How Teachers Can Keep Their Desk Clean

I will never forget an incident that happened during my first year of teaching. I had an awful weekend and got to work late one Monday morning. My desk was horrible but I did not have time to clean it. I threw my lesson plans on my desk and got ready for the day. My principal had only been in to check my lessons a couple of times that year so I figured if I could make it through the day I would be alright. Boy was I wrong! As you probably guessed my principal came in on this day to check my lesson plans. Boy was I embarrassed! My desk was awful! Well since that time I've learned a few things that have helped me keep this area of my classroom neat and organized.

Keeping a desk clean starts with a commitment. It doesn't matter what organizational tips you learn if you don't have the commitment to stay on top of things, your desk won't be clean. Begin by learning to throw things away. Often most teachers have papers that they don't need but that remain on their desks for weeks. Learn to regularly throw papers away that you don't need.

Next you need to come up with a system for organization. There are lots of ways you can do this. I like the ideas of having several trays to store papers. Have a specific title for each stack. I usually put papers that I need to read later in one stack. Papers that need to be graded in another stack. Papers that need to be filed in another stack. You need to regularly go through your stacks and throw things away and organize. Of course there are a lot of different ways you can do this the point is develop a system and stick to it.

Every principal is different, but I like the idea of not having food on your desk. Obviously you are human and you probably want to keep water or something to drink near by. However I recommend keeping drinks and food put away somewhere. Besides the fact that students will see your food and wonder why they can't have the same, keeping food at your desk will cause stains and keep crumbs on the desk. Consider keeping these items in a bag somewhere out of site.
Dusting is also an essential. Regular dusting will keep your desk looking fresh and neat. It will also make for a cleaner environment and less sickness. I recommend having a student do regular dusting in the classroom. If you assign this job they can also give your desk a quick dust and you can do a more detailed job later.

Keeping a clean desk as a teacher is no easy task. With so much on teacher's plate, usually your desk is at the bottom of your list of things to do. With a little effort however you can keep this area of your room organized.