Tippy Tuesday: Homeschool File System

Last week, I showed you my notebook system for keeping track of all the paper stuff homeschooling throws at you (which I'm sure I've only seen the tip of that iceberg...).  This week, I'll show you the beginning of what I hope is a filing system that will work for years to come.

As I took time to thank my Home Ec professors for instilling in me a love of (read: dependence upon) notebooks, I need to take time to thank the Engineering Department at Union University for the opportunity to learn what a good filing system looks like.  When you are the secretary of a department that is working towards accreditation, you work with files.  Lots of files.  Engineering had 13 areas in which it wanted to document achievement.  So each student had to have a file for each of the 13 areas in which various copies of their work could be stowed away for the people who were to come view the department for accreditation approval.  The entire back wall of my closet-office was file cabinets!  It was hard work to set that kind of a filing system up; but once it was finished, it ran seamlessly and served its purpose well.  The department received accreditation!

So, fast-forward from newlywed secretary to homeschool mom of three.  I have one big independent file box for homeschooling.  Thank you, Crayola, for providing colored markers -- because I'm a woman of color!  :-)  (See previous post...)

The first set of files are for adult purposes.  There is an unlabeled file in front to hold labels for notebook divider tabs and Sonlight's sticker label sheets (see previous post...).  Legal for things dealing with state requirements.  Hope Academy for our church's oversight group and Co-op information.  Sonlight to archive information, receipts, and such from them.  Archway Academy -- because that's the name Matt and I chose for our home school!  In each of these folders, I paperclip together all the information for one year and put a labeled post-it on the front.  Tips & Advice for random information I receive that will help us in our homeschooling endeavor.

Adult Files

Labeled post-its for each year, including which student was in which grade.

The second set of files are for archiving purposes.  I could easily be a pack rat when it comes to things my children do...if space allowed.  But then, I really don't like a lot of excess either.  Makes me feel cluttered.  So I've decided this is how it will work.  Throughout the year, each student's completed work will be kept in that year's notebook (again, see previous post...).  At the end of that year, Matt & I will go through the notebook with each student and choose several worksheets and projects that were favorites.  Those will then be placed in the "archive" file for that student in that grade.  Enter color!  Judah's favorite is red.  Elijah's blue.  Eden's purple (well, her mom's fav...).  So I used that color to label their files so it's more at-a-glance friendly.  I started with the Toddler folders because there are things I like to keep from the toddler years -- especially the first time they used a crayon, etc.

All this not to say "I will never change the system" or find ways it could be improved... But for our family, I really think this will work for many years!