You know my mom, the realtor, says that all teachers are "a little different", I think now that she's wrong. We are the same! Too funny about the geographic layers lesson! I think Im going to use that idea! Not only is it a great visual but I can then justify my desk mess as lesson prep, lol.

Molly, you win!  I know my desk has mile-high stacks most years, but I'm pretty sure I've never found a Christmas card in May.  LOL!

I already accomplished one of my goals right after summer school ended.  I cleaned out my double hutch closet that had been accumulating "things" for the past 20 of my teaching years.  And yes I had those purple ditto papers in there also.  My next goal is to clean out my file cabinets.  They are so overstuffed I cannot get papers in or out with any ease at all.  I seem to think I have to keep all my extra copies including assignments I haven't used in years.  What is it about us teachers?!?  We always think we might need something.  I feel like a packrat.................................

I "inherited" a classroom jam packed with nearly 30 years' worth of materials.  I am going into my third year in that room and I just now think that I have succeeded in weeding through most of the stuff to the point where I can almost breathe in there.  :-) 

My 3 biggies this year:

1)  Get and stay organized!
2)  Take some time for ME and my family occasionally
3)  Improve my teaching methods for Math

Tracey - I used to say that the day I retired I was just walking out and locking the door.  Until, my teaching partner did just that - and guess who had to go in and sort through all of the stuff!

Organization is my big goal this year, also!