Oh, Baby! Organizing for Maternity Leave
Today I’m back with more tips for the ultimate stress-free maternity leave. Yesterday was all about prepping your students and today is all about prepping your room. If you are a super-organized teacher, then this is the easy part for you, you probably already have most of this done. I myself, swing back and forth between being the most well-planned and organized teacher you’ve ever seen, to not being able to see the top of my desk for weeks at a time. Since this time, my leave is at the beginning of the year, I should still be in my pristine, “everything has a place” mode…here’s to hoping.
Here are some of my organization tips to help you “dot your i’s and cross your t’s”:
Organize, Sort, File: Try to have everything is it’s place when you sub takes over. This can be difficult because you may have to leave unexpectedly. Take some time at the end of each day to sort and file whatever mini-stack has accumulated throughout the day.
*Tip* Use a mailbox sorter to organize your papers by subject and store copies.
Label Everything: I mean everything. File cabinets, files in the cabinets, desk drawers, cabinets, pull-out bins, shelves, crates, tubs, baskets, etc. Placing stickers on each shelf or cabinet with a number or letter can help tremendously. This will not only help you leave an easy guide for your sub, but it helps students find exactly what they are looking for. I don’t know about you, but when I am preggo in the classroom, I take full advantage of all those sweet offers to help.
Leave Detailed Notes: This will help the sub know exactly where to find things and exactly where to put things. Real talk: your sub might not read all your notes, that’s life. But imagine how easy you will be breathing if you come back to find out they did. My sub for maternity leave last time was amazing. She was super organized and when I returned, everything was in it’s place. No digging through random stacks of paper or having to file mountains of crap left in a corner. It was wonderful!
*Tip* Number or label every drawer or shelf to make items easy to find from sub notes.
Organize Units: Make sure your curriculum units are organized neatly and in a location where you sub can access them. Even if you are leaving plans and pulling specific things for them, you never know if your sub might need an extra activity. I left my units out last time, even though I planned, and I came back to find that my amazing sub had added to my resources with things the team had shared at meetings. Also make sure to leave other things your sub might need in a central spot, like: homework, spelling lists, or newsletters.
*Tip* Organization resources by unit and/or in clear pockets/binders
—Preparing Students and Firming Routines
—Creating a Maternity Leave Binder
Talk to you later,
Adrienne
