Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/882783
Article: The 'cluered' teacher and the 'decluer' expert - page 39 - Back in September 2013, the Edu- cator featured STEVE DILLON, who needed help desperately. Piles of paper and binders formed a barri- cade on his desk. He had run out of surface space, so he crammed lots of stuff into storage boxes under his desk. "I have no room for anything. I don't know where anything is," admitted the Maywood Middle School science teacher and president of the Corning Elemen- tary Teachers Association. So, one summer day, we brought in Tammy Duggan, a second-grade teacher at Sierra Avenue Elementary School in Thermalito who had just published a book, The Uncluttered Teacher. Duggan spent an entire day help- ing Dillon sort, scale down and systemize his classroom. Among items buried in the mess were floppy disks, candy that had melted, calendars from 2007, and a booklet about staying organized. So, the big question: Has Dillon stayed organized? "Well, yes and no," he relates good-naturedly. "Part of me has stayed organized. I managed to maintain the organization of my supplies. But I keep getting inundated with paper, letters and correspondence. It's still my downfall. I fall behind on dealing with my memos. I am overwhelmed with emails. I still have piles of things I need to do something with. I guess I need advanced training." For Duggan, who's still teaching second grade, the article proved life- changing. It led to an array of opportunities, such as being a keynote speaker at CTA Good Teaching Conferences and presenting at the Califor- nia PK1 Conference. The article increased her book sales and inspired her to write a second book, How the Common Core Can Make You Clutter Free, available on her website theunclutteredteacher.com. The public speaking engagements boosted her confidence; she ran for president of the Ther- malito Teachers Association and served from 2014 to 2016. Being organized, she explains, is an ongoing process and requires con- stant upkeep. "Clutter can be a hard habit to break, but you need to stay on top of it. Do not assume that because you went through this process once, no paper will ever be out of place again. Life goes on." 39 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 017 T H E N Declutter Like Duggan Tammy Duggan's advice in 2013 still holds true today: 1. Sort. Separate items into cate- gories such as office supplies, teaching materials, student supplies, personal items, CTA materials, professional devel- opment, etc. Throw out or give away what you don't need. 2. Scale down. You don't need a thousand pencils in your drawer, so put most in storage or share with colleagues and students. 3. Systemize. Clean up and orga- nize so you can easily access and find what you need. Pack superfluous items in marked bins and store them. 4. Stay uncluttered. (The hardest part, according to Steve Dillon.) You must stay on top of clutter and schedule a regular time to put things away, dispose of unneeded items, and organize.