Classroom Organization Teaching Resources

Improve your classroom organization with printables, digital desk organizing tools and more teacher resources created by our teacher team just for you!

The teachers of Teach Starter know the challenges that come with entering a brand-new classroom only to realize you have too much stuff and not enough places to put it. We're teachers too, after all!

We've created this extensive classroom organization collection with our own experiences in mind, so you will find tools you can use for:

• Organizing your teacher desk
• Organizing student work
• Organizing classroom computer
• Organizing your classroom library or book nook
• And so much more!

And we didn't stop there! Read on for some tips from our teacher team on keeping things organized this school year — including your teacher desk and student desks too!

Our Best Teacher Desk Organization Ideas

So you’ve gotten your classroom set up and decorated. You’ve organized everything from your manipulatives to your art supplies. But now you’re starting at that teacher desk wondering "how do I my desk organized?"

Our desks can easily become dumping grounds for teachers and students. But there’s an old saying about a clean space relating to a clean mind that really and truly holds true when it comes to organizing a teacher desk. The cleaner the space, the more ready you'll be to tackle your lesson plans for the day.

1. Hang Spare Notes and Worksheets

Spare notes and worksheets that have been handed often end up in a pile on teachers' desks... somewhere! Not anymore... with this simple idea! Hang a laundry sock hanger near your desk with clips for students to retrieve missing work and notes that have their names on them!

2. Get a Sectioned Lazy Susan

Make sure you always have the thing you need right where you can reach it — buy a sectioned lazy susan that spins, so you can just use your finger to roll it around to the section you need! 

3. Create Washi Tape Outlines for Items You Keep on Your Desk

Outlining each item will not only remind you to place it back in the right spot but also helps guide students who "borrow" items from your desk.

4. Contain Classroom Clutter With Containers

Putting things into containers not only keeps the space easier to keep tidy but also makes it easy to remove only what you need from a shelf or cabinet and return it when they are done. This is key for organising your supplies as a teacher but also to give your students' clear spots to place items they no longer need.

5. Use Binders for Assessment Organization

Assessments, trackers, checklists, student goals... all of this can become a little overwhelming and you may find you have bits and pieces all over the place! One teacher on our team keeps two main binders on her desk to ensure nothing goes missing!

She keeps Teach Starter assessment trackers in one binder. In the other, she keeps student work samples that she collects throughout the marking period to refer to at report card time or during parent-teacher conferences, or even when it comes time to recommend students for extra support services. Having these binders with everything together makes meetings so much less stressful!

6. Teacher Mugs = Perfect Pencil Holders

This isn’t exactly a mind-blowing tip, we know. But we all struggle with what to do with ALL OF THOSE #1 Teacher mugs we’ve gotten from our kiddos over the years, and the answer is pretty simple. Use them for pencils, pens, rulers … all those classroom supplies that tend to end up loose on your teacher desk. 

Bonus: This will clear up the clutter in your kitchen cabinets too! 

7. Label Clothespins by Days of the Week

Are you planning out your week of lesson plans? Keep things organized with simple wooden clothespins that you have labeled by the day.

How to Keep Student Desks Organized

Keeping your own desk organized is one thing, but what about those student desks? Here are some organization tips that may help!

1. Explicitly teach students what an organized desk looks like, and provide a visual that they can reference. You can take a picture and mount it on your whiteboard where every student can see it.
2. Designate a spot where each item should sit on your students' desks, such as "folders on the right" or "workbooks on the left."
3. Schedule specific times during the school day for students to neaten their desks, such as before recess and at the end of the day. Taking the time to clear up your desk while students clear theirs is a great way to lead by example.
4. Do random "desk checks," and award students whose desks are neat and tidy with a no homework pass to encourage students to take responsibility for their desk organization. You can also award them with one of Teach Starter's desk fairy awards!
5. Hold a "clean out Friday" session before any Fun Friday festivities commence.
6. Add chair pockets to your students' chairs to give them extra space for items that just have no place to go.