Be organized. This is hardest for the creative teachers in the building.  

This is not a real challenge for most people who grow up to become teachers. Their brains are organized and they appreciate calendars, planners and to-do lists. They love a roster and a book with lots of boxes to check off. They thrive in an environment that appreciates things color coded and alphabetized and separated by genre. If that does not describe you, then you are probably valued for your creativity. You will probably be the gypsy teacher; one everyone goes to when they need a zip tie, file folder labels, clothes pins,  glitter, popsicle sticks, yarn, felt, hot glue sticks. These things are probably not organized by color but stuffed in boxes and piled in a cabinet behind closed doors, but you can find it within a couple of minutes. Those teachers with an alphabetized classroom library and tackle box with every type of paper fastener in an individual drawer labeled with cute labels need you for your ideas and your stuff. Maybe they can help you with forms and documents that help you become equally as organized. Like many professions, teaching has become more and more dependent on computers but those machines cannot replace the human element so much of our data collection and record keeping begins on paper and then is electronically entered. Be organized with data, grades and certainly attendance. Attendance is critical because it is tied to money allotted to each school. For many teachers, by the time the students come in the classroom and get settled, she forgets to send in the attendance. Then the secretary calls your room to remind you for the umpteenth time to turn. In. Your. Stinking. Attendance! The secretary is probably keeping a database of every time she has to call your room for your attendance so just make yourself a morning checklist and tell the student in your classroom who most wants your job to remind you every morning to do it!

Another reason to be organized is that you are modeling that characteristic for your students. You will have a child whose desk is perpetually overflowing with papers and books, but never the one that he needs at the  moment. How he keeps his desk and his backpack reflect how his room likely looks at home. In those cases, it is important that you give a little more attention to a student who needs to learn to organize his binder and all of his supplies so that he can find what he needs in a timely manner. 

If you are an experienced teacher with organizational tips, please share them in the comments below.