Using CRICUT to aid organization in the classroom

Outside of my work, I'm not an overly OCD type of person. But inside the four walls of my classroom I am definitely a TYPE-A personality. I feel like I cannot effectively teach or properly function without complete organization.

 I have had the distinct pleasure of working with and observing dozens of teachers over the years. Some of these tips and tricks are of my own creation, others have been added to and/or modified, and some I have completely borrowed. I will include materials, as well as locations of purchases for each of the items mentioned. Hopefully these will increase your productivity, ease your stress and make your classroom a more functional and inviting space!

I am an absolute CRICUT fanatic!!! If you don't know what a Cricut is, it is a

"a personal electronic cutting machine that makes it easy to create DIY projects without breaking the bank. They are moderately priced machine that work with or without a computer and lets you cut a wide range of materials, from paper to cardstock to vinyl".

For more information visit: us.cricut.com

I purchase my vinyl for cheap at Crafters Corner

 http://www.crafterscornersupplies.com/ and I label dozens of things in my classroom.

These storage drawer towers were purchased from Michael's and SAMS (SAMS was cheaper, however Michael's is great for using coupons, remember teachers get 15% off if you show them your teacher ID). These are easy to assemble, typically priced around $25, and come with the necessary parts (no toolbox needed). I have also purchased one for my office space at home. I have seen teachers use these as turn in bins- and returned graded assignments bins. Another teacher friend of mine would label two shelves for each day of the week and use it to hold copies for the week and the following week. Regardless of the grade level you teach, these are a MUST HAVE!

I use my drawers as a filing system for each hour I teach. In addition they are used to organize supplies for students. I tried using blank labels in the past and wrote on those with sharpie, but they ended up peeling off half way through the school year. 

I also placed vinyl on my white boards for labels that I don't want to have to continually rewrite each day. It doesn't damage the boards and it takes up less space than printing them on paper and using magnets or taping those labels to the board. 


Here it may be hard to see but I have created vinyl labels for agenda, learning goals, and learning targets!

I created my homework board using electrical tape and I used a level to make sure the lines were straight. I decided to go with #tb then the day of the week, because every day is a throwback in history class :)))))