Folder Folderol

Having taught in three high schools and two junior highs, I know firsthand the hassles of record-keeping and classroom management. My solution is to have five folders for the five classes I teach. Each folder is labeled as Period 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. Inside each folder go any papers to be returned that day, attendance cards or slips, make-up work for absentees, and class set handouts for that particular period. If there are letters from the office to give to the entire class, those and any other similar materials are placed inside the folder. Thus, I can quickly check the appropriate folder at the beginning of the period and can disperse materials without frantic searching. The folder is then moved to the bottom of the stack of five. I leave the stack in view on the desk for a substitute to find easily, or, if "floating," I stack the folders in a portable basket to carry to the next classroom.

The outsides of the folders are also functional. I fasten a large paper clip on each one.  Underneath the clip go the attendance bulletin, notes from another teacher or a counselor for delivery to an individual student, my own list of students who owe me assignments or books, and any other information that relates more to individual students than to the whole class. The clip can also hold a few of the ever-present school forms, ranging from tardy slips to discipline reports.

 Self-adhesive notes can be attached to the outside of the folder. They are useful as reminders of absentees who need to show admit slips, of what page was being discussed or what point was being made as the bell rang the day before, or of an answer to a student's question.

Although I use plain manila folders for attendance and class management matters, I love the bright colored ones for special uses. I designate each color for a particular purpose, such as blue for junior papers to be graded and red for senior papers. This method helps keep a split assignment manageable.

I reserve one special color for my own teacher assignment folder. Here I put letters of recommendation to write on behalf of students, counselor-requested information, notes for making a test, materials to be duplicated, and so on. This folder attracts my attention during my conference period and right after school. I thumb through it to find anything of pressing concern. It's a great help in beating deadlines.

What more pragmatic use is there for a file folder than to store items in a file cabinet? File folders can store everything from units of study to pictures and news articles for sharing with a class to individual student writing portfolios. The folders themselves are easily transported and quickly updated.

Are folders indeed folderol? I beg to differ. Anything that is as cost effective and time efficient as a file folder deserves to be taken seriously!

Naomi Fanett
Klein Forest High School, Houston, Texas

This article originally appeared in the September 1998 issue of Notes Plus.