Staying Organized...

Not my best attribute, but I get the job done. Trick for me is having everything I need close by. So when my middle son hijacked my downstairs office and claimed it for his own, I didn't object (well, not too loudly). Instead, I cleaned out my very large upstairs walk-in closest (that in truth has always been too large for the amount of clothes I own) and turned it into a storage area for my lessons. A portion of one wall is devoted to everything I need to walk out the door prepared for a day of teaching art.

See the big boxes of manilla envelopes? That's where all of my lessons are grouped according to grade level. Inside each envelope I have teaching samples, visuals and anything else I might need, like templates, etc. On the outside, I scribble the title for the lesson and the grade level.

Most of last year was spent adding to the boxes. Meaning, I repeated only a few lessons from the previous year. I'll add a whole bunch again this year, but if I get stuck, I know I have 100's of great lessons at my disposal.

I keep lots of books...art teacher books, craft books, magazines, picture books, etc. When I need a source or inspiration for a new lesson, they're right where I need them.

I keep art supplies at the ready for creating new lessons and now, after months of making the move, they are nestled into their new home.

Sigh.

Just in time for a new art year. I start tomorrow!