Organization and Middle School
Locker and Desk Organization
1.Get a locker shelf - If you need more space and jackets or backpacks don’t take up a great deal of the room, get a locker shelf to differentiate the space. They are inexpensive and can be found at most office supply stores.
2.Set a schedule to regularly clean your locker – Some students need to clean their locker daily and some weekly or less. Know yourself (or your student!) well enough to know when the locker may need to be cleaned (hint: think of how often your room gets messy!), then check with Mrs. Wiley about when you can schedule a time (before school, after school, during lunch/resource, etc) when you can clean the locker. Make it your goal to clean it regularly.
3.Textbooks should standing up or lying down with spine facing out – when you’re in a rush and need to grab something from your desk and your locker, don’t be grabbing the wrong item. Have the name on the spine facing out. Write the name on the spine with a label or Sharpie marker. Mrs. Wiley has premade names for binders and labels for folders/notebooks!
4.Post It Notes – We all need reminders. Keep a pen and post it notes in your locker or desk to stick on items or better yet, carry the post it notes from class to class, then stick the reminders of what to bring home on the locker door or in your desk. You can also keep track of what you need to bring home each day simply by making a list in your agenda.
5.Pencil case to hold pencils – There is nothing worse than scrounging around in your locker or desk for your pens, pencils, or markers. It gets old fast!Keep a pencil box in your desk or locker. We don’t recommend a Ziploc because that can be too easily lost or fall out. A pencil box is sturdy and if your books smash onto it, it probably won’t bang it up too badly.
6.Magnetic locker organizers for smaller items – If you have smaller items that you need to grab, such as specific pens or pencils for certain classes, put them on the door in magnetic holders.
7.Magnetic white board – This is like the post it notes. The board will help you remember what you need. The only drawback is that if you lose the pen, you have to remember to replace it. If you have a magnetic holder, keep the pen there.
8.Carry valuables with you – Don’t leave money, keys, ID, or electronics (including phones) in your locker or desk.There are two reasons. Yes, they could be stolen, but they can also get damaged or lost. We’ve all grabbed things out of lockers or desks and then everything goes flying. You can lose all of your things that way including money and even break your phone. If you must leave something in your locker or desk, make it sure the locker is locked or it is hidden in the back of the desk, safe from prying eyes and getting broken.
9.Laminate schedule and put it up – If you have a desk, put the schedule in the desk or in a folder you use for every class. If you have a locker, post it up with putty to remind you what class you have next.Also, before you laminate, be sure to put any special items you need to bring next to that class (like a text book, calculator, etc) so you don’t forget. As you progress through the year, you may not need this schedule, but if you have a change in schedule, be sure to make one. You can get schedules laminated at most office stores.
10.Everything has a home! – Just like in your backpack, you need to decide where everything will go in your locker. If everything doesn’t fit, you need to decide what needs to be taken home or put in your backpack to bring to your class.
11.Think about what you need in your locker…and what you don’t - Most students have several afterschool or during school specialties that they take part in.If you have sports, music, theater, etc, you may need to rethink where these items can go if they don’t fit in your locker. Ask the advisor, coach, or teacher for that special if you can drop the item off in the locker room, music room, etc before school starts so you don’t have to try and cram your lacrosse stick and trumpet in the same spot.
12.Rethink if it doesn’t work. – Just like in the backpack post, try your system out and then rethink it and retune it if it doesn’t work for you.Many times as seasons change, the amount of “stuff” in your desk and locker change as well. Be flexible, but be honest. If it doesn’t work…change it.