The following is a guest post on her top 5 classroom organization products from regular contributor, Kristin at The Gold Project.
I am about to end my tenth year of teaching. I am really in shock because it doesn’t seem like I have been teaching that long. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun, or extremely busy.
Over the years, I have used many different organization systems and products, some worked better than others. The success of a product really depended on my classroom. I have taught at three different schools, had five different classrooms, and taught many different subjects. Most of the subjects I have taught have been in the business and technology area, which is what my degree is in.
Out of all of the products I have used, I have five organization products that I love and continuously use in my classroom. Not all of the products were made to be used in a classroom or office, but I have found a lot of success using them in those areas.
(starting at top left and going clockwise)
Sterilite5-Drawer Unit
I had this little organizer sitting in my attic at home waiting for a purpose. Then, I decided that it would make a great classroom storage piece for all of the small pieces of papers that I use daily. So, I have it sitting on my bookcase and it stores passes, detention slips, stickers, and I left one drawer empty in case I need an additional drawer in the future.
Ikea Antonius Basket Insert
I have purchased several of these Ikea basket inserts for my home. I think their original purpose is to fit inside the Raskog cart, which I have used one or two in that manner. But, I also found they make great and inexpensive drawer dividers at work. They are actually a perfect fit for my desk drawers. I have one in my top drawer that holds highlighters, erasers, pencils, and pens. I call it my happy drawer because when I open it up, everything is organized perfectly and brightly colored.
Pampered Chef Turn-About
Originally, I purchased this turn-about for my kitchen to store utensils on my counter. But, I didn’t like the way it looked with the rest of my kitchen items. So, I decided to take it to work to place on my desk and use as a classroom supply organizer. Anything I keep in the organizer is for my students to use. I usually have a pair of scissors, highlighters, pencils, and pens that they can come and grab at any moment.
Officemate Recycled Desk Tray
These trays are probably the organization piece I have used the longest. I have used them in several different ways. Currently, I am using them to separate completed and graded work for each of my classes. Each class has a different tray.
School Supply Organization Box
I have purchased several of these boxes over the years. At the beginning of my career, I used them to store bulletin board boarders. Then, I moved classrooms and didn’t have any bulletin boards in my room, so I let go of most of those pieces.
Then, I found a new use for them. I use them to store all of the colored pencils that my students use for their blank keyboard practices. I teach keyboarding and my students have one big test at the end of the semester where they have to fill out a blank keyboard worksheet and color-code it based on finger placement. This is a task that we practice every single week throughout the entire semester.
So, the colored pencils are always readily available in these school supply boxes.
These five classroom organization systems have been the best investments. They work and didn’t cost me a fortune.
My name is Kristin and I am a middle school career education teacher by day and a mommy/wife/blogger by night. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two loving children. We recently made a life-changing move to Arkansas, so our new house is always under construction. I get excitement out of finding new creative, functional, and cute ways to organize things! I also enjoy writing and documenting life as it happens. So, I put these loves together and created The Gold Project. With the help of my husband, I am attempting to turn our house into a home. So, check out this special place of mine and take this journey with me!
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