The Complete Teacher Binder

Ok, so I wasn't happy with just the Teacher Binder Cover page.  I needed to add some more "organization" to it all.  Last night, I worked on adding the Divider Pages and Binder Tab Labels.  You can find it at my TPT store.  Check it out HERE.

Teacher Binder Cover Page

Teacher Binder Tab Labels

Teacher Binder Divider Pages

Teacher Binder Spine Labels

But don't worry, if you only want the Cover Page and Spine Inserts, you can still download them for free HERE.

I organize my Teacher Binder in a very easy way.  There are a few sections, and I only store the MOST important information that I will need whether I am sitting at my desk, in the teachers lounge, or working from home.

1. District Information - I keep all district calendars and dates of assessments here.  Anything I get from a professional development, I store in another folder elsewhere.  I might also keep important phone numbers within the district that I may need.
2. Schedule - I keep my classroom schedule in this section.  My students are pulled throughout the day for services, so I make a master schedule of this and place it here (You can find a picture of what this looks like below).  My Guided Reading group schedule is here.  I keep a master copy of the condensed schedule for Early Dismissal and Delays here. 
3. Medical Information - In the beginning of the year, I make a list of all students who have special medical needs.  I list their names and what their medical needs are.  
4. Class Roster - Do I need to explain this?
5. Pacing Guides - A copy of the state standards are placed in another binder. Here is where I store the pacing guides provided by the district.  This is the key for my lesson plans.
6. Lesson Plans - I store up to three weeks worth of lesson plans in the my binder.  Then I move them to a larger binder.  I don't want this binder, which I tend to take home with me every night, to become bulky.  
7. Substitute Information - In the past, teachers were responsible for securing their own subs. I kept a list of all the subs I liked to use with their phone numbers and e-mail addresses.  This year, my district is moving to an automated system.  I don't know much about it yet, but I will keep all phone numbers here.
8. Other - Anything that I may need but doesn't fit into one of the categories above, here is a space for it.

My Master Schedule - Listed are the students who are pulled out for services.

That's it!  Like I said, my binder is only 1 inch.  I keep just the essentials here.  I think it's important to weed out anything that you won't need on a daily basis or in an emergency.  

Let the Organizing Begin!

Heading back to school in two weeks means I am getting my folders, binders, and classroom organized. It's one of my favorite parts about back to school. I might have mentioned this before, but in another life, I would have been a professional organizer!

I'm moving in a few weeks, and I have already started packing. Packing up my apartment doesn't just mean placing things in boxes with bubble wrap. Oh no! It means grouping items, wrapping them neatly in newspaper, packing them tightly in a box, and (my favorite part) labeling the box where it should be placed in the new home. All the labels are color coded and placed on two specific places on the box. One label is placed on the side of the box right in the middle. The second is placed on the front of the box in the upper left hand corner. I also try to label what is in the box the best that I can. My office gets a yellow tag, living room is pink, bedroom is orange, basement is purple, attic is brown, closet is green, and kitchen gets a blue label. Then all of those boxes are stacked neatly in my living room and grouped by the colored label. I'm not kidding. Take a look (ALERT: Poor picture quality, taken with my "old school" iPhone 3GS).

As I prepare for the start of school, one item I have to get organized is my Teacher Binder. My Teacher Binder is everything to me.  Without it, I would be completely lost.  In my Teacher Binder, you will find my weekly lesson plans, a class roster, state/core standards, schedules, substitute registry information, medical information, etc.  This year I will be teaching ESL which will require me to pull groups of students from various classrooms throughout the day, so I know it will be critical for me to be organized and know exactly where I need to be and when.  I do not want to be "that" teacher who shows up ten minutes late to pick up her students.

As I work on my Teacher Binder, I will post the downloads to my TPT store. Here is the cover page for my binder this year.  You can find it HERE at my TPT store for free! I will ask that if you download the Teaching Binder Cover Page that you rate my product and leave some feedback.  It would be greatly appreciated!

Teacher Binder with a Jungle Theme

I also finished my desk today.  I really don't have much of a theme this year in my classroom.  I am just working on the classroom being extremely bright and stylish!  I hope you notice those beautiful Mod-Podge drawers in the background, and the Duct Tape project on my desk.

My Teacher Desk

I would love to hear how your organize your lesson plans and such.  Link up and leave some ideas below or on my Facebook page.  

Good luck to you as you start your school year!

And remember.........