We all remember that feeling of walking into our first classroom - such joy that quickly turned to
overwhelm. Managing a classroom is A LOT. So when you find some systems that don't work for you, you need to throw them out the window and share the wealth of knowledge ASAP.
So here are 3 organizational mistakes I've made and learned from in my classroom and swear to never repeat!
NUMBER 1: NOTHING
Yes, you read that correctly. Going in with no plan on how to keep my students organized is definitely a non-repeater. Even adults struggle with organization, never mind middle schoolers! We need to support them while we learn how to be more organized ourself. This means creating systems for filling out agendas (and making sure kids actually do it), collecting work, passing work back, grading homework, filing grades, and so on and so forth.
NUMBER 2: GETTING FRUSTRATED
Listen, if middle schoolers can predictably be one thing, it would be frustrating, but what we can't do is get frustrated at them for not following what we don't enforce. Here's what I mean by that - If I expect my middles to keep an orderly agenda then don't look at it until January, I am not actually showing them that is what I expect. Instead, I need to reinforce the skills I want to see. I do this by creating space for students to meet my expectations, following up on said expectations, praising them when they meet them, or putting supports in place to help kids meet them.
NUMBER 3: CREATING UNMANAGEABLE SYSTEMS
Do you know those organization shows on TV with all the beautiful labels and containers? Yeah, that could NEVER be me. I think it's great, but I know myself enough to know that at the end of a long day, I'm going to put the spices above the oven, not in a little box labeled spices 10 feet away from me. The same rule applies to organization systems you use in school. Create a few quick and easy organization systems that you can commit to with your limitations in mind. When you keep these things in mind, you can create an organizational system that works for you.
What about you? What are some organizational mistakes that you will never make again?
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