How To Organize The Chaos With A Teacher Binder
“Picture this: You’re be sitting in a staff meeting and people throwing paper at you. Now what? Where do you put it? No worries. Teacher Binder to the rescue. Punch those papers and put in the binder.” -Keep reading to get your teacher life organized with this special freebie.
Getting ready for a new year (especially if your new to the world of teaching is stressful). I’ve broken it down into a systematic approach. In the last post we talked about the 2 months before school starts and “The People” you need to touch base with. Click Here to Go To “The People” post and freebie.
This post is about another of the “P”s. “The Paperwork”
The Paperwork
Ugggg, paperwork. I hate paperwork. I’m a people person not a paper person. Paperwork is a big part of a teacher’s life and if it becomes disorganized it can can be a bugger. So how can you take this thorn and turn it into a flower? The Teacher Binder.
Your Teacher Life Just Got Better With- The Teacher Binder
A Teacher Binder? Yes, my friend a Teacher Binder. There is a reason they are so popular and there are are tons of teacher binders out there. I’ve even bought a couple printable “kits” for from TpT (Teachers Pay Teachers) but what I’ve noticed it all boils down to are a few key components that help you stay organized. (And remember Organization = Energy)
The Teacher Binder- Bigger is Better
First you need a big, big, binder. You know, the 3 inchers. They are pricey but here’s a pro tip. Go to your local thrift store. You’d be in awe of the number of binders they have in stock. Most of them are in really good shape. 2.00 vs 15.00 it’s worth a try.
The 3 Inch Binder is the BEST
I’ve tried one small binder, multiple smaller binders, electronic “binders” and I’m here to tell you my friend none of these worked for me. I like the big, big binder. It’s going to get pretty full. It’s big so you won’t lose it (Well, I lost mine once but not for long.) and everything is in one spot which is going to come in handy.
Invest In A Mini Three Hole Punch
Also, get one of these and put it right in your binder. Picture this: You’re be sitting in a meeting and people throwing paper at you. Now what? Where do you put it? No worries. Teacher Binder to the rescue. Punch it and put it in the binder. You will know where all those important papers are and you can always take it out if the need arises.
Teacher Binder To The Rescue!!!!
Here’s the deal. Your teacher binder is a daily planner on steroids. Let’s face it, you are responsible for a lot of stuff. It can get overwhelming and there is nothing more overwhelming than missing and/or disorganized paperwork. Your binder is going to reflect that you are ultra organized and you can keep track of all that stuff.
What's IN A Teacher Binder??
Here’s what I’ve found goes into a teacher binder.
- Student info
- student names
- birthday
- address
- phone
- School Calendar
- Personal Calendar
- Class Schedule
- Curriculum/Learner Goals
- Numbers
- grade percentages
- percentile cutoffs
- other numbers that place students into categories
- Yearbook from previous year
- Staff Names, email, phone
- School Codes: security codes, logins, computers, etc.
- Curriculum Map
- Lesson Plans
- Staff Meeting Notes
- Observations Made by Administrators
- Student observations
- Printables for lessons in upcoming week
- School Map
- To Do Lists
- Sub Notes
- Teacher forms:Leave, sub request, etc.
All of these section we will address in future posts but for now, just know, this is what NEEDS to go in this gigatous binder.
Construct The Teacher Binder (Freebie Alert)
You are now ready to make the binder. Yahoo! Here’s how your teacher life just got a little bit better.
I’ve made some simple and FREE binder divider/heading pages for you so you can get started. Getting a fancy binder found on TpT is totally your call but I do want you to get started and I do know what it’s like to have ZERO MONEY and having this binder is going to make your life better all year long. So here’s a free option for you. (Ya, you. You just saved money and put order to the chaos…. Man, you’ve got this!!) Click Here To Get Your Freebie.
Don't Forget The Page Protectors
If I were you I’d print the divider pages and put them in page protectors. Why a page protector? They can serve as a pocket to place “stuff” you want to keep but don’t want to put a hole in.
Now go get yourself a big binder, put the page dividers in and be ready to start filling this thing up and making your life easier to manage.
We will talk more about the teacher binder but for now just build it. (If you build it, they will come.) (Whaaatttt? WAIT… I mean… If you build it, you will fill it.)
What's Next?
The Next post is about “The Planning” 2 months before school starts. I have two words for you. Curriculum Mapping. It sounds yucky and it’s not especially fun but I am here to tell you it will mean the difference between a happy teacher and a crying in the bathroom teacher.
Until then, Go Be Your Amazing Self.
(paper pic in first image Photo by Christa Dodoo on Unsplash)
