Surviving the classroom: Organization is the key

Note: For now, you are a guest in your cooperating teacher’s classroom. Ask your co-op how he or she wants you to organize your activities while you are learning the ropes. The following article, though, will give you some good advice on how to organize your own classroom when you land your first job as a teacher.

Before the first day:

• Find out what the rules are. Know what’s covered by established policy and what’s up to you. Take time to write down your own rules so you can be consistent. Topics usually covered by policy are discipline, attendance, dress, movement during and between classes, health services, fire drills, lunch, dismissal, etc.
  
• Find your way around. Knowing how much time to allow for traveling is easier if you are familiar with the building(s). Locate the exits, the principal’s office, the cafeteria, the supply room, copy room, the faculty lounge, media center and so forth. Ask about traffic patterns.
  
• Introduce yourself. The teachers in your hall are eager to meet you. They can be of real help in the first few weeks of school. Take time to say hello to other people in your building: the librarian, the counselor, the school nurse, the cafeteria workers and custodians—and don’t forget the office secretary. Ask your mentor teacher to help you with the introductions.
  
• Plan, plan, plan. At first you’ll want to create lesson plans for at least twice as much material as you think you can cover in a day. Write down everything. Detailed plans will provide a feeling of security when you face your class for the first time. Mentally rehearse your lesson to become familiar with the content and to become comfortable with the teaching techniques you’ve chosen.
  
• Coordinate assignments. By checking to see what your students are expected to do in other classes, you won’t unwittingly overwhelm them with homework. Try to space the big assignments and tests so that students have time to give each subject adequate concentration.
  
• Create a paperwork system. Separate the paper, including the mail, into piles (deadline, file, correct, distribute). Complete paperwork for the office as soon as you receive it. This not only gives you an excellent reputation with office personnel, but it prevents losing forms or having to make a hurried judgment on the eve of deadline.
  
• Give your classroom some class. Create an environment that is friendly and comfortable for opening day. Display materials in a manner that communicates your style and expectations. If you’re concerned about bulletin board graffiti, try covering the board in fabric rather than paper. Students almost never write on burlap. It holds pins and staples well, too.
  
• Arrange the furniture (or, if it’s nailed down, identify your home base).
  
• Make sure all your students can easily see you when you are presenting information. They also need a clear view of all chalkboards, screens and instructional displays.
  
• Keep in mind potential distractions such as windows and doors; animals or other interesting displays; and small group work areas.
  
• Leave plenty of room around student desks so that you can get to each student when monitoring.
  
• Locate your desk, work areas and instruction areas where you can see all of the students all of the time. Avoid placing centers and work areas in “blind corners.”
  
• Plan to seat students who need extra help or attention close to where you will be most of the time.
  
• If you must use tables or desks with inadequate storage space, you may want to have tote trays or boxes for student belongings and materials.
  
• Even if other arrangements are to be used later in the year, consider placing student desks in rows facing the major instructional areas at the beginning of the year. This minimizes distractions for the students and allows the teacher to monitor behavior.
  
  On the first day and after:
  
• Get there early. Double-check your plans and materials, read all the announcements in your mailbox and relax.
  
• Greet your students. It’s much easier to gain control if you are in your room when the students arrive. Write your name on the chalkboard. Greet the students with a smile and a pleasant, “Good morning.” Encourage them to sit down and remain seated.
  
• Get down to business. Your opening exercises should be brief. Your goal for the morning is to get to the business at hand.
  
• Go over the expectations. Introduce your students to your classroom conditions and expectations the first day. Let the students have a role in setting expectations so that they will more willingly follow them. Post your expectations in the room.
  
• Establish routines. Establish a system for collecting books and materials, sharpening pencils, and entering and leaving the room. Each classroom activity must be thought through and analyzed. Is there a faster or smoother way to handle the procedure? Routines give the class a rhythm, which makes it move along easily and naturally. They give security to students and teacher and help them stay in tune with each other. Include simple things such as in which corner you want students’ names on homework and tests (depends on whether you are right- or left-handed).
  
• Build a positive attitude. You have the opportunity from the first day forward to help your students determine whether school will be drudgery or a serious undertaking that can have its fulfilling moments. If you give the impression that being in class is a chore for you, your students will pick up on that attitude. Think positively, eat well, sleep well and exercise regularly.
  
• Keep a clipboard handy. No matter how messy your desk or briefcase becomes, a clipboard’s easy to find. This is where you put your LIST. Leave nothing to memory, write everything down. Indent your list at least one inch and label each item in the margin with an A, B or C. A for before students arrive, B for lunch or prep periods, and C for the end of the day.
  
• Start your resource file. Organize all the material you use for each unit in a filing system that works the way you think. Include your lesson plans, AV aids, library resources, pictures, bulletin boards, handouts and notes.
  
• Code your report cards. Number report cards consecutively in one corner so you never have to alphabetize them again. It also makes it easier to see which haven’t been returned.
  
• Code your grade book. Use color to separate vital statistics, attendance and grades. Leave a column next to the names for special codes to remind you about allergies, parental requests and special needs.