Mission: Organization

As I sat here with my coffee and blueberry scone this morning it dawned on me: there are 14 days left before I have to be back at work. 16 days until students once again run amuck in my classroom.

Oh. Dear. God.

Part of me is panicking that the school year is right around the corner, and part of me is excited for the new year to begin. I'm like 98% excited, 2% scared. Or maybe it's 98% scared 2% excited (If anyone can name that quote, I will give you one of those blueberry scones ;) ). Although curriculum changes are a huge factor in my nerves being a little wrought, I also am trying to make big changes to keep myself organized this year.

I am not a organized person by nature. In fact, the natural state of my apartment resembles the aftermath pictures of some sort of natural disaster. It takes great strides for me to keep things neat, or just somewhat presentable. I was reading a book a few days ago (See Me After Class-great book for new[ish] teachers...I highly reccomend), and the author mention something to the effect that if you can't keep yourself organized at home, there is no way to expect to keep your classroom any more organized. Such a true statement, but something that never quite dawned on me last year. Not sure why, of course, because it should have been obvious. Lord knows when it looks as if I have started to try and build a fort out of stacks of paper on my desk little warning bells should go off, but alas, not so much. Annnywho, the point here is along with trying to revamp my curriculum, I've been trying to revamp my organizational system (read: lack there of).

One thing they don't teach you, and only show you the very tippy-top of the iceberg in student teaching, is Paper Work. Mounds and mounds of business-y type stuff that includes, but is not limited to: surveys, observational forms, lesson plans, referral forms, forms for extra pay, insurance policies to fill out and redo, education association voting sheets, not to mention the email after email after email to which I must respond. Of course not all of these things are due right away, so they just create huge stacks on my desk of things I need to due in the future. Just ask my mother, my motto (kind of just by happenstance, not choice) is also Scarlett O'Hara's mantra: "Let me worry about it tomorrow." It's a great motto at the time you think it, but then tomorrow comes and "It" as become about ten different things you need to do before 3:45.

So knowing that these are my habits, I am launching a full frontal attack on my procrastination ways this year. Office Max owes me a debt of gratitude for the patronage I paid them last weekend as I stacked up on all kinds of things to help me in this endeavor. One purchase was a giant desk calendar (you know the kind that you can tear sheets off of). I plan on color-coordinating my daily events, responsibilities, and deadlines in hopes that if I see them in big, bright colored letters I will remember that I have to do them. I've also have all kinds of hanging folders, file folders, in/out boxes, etc. that should hinder my procrastination and general lack of orderliness. My goal is to shoot for uber organization, just really go overboard in hopes that I'll come off somewhere in the middle. I'll report back if this is actually a successful strategy.