While You Were Out

One area that I have struggled with in the past, and an area that I know will be essential this year, is what to do with those students who are absent from class.  Because our school is switching to trimesters, and we will see our students every day, I know that getting students make-up work is going to be a top priority. So, as always, I've been scouring Pinterest to find what will work out perfectly for me.

Here's what I came up with:

This station is the first bulletin board my students walk by when they enter my classroom - as you can see it is made up of a large calendar, an area that holds some half sheets of paper, a bin with folders, and a pen station. Let's look at each section.

In the calendar section, I will write the name and block that students missed on the day they were absent - so, if Sally is gone for three days, her name will appear on each day she was absent. My plan is to write these names down as students are working on their warm-up activity each day.

Next, I will fill out a half sheet of paper for the students and staple any papers I handed out that day to the half sheet. I titled the half sheet of paper "Yes, we did something while you were gone..." because as most high school teachers know, students often come in after an absence and say "Did we do anything when I was gone yesterday?" The half sheet will be filled out with the warm-up, any homework students turned in that day, the basic content covered and any assignments given that day (attached to the paperwork).

Those half sheets and papers will be placed in the appropriate folder for the student's block. 

When students return to class, they will be asked to:

1. Check the folder for their block
2. Get all assignments they missed
3. Cross their names off calendar

I know it is a struggle for students when they miss school, and with our new schedule it will be more of a priority to have this process streamlined. I really think this new make-up work station will help my students and me be more organized when it comes to getting right back to work when they return.

Daily Organization - Part One

As a teacher, organization is essential to running a successful classroom.  Without organization, you can forget to make copies, papers might get misplaced and it can lead to a stressed out class and teacher.  There are a few things I keep on my desk to help me stay more organized (thanks to Pinterest for the ideas).

First, is my plan, copy, prep and grade sheet:

This sheet is one that I fill out each day - Previously I have filled it out during my planning time (which has been at the end of the day) but with my new schedule, I will need to figure out the time that this will work best.  

In the plan area, I mark down what I need to be working on with my lesson plans.  Especially during my coaching season, it is super important that I stay ahead on planning (at least two weeks), so I use this area to look ahead and plan those things that are down the road.  Right now - I'm working on first units and start of the year information, but it gets more specific during the year.

My copy section is for (duh) what I need to copy (or have my student assistant copy). With our school going 1:1 last year, I made a lot fewer copies, but this is an area that I still want to keep active - just because if I forget to make copies...it's usually at a really inconvenient time, and the copier is usually 3 people deep. 

The prep section is for those activities that are coming up in the next couple of days - while the plan section is for more long term planning, prep is what needs to be prepared right now. I have several meetings coming up this week - so preparing for those went on my prep section for now.

The final section is grade.  While this section doesn't have anything in it (yet), I use it to keep myself on task. This section gets filled out each block - when students hand something in, it goes on the list.  When you have four different courses that you teach each day, it's easy to forget what students handed in that day when you get to 3:30 - and it's also a good way to stay on top of assignments students turn in online.

The other organizational list I have near my desk is my "End of the Day Routine." 

These are activities that I make sure to do each day so that I'm ready to go when I walk in the room the following morning. Although I get to school about 45 minutes before school starts each morning, it is nice to know that everything is ready to go right when I walk in, in case I have a meeting in the morning or I end up being gone. 

Before I leave I make sure that I have my objectives written on the board for the next day, I straighten up my desk, clean up the areas around the desktop computers in my room, write the info on my plan, copy, prep, grade list, pack up my papers, computer, and any extra stuff I brought that day (lunch bag, coat, etc.), turn off the lights in my room, studio, office, and then leave my desktop ready for the next day - including all copies needed for the classes the following day. 

I keep these lists right on my desk, so that I see it each day and remind myself to stay on top of everything.  Both have been laminated and have really helped me be more organized.  It's something small that has made a difference for me.