Kelly Jackson, founder of The Simply Organized Teacher, discusses her go-to five time management tips and how she helps busy and overwhelmed teachers organize their systems and classrooms.
When teachers have an organized classroom, they can focus on teaching their students. Students can focus on learning in a calm, organized, and safe space when they have organized classrooms.
TV: Tell Us About Yourself; Where Did It All Start For You?
Kelly: I spent six years in the elementary classroom before becoming a Classroom Organization Coach full time and starting up my website The Simply Organized Teacher. During my time in the classroom, I worked hard to educate my students and found that systems, routine, and structure were the most important key to their success. Organization has always been a love, and a strength of mine and the classroom allowed me the opportunity to develop intentional ways to streamline our materials but also my day and my time.
TV: Tell us more about being an organized classroom guru - what made you take the career move into this space?
Kelly: I believe in the importance of teacher self-care. If we are to keep teachers in the profession, we need to make sure that they are humans first and teachers second. There are many things a teacher can do outside of the classroom to support their self-care. But if the classroom is organized and the teacher can stick to healthy time boundaries, it will likely be easier for them to find the time. I want to support teachers by giving them the tools they need to ensure they have an organized and well-managed classroom. Then, they can maximize their time at school and keep to those school/personal boundaries.
"Don’t go all in. Starting small keeps it motivating and attainable."
TV: What Key Piece Of Advice Would You Give A Struggling Teacher?
Kelly: Don’t go all in on your cabinets from the beginning! That is a recipe for failure.
Find one small area in your classroom and organize it. Once you have that area organized, move on to another. Starting small keeps it motivating and attainable.
We don’t often connect self-care and wellness with organization, but a well-organized space breeds calm and order. Precisely what we and our students need to be experiencing in the classroom. All you have to do is start small.
Watch Kelly in Action over at TeacherVision Talks
Kelly Jackson is part of our panel of self-care experts for our latest teacher campaign, TeacherVision Talks and has shared a work/life changing talk with Five Time Management Tips to Improve Self-Care. Watch now for free!
