Organized Desks for Students

Does it drive you crazy when you walk by a student's desk and you see things hanging out? What about those desks where things just fall out on their own? Do those eraser shavings, paper scraps, and pieces of trash bother you? If so, I have a solution.

I got this idea from my friend and coworker, Laura. She saw this on Pinterest and decided to try it. I saw it at work in her classroom and knew I had to try it, too! It isn't free, but it's an inexpensive investment that will last for years. What is the idea? Desk baskets!

I went to Dollar Tree and purchased 20 baskets, so my cost was $20. That was three years ago. My baskets look just as good now as they did when I bought them. I would say that is $20 well-spent!

If you decide to try these, I highly recommend only buying one desk basket first to make sure that it will fit your students' desks. 

These baskets are just the right size to fit in students' desks. At the beginning of the year, each student has a basket in his/her desk. I make a big deal about the baskets at the beginning of the year. I have stickers in the baskets to tell students what is allowed in the baskets. I tell students that baskets must stay on one side of their desk. The other side will hold their books, workbooks, etc. Each day, for the first several weeks of school, I monitor desk baskets closely. It takes some time each day to look through all of the baskets, but it is time well-spent. When students know what is and isn't allowed, and are held to these standards, the baskets are never a problem.

This is a student's desk without a desk basket:

This is a student's desk with a desk basket:

Here is a picture of the label that I put inside of the baskets:

Do you want this label? You can customize it to say whatever you want. Click here to download your desk basket labels. I used a plain font due to licensing, but you are welcome to change it up however you like to fit your classroom.

My colleague also uses desk baskets, but she uses smaller ones. These work well for her classroom. Here is a picture of hers:

I would love to know how you keep your students' desks organized. Please leave a comment below!

Monica - NC Teacher Chick