Staying Organized on the Road

Most Itinerant Teachers will tell you that traveling all over the place means that you basically live out of your car.

This article is aimed to help you stay organized and efficient while on the road, keeping your car looking professional and clean, while being prepared for whatever can happen!

First things first, you have got to be organized! This is not negotiable! Think about how wonderful it would be to just open your trunk, grab the right bin or bag and go right into a school. No more digging around for what you need. There are so many ways to make sure that this happens:

• Keeping a bin or bag for each school ready to be pulled when you arrive
• If you have a full or part-time time driver, having a travel bin or bag for each school could be difficult. You could ask to keep a bin or bag at the school, in the classroom, or the main office. You could also ask your driver to have a section of the trunk to keep your supplies. If you own the vehicle, using the entire trunk space might not be an issue! 
• Keeping a separate Functional Vision Assessment bag in the car for when you have evaluations approaching 
• Keeping personal items (more on that later) in a separate bin
• A replenish bin with things that you may run out of like paper or sticky notes. It is important to keep stocked up and then replenish that basket once a month to make sure you are prepared
• Stay up to date with your IEPs, Evals, service notes etc in that bin. You never know when a teacher or administrator will want to see your notes and logs. Another way to keep this current is to have a running log on your laptop or technology device. 
• Label EVERYTHING. This includes with braille, high color contrast, or whatever will work for you and your needs!
• Find new purposes for old things such as diaper bags or scrapbook bags. They have tons of compartments that be can be used for storage 

Having an emergency kit in your car is vital if you drive long distances! There is sometimes no option to just 'run home real quick' sometimes! Make sure to be as prepared as possible for situations. Teaching can be messy! Here a few tips for making sure to be prepared:

• Keep a spare change of clothes in your car that are work appropriate. This includes undergarments, shoes, everything! You never know when you will need to do a complete change of clothing! I keep the same outfit in my car and when it gets washed, it goes right back to the trunk! I also make sure to keep a professional looking sweater or blazer in the car that does not wrinkle. It gets cold in buildings at times but you cannot just grab a pullover from college from the backseat! 
• Some schools do have a washer and dryer in a life skills classroom, so you might be able to wash things in there as well. 
• Keep a personal item stash in a bin! I include items to freshen up like extra deodorant, baby wipes, hair brush, hair spray, feminine items, perfume, etc. It is helpful, trust me!
• Have some spare makeup or face items in your car to help freshen up as well. You never know when you may be called into a meeting, so you want to look your best and put together!
• Making sure to be prepared extends outside of the buildings too, I keep sunscreen and bug spray in the trunk (non aerosol kind) just in case we get moved outdoors or for the O&M people in your life, bugs bite here in Florida! 
• Some of my friends keep a small vacuum or dust buster in the car to clean up small messes that may spill during the day. 

Moving into another important matter, you must keep yourself healthy and hydrated! Being on the road for up to 4 hours a day can have its temptations! A lot of times, we may go for what is fast and easy...meaning drive through or gas station type things.
The first thing you need to do is invest in a car cooler! It does not have to be big by any means, just something that will keep your yummy and nutritious food cold and safe during the day! My husband bought me a lunch box that is made of the squishy ice pack material. We keep it in the freezer and that way I can pack my lunch in there and it stays cold until my lunch time, even staying in the car. I also like to keep snacks handy that are safe to stay in the heat and safe to eat while driving like carrots or pepper slices. Fruit is also a good option.
If your lunch does not need to be cold, that is awesome too! Just make sure that you are eating lunch at a safe temperature! Getting sick from food being bad is not fun especially if you are in the middle of your day!
Sometimes stopping for lunch is inevitable or a fun treat. A lot of places have quick lunch menus now that are good when you are in a rush. Familiarize yourself with the area so you know where cafes or lunch stops are located so you won't be taking a 20 minute detour!
Staying hydrated is a biggie as well! Some people I know keep a case of bottled water in the car, that way it is always on hand.  If you are more environment friendly, keep a clean refillable container in your car. Carry it into each and every building you travel to and make sure to fill it up from the water fountain or in the staff lounge. Most times they will have an ice machine or if you have one of those fancy cold cups, your ice will stay all day! I keep some Mio or Crystal Light type drink mixes in my car for the times when you want a low calorie alternative to water and don't want to stop and get a soda.
Eating well and staying hydrated will help you stay healthy, keep your energy up help you stay prepared for the day!

Whoa man! Professionalism extends outside the classroom, the meeting, and your attire! Keeping your car clean is just as important as dressing professionally! When you arrive to a meeting, you may not know who is in the parking lot. If people peak in your windows, will they see a backseat full of junk or a clean backseat?!?  If someone sees you having to dig through your trunk each day to find materials, do you feel they will think you are ready to teach their student? Probably not! It is a good rule of thumb to run it through the car wash once a month or so, for us Floridians maybe more than once a month during love bug season. A clean car is a happy car, but a clean car is also a really good sign that you have your 'stuff' together.

This last section extends outside of your car itself, but these are good tips of things NOT to do when traveling to/from work and between schools.

• Do not drive like a crazy person, especially if you have your company's logo on your vehicle. Trust me, people will call your company and tell them what a terrible driver you are.
• Do not just throw trash in your backseat. That is an open invitation for bugs to crawl in and make a home. The last thing you want is a roach crawling up your leg on the interstate.
• Do not let someone else organize for you, this must be YOUR system so YOU know where things are and how things will work and be efficient for YOU!
• Do not just organize once and be done. We all know that we are constantly assessing our students, so always be assessing your car trunk to make sure it is in order.
• Keep up with your car maintenance. This is vital if you drive long distances as things can go wrong. Do not hide or ignore problems with your car as you need that to get to/from work. 
• Do not park where you are not welcome, keep it legal with the parking! Some schools or districts may require you have a pass to park in the teacher's lot. Make sure that you are following the protocol .

Need tips on keeping your car organized? Feel free to reach out, sometimes different eyes can give a new perspective! And just to make sure that I am being accountable, here is a picture of my trunk all nice and organized!

(This picture shows 6 blue fabric bins that are organized with file folders and materials. A blue flower print bag that houses my change of clothing for emergencies, and a wire file folder holder)