Project: organization.

I've decided to make a New Year resolution! No, I haven't gone off the deep end. I know it's August, not January. I'm thinking in teacher terms... a New School Year resolution! I figure, people make New Year resolutions because they want to improve something about they way they live. So I'm going to make some New School Year resolutions to improve the way I teach.

'Tis the season... stores are a-buzz about Back-to-School sales, and teacher websites are filled with Back-to-School tips, tricks and ideas. When it gets to this point in the summer, I start getting antsy about going back to work. I start to miss the kids and the classroom and the routine. To help pass the time, I go through pictures from previous years to see how I set up my room and what kind of projects I did on the first day of school. Then I hit some teacher websites for new ideas. I pull up my file of old ideas and add the new ones to the list. And finally, I go through the revised list and color-code it according to my needs (by subject, by season, etc). Yes, I AM a dork. I freely admit it.

Now, onto the resolutions.

• Stay organized!
• Keep desk clean. It should NOT be piled with papers, projects and miscellaneous odds and ends that don't have a home. I want to be one of those teachers that has a plant and framed family photos on her desk.
• Keep a binder... possibly two. One for parent-teacher communications, one for schedules, lists, calendars, etc. Keeping everything in binders means less loose papers on my desk.
• Declutter!!! I don't need to save everything! Sort things into piles: throw away, give away, put away.
• Plan ahead. (This will be the hardest...) Lessons, assessments, projects. It will make my life easier in the long run.
• Don't volunteer for as many things as I have in years past. I don't get paid overtime for these things, and it takes away from my "me-time."
• Don't feel bad about not volunteering for everything. When you add up all the things I've done in the past 7 years, I think I'm entitled to some time off.

There are a few others, but they're more specific and are probably boring to those of you who don't teach. Anyway, it's just a jumping off point for me. I think I can do it.