Organized From Day One
By W. Glenn Walker

Much of my after-school time is spent creating and planning ways to be more organized in the classroom. Beyond the normal lesson planning that is essential to classroom learning and control, there are other ways to remain one step ahead of even the most clever student. Let me share a few of these ways.

One device that aids me tremendously whether facing students on that first day, or filling in for another teacher on occasion, is a blank seating chart. As I call roll, I quickly write in the student’s first name and last initial. This only takes a few seconds and provides me with a student’s name from the first few minutes they enter my classroom. After roll call, my first rule to them is “you must stay in the seat you are in for now – that will be your assigned seat until I create a master seating chart in a few days.” I usually wait two-three days before placing students in permanently assigned seats. This allows me to ascertain who the talkers are and separate them in the final scheme.

Investing in a shelving unit that holds up to 36 different forms is a great way to keep all of your handouts at hand. My classroom rules, consequences, syllabus, etc. are kept in sight so I know when I need to make additional copies.
If misbehavior occurs (and it always does), I keep a behavior log in a notebook. This log allows me to enter the student name, date of infraction, block or period, time, type of misbehavior, and action taken. This log is most useful when conducting parent conferences, for I can pull out the notebook and give the parents a play-by-play of their child’s previous behavior problems. It also documents everything that I have tried previously, such as conferencing, changing seats, and calling home, so that when an office referral becomes necessary – decisive action can be taken by the administration.

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I also keep a separate parental contact log. This allows me to document any and all contact with parents or guardians, or attempted contacts (in the case of disconnected or wrong numbers). I also document any letters that I mail to the parents and keep a copy of the letter in the student’s file.

Speaking of student files, I maintain a separate file folder on each student, sorted by block or period and then by last name. Sample work is added to the folder regularly, and all exams are saved. During a parent conference, I can pull out the student’s folder and backtrack academic progress or lack thereof.

I also keep a notebook of warm-up or bellwork activities. I can check off each activity by writing in the date used. These activities or questions are maintained on a computer file so the list can be edited or amended each year as new ideas come to mind.

Finally, my classroom whiteboard is organized into sections. On the far left, I list upcoming exams and dates. Next to that I list homework from the day before. To the right of the homework, I write the warm-up activity for the day, as well as assigning the activity a number (101, 102, etc.) The number aids in checking notebooks later to see if warm-up activities were done. The center part of the board is for explaining the topic or board work by students. The far right side is used to list the current date and objectives for each class. A white board is great because it doubles as a screen for projecting overhead transparencies directly on the board. Students can write on the board to solve problems off of the transparency. It can also be used to project Power Point lessons.

May each day be a pleasant one, and each year get better, thanks in part to the organized nature of your classroom. Enjoy your new classes.

WGW