I think that everyone, no matter who you are, teacher or not, has a LOT of paper in their lives. Today I am offering some ideas for reducing and tracking your paper. Please keep in mind that when I say toss, I mean shred and/or recycle, whichever is appropriate for the paper we're talking about.
REDUCE
First of all, a good idea is to reduce the amount of paper coming into your life. As a teacher this can be DIFFICULT. When you can, opt for the electronic version of newsletters, memos, correspondence, and possibly, student submissions.
In some cases it is easier/convenient to accept a word processor document either on a disk (Who uses those anymore? Oh wait, me.), CD, email attachment, in a certain intranet file, or just to have the student call it up on the screen. I have been in a classroom where students are not allowed to print anything until it is checked on screen, and the teacher has a large supply of printer paper that has something on one side. Maybe you want to consider having a box in the photocopy room for letter sized paper with one blank side to be reused?
PURGE
Now, taking some of these steps will reduce the paper coming INTO your life, but what about all of the paper that's already there? Purge! Take a quick look around you and toss all of the paper that is out of date, that you're done with, and that you never needed in the first place. If you have paper that you need to give to someone else (students, principal, colleagues), give it to them THIS WEEK, no excuses. I've met several teacher that try to hand work back to their students within two days. With younger students, they won't even remember what they did after longer than that.
If you receive a piece of paper that is about an event and the paper is available online, write the pertinent information on your calendar including where to find the information either online or on your computer and toss the paper! When you receive information by email, don't print it off! You don't need an 8.5 x 11" piece of paper to tell you that Billy won't be in on Thursday. Just write yourself a note in your planner.
Make your class motto for March: Think before you print. Both for you and your students.
Please comment or send your questions to me at organizingteacher@hotmail.com
Have great day!
Valerie :)
<><
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Free Organizing Tools!
Nowadays it is commonplace for a teacher to spend a lot of their own money on items for their classroom. Today, let's brainstorm some ideas of how to get many things that you need for FREE!!
First of all, most schools get a TON of paper for the new year. Why not go into the photocopy room, and take a couple (or 20) of the paper boxes for your own use? Just put the paper either where it goes or where the box was and take the box. These boxes can come in very handy and are quite sturdy.
The same goes for other standard size boxes that come with your school supply orders. You could even save your book order boxes, since they only come in about three different sizes.
OK, you get the idea about different boxes. What else can we find for free?
Well, you've probably already realized how many free worksheets, ideas, lesson plans, and other free resources are available online, so that's a given.
Try finding out what your students' parents do for a living and see if there would be some kind of organizing tool they might be able to send in that they don't need.
Have your students bring in old coffee cups that their families really don't need (those things do multiply like rabbits). Coffee cups can be used to store pens, pencils, paintbrushes, glue sticks, scrap paper, scissors.... They can also be used during craft time to hold water for cleaning paintbrushes or even the paint itself. Be creative!
ALWAYS check the recycle bin by the photocopier and in the staff room for helpful resources. Lots of teachers will recycle something just because it wasn't centred or they were blowing it up on the photocopier. Crop and save!
Many libraries have a discard section of books they are getting rid of. Sometimes you can pick up these books for free or for less than a dollar. I run a library in my church and I have about 10 boxes of books that I want to give away to the Christian school. Most of those books are duplicates, and there is nothing wrong with them.
Calenders. I know they aren't always free, but after you use them, they're either sitting around or recycled. Why not keep them and use the pictures as a resource. Animal pictures for biology, train pictures for transportation units...
Other teachers. I know you can't 'take' another teacher, but talk with them and see what works in their classroom. A lot of their ideas can be adapted for your situation. Also, they might have extra supplies to give to you.
Do you have more ideas to share? Please post them in the comments or email me at OrganizingTeacher at hotmail dot com.
First of all, most schools get a TON of paper for the new year. Why not go into the photocopy room, and take a couple (or 20) of the paper boxes for your own use? Just put the paper either where it goes or where the box was and take the box. These boxes can come in very handy and are quite sturdy.
The same goes for other standard size boxes that come with your school supply orders. You could even save your book order boxes, since they only come in about three different sizes.
OK, you get the idea about different boxes. What else can we find for free?
Well, you've probably already realized how many free worksheets, ideas, lesson plans, and other free resources are available online, so that's a given.
Try finding out what your students' parents do for a living and see if there would be some kind of organizing tool they might be able to send in that they don't need.
Have your students bring in old coffee cups that their families really don't need (those things do multiply like rabbits). Coffee cups can be used to store pens, pencils, paintbrushes, glue sticks, scrap paper, scissors.... They can also be used during craft time to hold water for cleaning paintbrushes or even the paint itself. Be creative!
ALWAYS check the recycle bin by the photocopier and in the staff room for helpful resources. Lots of teachers will recycle something just because it wasn't centred or they were blowing it up on the photocopier. Crop and save!
Many libraries have a discard section of books they are getting rid of. Sometimes you can pick up these books for free or for less than a dollar. I run a library in my church and I have about 10 boxes of books that I want to give away to the Christian school. Most of those books are duplicates, and there is nothing wrong with them.
Calenders. I know they aren't always free, but after you use them, they're either sitting around or recycled. Why not keep them and use the pictures as a resource. Animal pictures for biology, train pictures for transportation units...
Other teachers. I know you can't 'take' another teacher, but talk with them and see what works in their classroom. A lot of their ideas can be adapted for your situation. Also, they might have extra supplies to give to you.
Do you have more ideas to share? Please post them in the comments or email me at OrganizingTeacher at hotmail dot com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
