MANAGING THE ARTROOM
Getting Organized

Before.

After.

C
M

One of my main goals in life is to get organized! I teach a beginning art class in a large public high school. My class is designed to introduce students to a variety of art forms, and while I enjoy the variety, I find that it challenges my organizational skills to the max. My classroom is average-sized and at times it seems to be overflowing with art materials. My nightmare is that one day my door will fly open and all of the artwork and the mess that accompanies it will pour out into the hall for everyone to see. Kay Stephens

I started by looking carefully around my room. I still had magazines out from the collage unit, newspapers from the papier-mâché unit, and there were looms and yarn everywhere.

I decided to pack up everything in boxes. Nothing would be left sitting out, except for what I needed that day.

The “Nothing” Approach I’ve tried and tried to get organized but it always seems to be just beyond my reach. This year, while we were weaving, I discovered what being organized could be like. My classes were in the middle of their weaving projects when my boss came in to “observe” me. When we were discussing my observation, she suggested having nothing out except what I absolutely needed for that project. Nothing. It sounds so simple, but that one simple suggestion changed everything for me.

on every cabinet and stored in every available space. It was the most organized I’d ever been.

CM
MY
CY

When my students arrived after my organization was complete, I made a huge discovery; my students were calmer, worked harder, got more work done, and took better care of the materials than when the room was disorganized. My reorganization had effects on my class I had never envisioned. It sent a message to my students that I

CMY
 K

My reorganization had effects
on my class I had never
envisioned. It sent a message to
my students that I was serious
and ready to work. It made my
expectations clearer to them.

was serious and ready to work.

It made my expectations clearer to them.

My classroom became a much more efficient place!

My goal now is to be this organized with every project. It’s more work initially, but it’s worth it in the long run.

I know I have a long way to go, but I’m going to do it! My new motto is “An organized life is a better life!”

Cleaning Up

I had two large, deep cabinets. I knew the looms wouldn’t fit in them easily, but I cleaned them out and played with the looms in every position imaginable until I found a way to fit them all in. Amazingly enough, I could get the looms in and out fairly easily and sort them by class.

Once the looms were put away, everything fell into place. I stayed late for several days until everything was packed away. Now the only things out were what we needed for weaving, nothing else. I had boxes piled up