The Longest Curse Word in the HISTORY of Teaching

PAPERWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EEEKKKK! Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork! When it is the end of the week, month, quarter and you know that paperwork is due, are you scrambling to get it done and turned in on time? This week, we will explore ways to make sure that you do not get overwhelmed or behind on your paperwork! 

As we all know, paperwork can be very hard to stay current. They can also feel redundant at times, but trust me, redundancy is your friend! The repetition of information shows your employer, county or school district, and service providers that you are consistent, put together and doing what is best for the student! 

Staying organized is essential to keeping up to date on paperwork. If you cannot find your paperwork, your case notes, or your jotting journal then you might not be completing your paperwork with all the information that needs to go in there. Earlier in this blog, I did a post about staying organized on the road. Having one binder or bag to grab per school or student is really helpful because you know that all of your notes and paperwork are located right in there. It is always nice to have extra copies of paperwork in your car or in the file folders.

If your paperwork is electronic, make sure to update it at least weekly from your jotting journal. At the beginning of the school year, I usually sit down and make monthly folders for all of my schools. In those folders I add the blank copies of paperwork, prefilled with all the student's information, so that I can get started right away when the new month begins. Yes, it is very time consuming at the beginning of the year, but it helps you to be prepared for the next 9 months of your life! 

Jotting Journal: A Teacher's Best Friend

This is just the coolest! A jotting journal is what you keep with you at all times, during the day/night/insomnia teaching idea time. It travels with you everywhere and you just take notes all day long! At the end of the day, I use my jotting journal to fill in my case notes, updates times on service logs, write in scheduled meetings or upload information into our file sharing program (SharePoint). It is a hard habit to get in to at times, but is very helpful when you cannot remember what the guidance counselor was saying as you  walked through the hallways or what your student asked you to have completed for next week. It also help you to stay up to date on all things paperwork!

Security with paperwork is a very good thing. Often times our paperwork includes confidential information regarding contact information, disability diagnosis or home addresses. Making sure to keep paperwork secure will keep your name out of the newspaper! Often times, using your trunk to keep paperwork is a good idea because no one can see inside of it. If you have an SUV or no trunk, try buying a portable file box that is opaque. Having extra copies of the completed paperwork is a good idea in case you have to pull some for an administrator quickly. It is also a good idea to scan completed paperwork into a secure server so that you will have an electronic copy that no one can edit.  

Keeping paperwork Up To Date is really hard sometimes. We see a lot of students every single day. By making sure to keep up with your case notes, you will be documenting the services you provided. Being up to date goes past your case notes though! Make sure to keep IEPs progress reports, timesheets, mileage documents up to date will ensure that your time and services are being accounted for properly. 

In the end, as with before, this system has to be something that you develop and that you will use. If you need help, give a shout and I can give you pointers!

~Alex