How I Organize My Life in My Classroom

It’s that time of year again. Some people love it. Some people hate it.

I happen to love it.

…Back to school!

The reason I love it is because I am a teacher. And I love my job.

I love shopping for school supplies and classroom decor as much as I love teaching. I love a good deal and I love a good idea. I wanted to share what works for me in hopes that I can help someone else get organized.

My main “go-to” school supply store is Target. They truly have the best bins, crates, containers and desk decor around. Here are some of my favs:

 

 Y-Weave Medium Baskets

I like this size basket for my cabinets so I can keep them as organized and clutter free as possible. I put extra supplies in there such as bottles of glue, paper, boxes of markers and/crayons, etc. You can even create labels for them for easy access to your items.

 

Y-Weave XL Basket

This size basket is perfect for student notebooks!

**My team of teachers have students keep what we call “Interactive Notebooks”. In these notebooks, the students are responsible for taking notes, cutting and pasting notes, drawing, coloring, etc. and these notebooks never leave the classroom.**

Instead of the students shoving them in my cabinets or throwing them on a shelf, I have them store their notebooks in their assigned class bin. This not only creates responsibility for the students to store their notebook in the designated area but also keeps my classroom neat and organized. I like items that are practical, yet also aesthetically pleasing.

 

Y-Weave Mini Basket

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought so many of these miniature baskets for my cabinets, my desk, etc. because they are the perfect size for storing pencils, library passes, stickers, paper clips… you name it! I am obsessed with these baskets and I cannot wait to create labels for them. I might have to buy more just to serve as back ups. LOL.

 

Y-Weave 1/2 Medium Basket

This size basket is also a favorite of mine! I have a few of these in my cabinets and on my shelves. I keep our Read Aloud Novels in these as well as rulers, writing utensils, glue sticks, and even my personal items such as lotions, hand sanitizer, etc. in here. This light pink is legit the prettiest color ever and I am in love with the way it blends with my gold desk items! (we will get to those in a bit!)

 

 

Basic Storage Crate

OMG these crates are life!  Okay, so, the district that I teach in has a Leveled Reading Program and with each new set of students I get, I also receive their Reading Folders with their old Reading Level as well as notes and such from the teacher. These crates are the perfect place to store those folders in! I also have hanging file folders and I am going to attempt to hang them in these crates this year. But again, these crates add just enough decor with keeping my shelves organized and clean. Costing $4 a piece doesn’t hurt either.

 

Another thing I think is really important for an organized classroom is for the students to have a place to turn in their homework. This also helps me create the habit of checking the bins on a daily basis for any work. I can quickly grab the papers before I leave for the day, or the weekend, and bring them with me. It creates an organized area for assignments and keeps the stack of papers off of my desk where any one of them can go missing at any given time. I went to the Lakeshore Learning Store (Cherry Hill, NJ) for these bins:

Paper Tray

They are the perfect size to collect homework, and they are easily labeled as well. They are a good quality, too. I use them for each of my classes as well as my homeroom and a late bin for anyone who is turning in their work past the due date. 🙂

 

 

Something else that I like to do is create a space that the students can go to so that they can check to see what they might have missed when they were absent. I use a hanging folder that I found on Amazon for this. It is colorful, hangs by a single command strip, and is also easily labeled. The folders can come out and be moved around to be in any color order you wish.

Cascading Wall Organizer 

 

A colleague and friend of mine told me that my classroom should make me happy so, I decided to purchase something for myself for this school year. I have wanted this cart for a while and I am so thrilled that I finally got one.

 10-Drawer Organizer Cart.

A lot of different stores and retailers carry this particular item, yet I went to Amazon because the price just worked for me. I do not have anything like this, so I was a bit hesitant to spend $65-$75 on this, when I wasn’t even too sure how it would work into my classroom. Amazon carries this in the $30-$36 price range so I figured that was a bit more practical for something I wasn’t even sure I would like.  While the assembly of it wasn’t difficult, I did have my husband put it together for me. It took him about 10 minutes and I didn’t hear any cursing or yelling so it must have been relatively easy. The quality pairs with the price. It is not the sturdiest thing I have ever seen but it serves its purpose.

I like to make a lot of my copies and print outs ahead of time so I thought this was the perfect resource to store those in. I must admit that the colors are a bit out of my comfort zone, but the all white one was too boring and I could see it getting dirty really fast.

 

Okay, now, onto my desk! This is my favorite part. I tried to keep the theme of my desk pink and gold. The Magazine File, the  Wire Pencil Cup, the Letter Tray, are all from Target.

They are all really great quality and look super sharp on my desk. I am obsessed. I want to get a second letter tray to put opposite the one I have now.

I am unable to find my exact stapler as well as my tape dispenser but they are both pink and gold in color and from Staples. I don’t think they have either one in stock right now because I cannot find the link. But, they are super cute and blend well with the other gold accessories.

 

My desk calendar was a bit of an investment, yet it was an 18-month calendar so I did not feel too guilty in purchasing it. It was $30 and I bought it from ErinCondren.com. I highly recommend this calendar because it is such good quality. It is literally my life.

Okay, so not only do you get this gorgeous calendar with a different metallic color for each month… but it comes with stickers. Not just a few stickers, either. A LOT of them!

Guys, I have had this calendar for an entire school year, and I am not even a quarter of the way into these stickers. They are amazing. They are so stinking cute and are super easy to write on, too. There are stickers for every occasion possible as well as plain solid colors so you will never be without what you need!

If you are going to splurge on anything, I say to treat yourself and splurge on this calendar. It is not as big as a normal desk calendar is but I like that because it doesn’t cover my entire desk and doesn’t get in the way of my other things.

Well, I think that about covers my organization in the classroom. I hope you found the post helpful…. I know it was super long but I couldn’t help but share all of my favorite things that bring me such joy and help me out on a day to day basis.

xoxo

 

 

 

 

I am not a paid sponsor or affiliated with any of the companies or stores I mentioned in this post. I am simply a fan.