Organizers.

Evernote, Notes, Calendar, Google Calendar, Reminders, iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Suite, Scrivener. My applications keep me organized and connected.

 

Basically all I need and use is held within folders on my home page. Filing cabinets of info in the palm of my hand, and this has been so helpful in recent days for a variety of reasons.

That wasn’t always the case. Over twenty years ago, my go-to organizer was Day-Timer.

And I’m always surprised in meetings when people still pull out paper organizers. Really: not much fits in there.

I was surprised to find the website!

But I loved the leather holders and other “office” stuff!

Tonight, while working on my iPad sketching bachelor buttons and writing a small poem, I pulled out my Day-Timer stand that held my Day-timer, lessons, and papers for the day in my classroom Why? Sometimes, when drawing, my hand hits my iPad keyboard and all kinds of menus in my art apps appear. To prevent that, I now set my iPad on my old desk organizer:

Back on those old days, I was not a fanatic user. I didn’t really keep appointments in it. I mostly used it for notes for my lessons before, during, and after– reminders of what to do, insights, and next steps. All fluid stuff I mostly tossed after the lesson or feedback was given.

Because I always had notes and things that would fall out, I always purchased the zippered holders.

Yup. I still have them. And now that I’ve taken up art, sketchpads will fill them. But look at the treasures I found inside:

Notepads

Notes booklets of different sizes

Business Card —

• Sheri Edwards, Literacy Consultant
• Focus: Native Americans, Service Learning, Interdisciplinary, TAG [Talented and Gifted]

A drawing from a grandchild

A 3.5 inch floppy disk of social studies resources I’d created — from 1996-98

A note about an upcoming inservice with a reminder to speak about English/ Native Languages / Standard English / accurate history / reflection in the classroom

And a treasure: one of my many notes about student writing. In this case, a list of words indicative of how my students think through things, like spelling, written no doubt for the upcoming workshop:

• commit — spelled comet
• betrayal — spelled be trail
• cereal — spelled corral
• Shawn/Sean — spelled shown

We live in a rural area where students often have animals, like cattle and horses to care for and kids who love science because nature and science are part of their daily lives. They know a lot– and are experts in things most city folks would not have a clue about. I’ve told this story before:

A first grade student raises his hand during a standardized test. We can’t answer questions, of course, but we do need to check. The six year old said, “Ms Edwards. The answer is “deer,” but they have a picture of an “elk.” Do I choose that?

Ha.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha — to the test-makers. A six year old knows more than you!

Tests do not tell what my students know and can do.

Thank goodness, education mandates are finally moving away from those tests and we are now focused on more important things, like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, connections, creative thinking, etc. All of those were part of my teaching, and taking notes for feedback and encouragement that engaged my awesome learners.

And now, I have my art — which, if I were still teaching, my students would excel and help me.

Now, to finish my sketch and add color…

And it will be organized in the cloud and uploaded online. Because that’s the way the world is, and students should be part of it.

What have you created, reflected on, or re-discovered today?