Reflection 5: Classroom Management and Organization

I found a website called Assign a day 4 teachers. It is a software that teachers use to post assignments and lesson overviews. It is also a way for teachers and students to communicate. If a student misses a class, he or she can find out what he/she has missed and what assignments need to be completed. This would be useful for children who have internet access at home, but in certain areas many students in the classroom might not have that kind of access. If the students do not have access to a computer at home, should the teacher give the student three days so they have time to get transportation to the library? I am thinking mainly about elementary and/or middle school students who aren't old enough to drive. I thought about how having an overview of the lesson might keep kids from coming to class if they know they can get the same information online later on. For this reason, attendence should make up a portion of the grade. I will also have to consider how much time this will take to keep up a website and also keep up with lesson planning and grading.

I also found some more websites about classroom organization. busyteacherscafe gives tips on how to keep papers organized. One of the suggestions to assign students a number according to their last names and have them right it at the top right corner of their worksheets so that whoever is grading the papers will be able to file papers according to their numbers. It is supposed to make grading faster and easier. However, I don't see how it is easier than just sorting work according to first or last names.

When I was in Educational Psychology my classmates and I were told that our classroom will look like our bedroom. For that reason, I am working on being more organized in my room. I succeeded at keeping my dormroom clean for almost a whole semester during my sophomore year. Then I fell out of the habit. I still need to get back into the habit. During spring break, one of my priorities is to organize my room. Someone onetime told me it takes 90 days to start a new habit. So, if I can get past those 90 days and really get into good organizational habits, my life as a teacher will be ten times easier. I have known teachers whose desks are extremely messy and cluttering. I don't want mine to look like that. Especially if I have a really scrupulous parent come in and analyze how clean and organized my classroom looks.