Desk File System

This was a lifesaver for me this year.  I started out with two letter trays stacked on top of each other, but half way through the year it was no longer working for me.  Even though I had the divider of using two trays, my papers ended up being one large pile, and I had to dig through all my papers to find one paper.  Then I saw this post on one of my favorite blogs, The Nest Effect.  It's a simple method that I was easily able to implement.  I bought the file box and hanging folders.  I set up the following labels:  To Grade, To Copy, To File, To Do, Important, Forms, Extras, Leave Assignments, Today, and Other.  I filed my papers according to the labels, and I remained organized for the rest of the year.  I loved adding in the "Today" tab.  It gave me a place to keep the worksheets I had to hand out that day.  (More about how I organize the worksheets for each class in my next post.)  The one thing that I absolutely loved by using this method of organization is that it keeps my papers upright, instead of laying flat in the letter trays, giving me more desk space.  (If there's one thing that I love in this life, it's having as much desk space as humanly possible!)  For next year, I plan to tweak my tabs and their placement a little bit.  Overall, though, it's one of my favorite organization systems.  I might even implement it in my home.