An Organizational Strategy
for Teachers
By: Jill Pavich, NBCT
Boca Raton Community HS
Creator, The Global Pen blog
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As many of you know, having a
writing portfolio for each individual
student in your writing-intensive
classroom has its benefits.
This strategy will help stakeholders
(i.e. students, teachers,
administrators, district personnel,
etc.) monitor student learning and
progress; storage of this valuable
material will help us make sound
instructional decisions as we
progress through the school year.
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Most of you are thinking...
“more work!”
However, I’d like to share a
simple strategy I’ve adopted to
(hopefully) keep my own
classroom organized this year;
maybe it will inspire you to
“simplify” your life as well 
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I UNDERSTAND that we do not all necessarily:
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Organize our paperwork in the same fashion;
 Have the desire to organize in such a nerdy
fashion (I consider “nerdy” a compliment, by
the way…);
 Have a million dollars to spend on supplies;
 Have the time to expend on such an endeavor.
Heck, some of you might even have an even
EASIER way of doing things, and in that case, go
for it!!
HOWEVER….
 My motto for sharing this portfolio with
teachers is this… “USE IT, LOSE IT…either
way, I’m not offended…I’m just trying to be
helpful!!!!”
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Truly, this idea is NOT rocket science:
 Some teachers will say, “um…hello, I’ve
been around long enough to use a
filing cabinet! Stop insulting my
intelligence!”
 Other teachers will say, “Gee, I’m
brand new and this is a GREAT idea!”
 Still others will say, “Hmm…I do
something similar/sort of like this…let
me tweak a little here…fuse a little
there and…voila! Update! Perfect paper
organization!”
Whoever you are, USE IT, LOSE IT…I
won’t be offended 
MY INSPIRATION:
I met a wonderful lady at Office Depot today during the “Teacher
Appreciation Breakfast” and she inquired about my intent to
purchase the blue bins in my shopping cart. I explained that I was
going to use them to organize student portfolios and explained the
system I deemed easiest for all parties involved (students, teacher,
parents, administrators, district personnel).
In response to this idea, and to my surprise, she confessed her
minor difficulties with organizationally sound techniques. I just
assumed this very delightful and intelligent teacher already had a
plan, but then I realized the beauty of networking; it strengthens our
practice even further. So, as teachers do, we brainstormed,
swapped ideas, and problem-solved. At the end of our conversation,
my new friend and I were inspired to experiment with a few new
organizational ideas.
In light of constant change and educational evolution,
I hope this brief, rather elementary, system
inspires you too…after all, that’s what teachers
do:
•Listen
•Share
•INSPIRE!!!
Let’s Get Started…!
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Please note that the materials I suggest
are OPTIONAL and can be substituted
for other items:
 A plastic bin (or crate, cardboard box,
etc)
 Hanging Folders
 File Folders
 Sticky Labels
 File Tabs
 Scissors
 Sharpie Marker
 Computer/Printer/Microsoft Office
Using Microsoft Office
to Make the Labels:
• Open Microsoft Word on your computer and click on
TOOLS
• Then click on “Mailings and Labels”
• On the LABELS tab in the window, click “Options” to
determine what you will set your printer at (Laser and Ink
Jet)…you may not even need to do this, really…
• Select Label products/Avery Standard (if, of course, you
buy Avery brand…)
• Scroll through the product numbers until you find the one
that matches the label product you purchased (i.e. Avery
8161…it should say it on the front of the package you
purchase and at the top of each sheet).
• Highlight/click on that product number; Click OK.
• Now click “New Document”…the template should come up
on the screen.
• Begin typing in the labels as you wish…I typically highlight
the entire page first to set the page to where everything I
type in the boxes is centered, the font size is approximately
30-40, and then pick preferred font style (the one in my
presentation is Comic Sans MS).
Now it’s time to trim the
labels so they fit properly
onto the folder…observe
the following pictures for
an idea of how this is
accomplished…
Now that the labels are
properly formatted, it’s
time to apply them to
the hanging folder
tabs…
• Of course, there is no need
for computerized tabs…
• But the benefits include:
•Neat
•Professional
•Visually-appealing
•User-friendly
And now for the
final (simple)
product…
Filing Student
Work is as
simple as A-B-C!
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Mom (for the organizational gene)
Dad (for the generosity gene)
Rindy and John Dourdis (for the
feedback and support)
Linda and Harmony (for the
inspiration to share!!)
ALL Teachers who made it all the
way to this slide and are reading
this sentence!!! Your support for
colleagues and concern for
professional development shows!
Have a fantastic
school year!!