Have you gone to the office to make copies only to find that the office stapler is out of staples, or you can’t find a paper clip or sticky note? As a special ed teacher, I am forever copying IEPs, reports and putting together paperwork and hate running back to my class for supplies that office was out of. So I got smart one day and came up with my “Office in a Box” kit that I keep in my teacher mailbox in the office. It has everything I need!
Portable “Office in a Box”
An “Office in a Box” can also be very useful to keep in your car (because you can only stuff so much in your vehicle’s storage containers and pouches)! It might come in handy when your child needs a paper clip or pencil on the way to school in the morning. Itinerant teachers who travel from school site to school site will love it, too.
Easy to Make
Purchase a shallow clipboard box, which is a little larger than an 8 1/2 x 11 paper. It is about 1 inch tall, so it doesn’t fill up your whole mailbox. Next, put a small desk drawer organizer in it (you might adhere it to the box with a glue gun so it doesn’t move around). Put your name on the box. Then add your essentials such as pens, pencils. small stapler, staples, staple remover, eraser, paper clips, scissors, and sticky notes. There are lots of mini staplers you can get, but I wanted a stapler which used regular-sized staples. It took a while but I was able to find a small (but not mini) stapler to fit in my box! So you can do it!
Not only do I have blank sticky notes in my “office in a box,” but also some pre-printed ones I made such as “Sign and return” which I just print out and stack on the inside cover). It has made my life so much easier when I need to send home meeting notices for parents to sign.
If you are also an IEP case manager (speech, special ed, related services provider, etc.) and would like more time-saving tips like this, check out my Special Ed Organization Binder in my TeachersPayTeachers store, which also has detailed directions on printing customized sticky notes.
Please post a comment telling how you have used this idea to make your teaching easier!!
