The Power of Documentation

Keeping a record of your day with personal observations and opinions will be helpful in many ways. If a parent has questions about past events in your classroom or an administrator’s recollection of a conversation with you is not what you recall, you can refer back to your journal. Your journal can be a real lifesaver.

In court cases, a physician's notes are a key part of evidence. The same thing holds true when the defendant (or plaintiff) is a teacher.

*Keep a notebook in your desk drawer. Red is a good color for a cover.

*When anything unusual happens, write it down.

*Just the facts: Date, Time, Place, Those Involved, What Happened, What Was Said

*Who, What, Where, When--Not Why--Not How

*You may use First Person (I saw...) or Third Person (Mrs. Hopkins saw...)

*Keep emotions out of the documentation.

*Look for patterns over time.

*Do not overwrite--documentation should take 30 seconds to 2 minutes per day, not a half hour.

*Date and file all correspondence from parents. Keep every piece of paper from the school or central office. You don’t need an elaborate filing system. Just keep one folder for each category per year.

Most importantly, keep documenting! You plus your notes outweighs an accuser (or defendant) without documentation.

Source: TSTA Beginning Teacher E-newsletter, November 19, 2008

Sources for more teacher tips and ideas:

http://geocities.com/mrsjacksonsclass/

http://geocities.com/mrsjacksonsclass/teachertipsideas.htm

http://geocities.com/mrsjacksonsclass/classmanagementideas.htm