Getting your room ready for the school year can be extremely exciting. It's also a whole lot of work. There are books to prepare, desks to arrange, decorations to create……The list seems never-ending.

What we really need to focus on, though, is functionality. Yes, it's great if our rooms are cute and fun, but it's more important that we be strategic in how we set things up so that we can maximize our efficiency.

In this episode, we examine 9 practical ways to set up your classroom to save time & help your students learn.

Get notes & links at www.teach4theheart.com/settingup.

9 Areas to Include When Setting Up Your Room

1. A station for you. You need a place somewhere in the front of the room to stash all those supplies that you need to have handy while teaching. If your desk is at the front, that could work. But if it's in the back, you need a secondary station to keep your notes, pen, etc.
2. In/out bins. If you don't use in/out bins in your room, adding these can save a lot of time. I have one large in bin for group work. (After students pass in their papers, the last student paperclips them and puts them right in my in bin.) I then have separate in bins for each class for students to turn in late work or absent work - anything that's individual and not with the group piles. Finally, I have out bins for each class, and these save the most time. Instead of standing in front of class wasting time passing out papers, assign a student to pass them out for you. They simply go to their class's out bin, grab whatever's in there, and start passing them out.
3. Sample tests. Post a sample test and/or quiz (one for each subject if possible) in your room so that students can get a basic idea of how you will be testing them. Of course this sample shouldn't include the real test questions, but it should give them an idea of the length, style, etc. This can help allay the fears of students who experience anxiety over testing. (This fantastic idea is from The First Days of School.)
4. Post your classes on the door. If you have a self-contained classroom, this is as simple as posting your name and the grade level you teach. But if you teach multiple groups/classes, posting them outside the door will help students know that they are in the right place.
5. Absent folders. Have a system for getting absent work to students. A simple but efficient system is to give a student in each class the responsibility of recording what you do in class. This form then goes in the absent folder so that returning students can easily see what they missed. Get an editable copy of the absence form here.
6. Decor. If you enjoy decorating your room to the nines and you have time, then go for it. But if you're getting overwhelmed (or it's just not in your wheelhouse), all you need to do is create a warm learning environment for your students. The easiest way is to simply put up motivational or instructional posters (like these) throughout your room.
7. To-do lists. No, not for you - for your students. Post lists such as what they should do at the start of class and what they should do if they finish an assignment early.
8. A place to post start-of-class assignments. If your'e wondering why a start-of-class assignment is so crucial, take a minute to read this post. But you also can't forget about having a place to post it - something consistent so it's in the same place every day and students know where to find it. Oh and if you teach middle school math, you're in luck. Grab a set of middle school bellringers for free here.
9. A place to post homework. Have a consistent place that students can find their homework assignments. I found it extremely effective to create a poster board for each class that included the class name and then had a spot for each day of the week. I would then laminate these boards and put them up along one wall. I could then use a wet-erase marker to write the week's assignments and upcoming tests/quizzes. A spray bottle of water and paper towels easily cleaned them at the end of each week.

Get more tips & resources here.