroom organization checklist here.
Have a solid morning or afternoon routine
Setting up a solid morning or afternoon routine is the perfect foundation for a successful day. Lately, I prefer coming in early rather than staying later. Sometimes I will stay late and batch work when my son has an after-school appointment. Planning ahead is key when it comes to organizing your classroom without sacrificing your free time. Think of things that you need to have done to begin your day. Those things can be done in the afternoon before you leave or in the morning once you arrive.
Every morning I come in, put away my purse/lunch, turn on my board and computer, switch my learning objective, pull up the slides for today, open my manual to today’s lesson, take out any copies needed for today, turn on my classroom playlist, and begin working on my to-do list until my students begin to arrive. I almost do it in the exact same order every day as well. Check out my Instagram stories one morning on how I get it done!
Utilize your planner so you can stay on top of what you need to do
On a normal day, you can see me scribbling in my planner while my students eat lunch, during a planning meeting, or during a small group. I keep my to-do list in my digital teacher planner so I can access it on my iPad, phone, and MacBook. Any spare moment I have during the day is spent adding things to my list and crossing them off. It has definitely transformed my teaching. Whether your planner is paper or digital, using it for your to-do list is a perfect way to keep yourself accountable and on top of everything on your plate. Check out my digital planners here!
Set a timer, work on your list, and leave
The beginning of the school year is not my favorite. There, I said it! We just have not found that groove with our students just yet. We are still getting used to them as they get used to us. I have a lot of routines and procedures in my classroom and of course, it takes some time for my students to learn. After a few months, we are smooth sailing, and a lot less effort is required from me throughout the day to get through those tasks. I call this the “golden time.” Once we hit golden time, my students can usually pack up, pass out supplies, get started on their bell ringers, etc without my guidance.
I utilize those five or so minutes it takes for them to do these tasks to get anything on my list I can do. While my students are packing up and completing jobs, you can possibly find me at my laptop printing out the lesson objectives that I typed up on my planning period and then checking it off my list before I begin my next class.
Before this “golden time” is what I call “struggle time.” Struggle time does not mean chaotic, overwhelming, or miserable. It basically means, we are working on things and it is a struggle. Ha! During this time, there are a few things that I stay after school and work on every now and then. I try to avoid it because I go to work 30 minutes early every day. I’m not going to act like I NEVER stay after school. When I do, I set a 15-20 minute timer, work on my to-do list, and when that timer goes off, I leave.
Something I have learned in the last 10 years in education is that no matter how late you stay, how many nights and weekends you work on things at home, there is ALWAYS something more to do. Unfortunately, I did not learn this until after my son was born. My to-do list is always long and it is fine. My students are still learning at the same rigor as before and their teacher is not feeling overwhelmed.
Back to school time and end-of-year time can be their own type of struggle. So many things coming at once. Don’t be so hard on yourself during these times! Having systems in place can absolutely help you! If you feel like you need more guidance on having systems in place for you and your students be sure to sign up for the Plan Teach Propser Academy Waitlist. We work through all of the systems so you can organize your classroom without sacrificing your sanity.
