4 Quick Fixes to Organize Your Family and Consumer Science Classroom
Time and organizational hacks are some of the best “ah-ha” moments to streamline your day. Maybe you didn’t realize some of these things drive you nuts and there can be simple and quick fixes to make your life easier.
Most of these hacks can be fixed with a quick visit to Amazon and solved in a matter of days.
Check out these four quick fixes to organize your classroom and save a little time and energy.
An indoor doorbell
The doorbell. Possibly it is just me teaching junior high kids, but knocking on the door is one tough task. Here’s the scenario for my classroom: they knock too quiet and we don’t hear them, they knock loud enough to be heard across the building, or they violently wiggle the door handle (in hopes of it unlocking on its own?), but there is no happy medium.
This year, I have even had students (plural- two on different occasions) MISS an entire cooking lab because they arrived late, we were in the kitchen and didn’t hear them knocking.
Rather than problem-solving to find someone with a key, stop back at the office, or any other way to solve the problem, they stood outside the door. These weren’t even students who might be skipping, these were good kids who stood there when we didn’t hear them knock to open the door.
Naturally I knew I needed some kind of solution. It’s loud when almost 30 students are cooking in the kitchen and because we cannot always hear the intercom, I try to make sure my classroom door is shut for our safety.
Enter the $20ish fix of an indoor doorbell.
I found a similar sign on a We Are Teachers article because I knew if I didn’t address it, there would be plenty of random rings when kids passed by the classroom.
There are lots of options on Amazon. In fact, I have 3 in my classroom because they work well and are inexpensive.
The doorbells come with a sticky pad if you wanted to stick it to the wall or a table. I have one stuck outside my classroom door. It’s black and blends in with my name tag on the wall. I also have a note for students about the doorbell. The noise part is plugged in inside the kitchen so it’s easy for us to hear it if we are busy in the kitchen.
I also have another doorbell plugged in on the classroom side. I have not stuck it to anything so I can carry it around as needed. I use to as an attention grabber. Naturally, the former elementary teacher in me still wants to use a call back, even 5 years later, but I am not so sure those would go over well with 7th and 8th graders.
The third door bell, which isn’t used as often, is another doorbell in the kitchen to get everyone’s attention as needed when cooking.
A remote for your lights
I have always been a fan of lamps and Christmas lights in a classroom, but it sure is a nuisance to turn them on and off each day.
Another Amazon find is a remote that can control 3 or 5 different plugs. Absolutely genius!
Each pack comes with 3 or 5 programmable outlets and a remote or two. Both sets I’ve purchased even came with remote batteries. You then plug your usual plug into the programmable outlet and that one into the actual wall outlet. If you have a lamp that has an on/off switch, set the lamp to on and you will use the remote to turn off that outlet.
I can turn on 2 lamps, overhead Christmas lights, and the Christmas tree when it’s up, in under 3 seconds.
I have also learned you can hold down the button on the side of them to program them all to the same frequency, which would turn them all on and off with one button.
Another time-saving hack would be getting the remote controlled power strip. If you had units where multiple hot glue guns were being used, this would be a great way to make sure they were all turned off at the end of class.
Page Protectors
I use sturdy page protectors on the classroom side to collect and organize food lab plans during our cooking unit.
Each kitchen has to complete a food lab plan, which means there are five papers per hour. Rather than me collecting them and being in charge of handing them out the next day during the cooking lab, the students are in charge.
I approve the completed food lab plan and a student adds their paper to the page protector. The lab is always the next day and a student is able to get the food lab plan from the page protector.
This relieves me of yet another simple, but unnecessary task.
If I forget to write out kitchen groups on my grading rubric, I know exactly where to find the papers with kitchen groups. No more wasted time trying to look through papers and piles.
Laptop Stand
I know what you’re thinking on this one. It seems pointless.
It occurred to me that our secretaries use a laptop stand since they look at a computer all day, why wasn’t I using one as well?
Whether it’s just quickly to take attendance or longer periods of time grading, looking down at the screen wears on your neck. The laptop stand is a perfect and affordable fix to lift your device. It’s also much easier on your neck.
Disclaimer: I snapped this picture on a day with an extremely messy desk. Let’s keep it real that my room isn’t always Pinterest worthy.
The laptop stand is another less than $20 quick fix. You can find one on Amazon here. I use a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse so I don’t need to continue typing on the laptop stand.
This was one of those moments you wonder why it took so long to make this purchase. I cannot recommend one enough.
Streamlining and organizing are simple hacks to help make the day a little easier. I’d highly recommend finding some that work best for your classroom!