Before I began working for Imagine Learning, I substitute taught at several elementary and middle schools. Each classroom I entered revealed an interesting—but logical—pattern: classrooms that were neat and tidy at the beginning of the school year became a cluttered chaos by the new year. And, generally, any semblance of organization diminished completely from that point until the end of the academic year.

Fortunately, organizational chaos is evitable—and now is the perfect time to get your classroom back in order. So, if you are a teacher who can barely see your desk beneath mounds of papers and clutter, read on for tips on starting 2011 back on the clutter-free track.

One of the biggest hindrances to teachers’ efforts to maintain an orderly classroom is a lack of both time and energy. Staying organized is a daunting task for anyone—let alone a teacher who is trying to juggle so many things. To make reorganizing your classroom less foreboding, the first thing you should do is mentally prepare yourself for the task. Follow these four simple tips before beginning reorganization:

1. Take a deep breath. Sometimes it is overwhelming just looking at the clutter, which makes it easy to put off the task longer. Instead, force yourself to take a deep breath.

2. Make a prioritized list. Some organizational tasks will be higher priority than others. Make a list to keep you focused and working efficiently. Pick one high-priority area to work on at a time, and then work your way down the list.

3. Set a project completion goal. Some people like to accomplish tasks in long, marathon sessions; others prefer to spread the work out in small increments over several days. Decide what works best for you and set an obtainable goal to finish reorganizing.

4. Listen to music as you work. Play music while you work to keep your mind occupied and keep you from getting overwhelmed.

Every teacher’s organizational style is unique. There are some strategies that may work for you and no one else. It’s important to ponder the specific methods that help your classroom function most efficiently, but here are some general tips that will help:

1. Go digital. Eliminate as much paper as you can. Store your lesson plans and assignments on the computer, scanning papers electronically whenever necessary. Create electronic assignments for your students to complete in the computer lab. There are programs that will even score the assignments and send you a report. This will free up the time you spend grading papers so that you can do other things. Inquire with your school administration to find out if these types of programs are available for your use.

2. Find a place for everything. Organize homework assignments, drawing utensils, etc. in file folders and plastic bins. Label each container. Empty mayonnaise jars are great for holding pens and pencils; empty cereal boxes work well for storing old magazines. It may also be helpful to print out lesson plans for an entire week, then organize the materials in file folders marked with each day of the week.

Survey your classroom, identify the areas where you use certain tools the most, and place the tools near those areas. An obvious example is to place the dry erase markers by the dry erase board.

3. Hang an updated calendar in the classroom. A calendar is an excellent way for you and your students to keep up with upcoming events, so be sure to hang it in a place where your students can see it too. This will help your students learn to be organized and plan ahead.

4. Clean as you go. This is a great habit for both you and your students because it will reduce the stress that clutter creates. By cleaning as you go, things will rarely get dirty. And when they do, the cleanup time will be significantly reduced.

Have you found other organization techniques that work well in your classroom? If so, please share them with us!