Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/166026
Q &A with Tammy Duggan Why did you write The Uncluttered Teacher? During my 17 years in education, I have seen too many teachers burn out from the stress of this job. They get frustrated by how much time they spend on paperwork, meetings and ever-changing administrative demands. So I wrote this book to show teachers how to simplify their day by getting rid of clutter and managing their time. I took the skills I learned as a professional organizer and applied them to a classroom setting in hopes of helping teachers bring balance into their lives. Why do teachers have a hard time getting rid of stuff? 2 After sorting, it's time to Scale down. Dillon must decide what he needs right now, as opposed to what he needed years ago or may need in the distant future. He doesn't need a thousand pencils in his drawer, and he decides some can be put in bins placed in storage cabinets. The same is true of pads of paper, scissors, staplers, etc., because only one at a time is necessary. The garbage can begins to fill. He throws out a bird chirper that no longer chirps, toys confiscated from students, remote controls to machines long since departed, old catalogs and other items he has no use for. While at first he agonized over every item, he now tosses things into the trash with abandon. "You are seeing a guy who is making decisions and moving on!" cheers Duggan from the sidelines. Teachers justify keeping things. They think, "I may teach that grade again," even if they have been teaching another grade for years. The reality is if they ever teach that grade again, there will be a new curriculum and updated resources. Teachers have sentimental attachments to things. But you can throw items away and keep the memory. Sometimes teachers think that someone else might be able to use something, so they hold on to it. But if it's not valuable to you, why would it be valuable to others? What does it mean to be organized? It means knowing what you have and using it to its best potential. It means managing your time in a way that enriches your quality of life. The key to surviving a challenging job like teaching is having systems in place to help us manage our tasks and bring a little sanity to our lives. Last thoughts? What makes a good teacher isn't whether your classroom is tidy. It's what is in your heart. Holding on to a book or file is not what makes learning magical. You are the magic. The Uncluttered Teacher includes tips for collecting homework, creating a filing system, managing e-mails, substitute plans and classroom preparation. Purchase your copy at theunclutteredteacher.com. SEP TEMBER 201 3 Educator 09 Sep 2013 v3.6 int.indd 43 www.cta.org 43 9/3/13 2:26 PM