This is not going to be the usual philosophical vision, mission, goals, kind of post. I am going to share a tool that I started using this year called “The Notebook Method.” I am pretty tech savvy but there are some things that are just better with paper and pencil. Yes, I have tried every organizational tool/recording method there is and I am pretty happy with this one.
(Please excuse my image layout as this is my first post with the edweek version.)
Get a 5 subject notebook. (I work in a K-4 building so there is a section for each grade level.)
Tab each section with some kind of a tab for each grade level.
You are going to work your way forwards and backwards through the notebook.
In the front of each section you are going to record your notes from grade level meetings with your teachers. Every time you meet with a grade level you document what is discussed. (You can also hand your notebook of to one of the teachers and have them document too to give them ownership.)
At the back of each section, working your way backwards, you are going to keep student notes. Any time a teacher comes to me about a student I record the discussion in the back of the section of that grade level. If I have a parent conference or parent phone call, I record it in the back section of the notebook.
*I do not record discipline because it is kept in the computer for core data. If there are discipline issues I usually have something about that student in “the notebook” anyway.
*Just for fun I ordered some notebooks from Shutterfly. I showed my counselor "The Notebook Method" and she thought I was a genius.(Okay, I am the boss she acted like I was a genius.) Then she tried to one-up me so I had to order some custom notebooks. We call it the "notebook wars." Both of us are scrapbookers.
Melinda Miller
The Principal Blog
I love your notebook method, and you explained it well. I too use notebooks like this for logging and categorizing information in my preschool. It's still one of the best ways to keep yourself organized and on top of things.