I was lucky enough to meet Julie Ann C., a fifth grade math teacher, in Austin this summer. We quickly developed a mutual admiration society (membership count: two), and she invited me into her organizational life.
Similar to Michelle’s Arc from Staples, Julie Ann C. keeps it Together with a Levenger system. The Levenger is the more “upscale” version of the Arc, and it has a few more bells and whistles. Like many busy teachers, Julie leans toward more paper-based systems. Julie uses color-coded dividers that can also hold sheets of paper, for times when she doesn’t want to hole punch or is on the go! So without further ado, let’s jump into Julie’s Arc, color by color.
Purple Cover: Julie Ann’s Weekly Worksheet, the lifeblood of her week, is front and center! Like most teachers, Julie has some items typed in that she can plan for in advance, while others are handwritten as they pop up. Don’t worry, we’ll share in a future post how Julie creates that beautiful weekly plan!
Green Section: The Catch-All! This is where Julie Ann keeps her Current Projects and supporting materials. She tries not to stuff this pocket too much and frequently checks it to redistribute info to the proper locations. But hey, we all need a mobile inbox, right?
Purple Section: Math! This is where Julie keeps all important math class instructional materials, such as interim assessments, math unit checklists, and answer keys.
Blue Section: The Grade Level Team! Julie Ann keeps meeting agendas and other relevant materials here.
Orange Section: Advisory! This is where Julie Ann stores anything related to her advisory class.
Yellow Section: Julie Ann’s Thought Catchers and Upcoming To-Do’s live here. Way to not forget that car registration way out on the radar!
Of course I asked Julie Ann my favorite question to ask of all teachers: How on earth did you build and sustain this habit of planning ahead and following through? Her awesome reply:
I think accountability is big. Being able to have a common planning period with my grade-level team this year has been really helpful, and holding each other accountable for making our Weekly Worksheets each Friday has been super successful.
Thanks, Julie Ann and team! Here’s to many more grade-level and department commitments to not just co-planning for students, but also for teachers’ lives!