Monday, September 6, 2010

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!

7 comments:

  1. Love it!!! I am a future art teacher who is currently doing my student teaching and I'm working on creating my own files. I currently have a few three ring binders of artists, art styles, and lesson plans. I would love to see your lesson plans! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm sure I need you to come to my house and help me get organized. My stuff looks NOTHING like yours. Wah.
    I will soon need a bigger house if this keeps up.
    I LOVE that everything fits in those manilla envelopes!
    Why is my stuff so BIG?
    You are a wonder and an inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my gosh, I'm impressed! In comparison, my life looks like an episode of that creepy TLC show Hoarders!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Megan: I started out with a 3-ring binder, but alas, look what it amounted to!
    Barbara: You should've seen it two days ago. Yikes!
    Phyl: Ha! Ha!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are so much more orgainized than I! My materials often look like one hot mess. Your's are so tidy. jan

    ReplyDelete

Well, what do you think? I love hearing how you adapted the art projects. Did it work? Any pitfalls? Or, if you'd like, just share your thoughts.