Organizing Ideas and Reproducibles: Are You a Ripper?
Posted by Jen Bragg on 26 Feb 2009 | Posted in: Organization and Supplies, Teachers and Teaching
The editors here at The Education Center® chat regularly about our days in the classroom. One topic that comes up about once a year deals with whether or not we were “rippers.” What does that mean? A ripper is a teacher who rips out pages from her teacher resource books rather than keeping the book intact. I am proud to say that I qualify as a ripper. Although I kept resources like monthly books intact, I ripped out my reproducible skills sheets and sorted them into files labeled with corresponding standards. I’m an organizer, and by ripping out these pages, I could better keep track of the materials I wanted to use.
At last check 33% of our editors were rippers and 66% were not. (It always seems like there are more of us rippers, but maybe we’re just more vocal about it.) What about you? Are you a ripper? Why or why not? I’m not the only editor here who wants to know, so please, share your thoughts!
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I’m a ripper because I’m also a clutter buster. I rip, copy, and file ideas into the corresponding units where I’ll actually USE the materials. When a file gets too full, I cull and keep the best ideas, then recycle the rest. I was a disorganized collector of great ideas I could never find until I started using this system. It took me years to go through all my materials and it’s an constant process since I haven’t stopped collecting! It’s so important to keep trying to refine organizational methods that work for you.
I have subscribed to Mailbox and Teacher Helper for many years and found that I didn’t use many of the ideas from past issues because I didn’t have time to look through the old issues. Last summer I ripped the old issues apart and placed them in file folders. It took some time to separate and organize the papers but it has been worth it. During the past year I was able to use more of the activities and lessons than ever before. I was glad to be able to give a fresh “new” spin to my lessons.
I must admit, I have been known to rip from time to time! Luckily I have been organized enough to remember to put the page back in its spot and then I hold the workbook together with a rubber band. In a couple of heavily used workbooks, I torn all pages out, punch holes in all, including the cover, and place it in a three ring binder. My school’s copy system forces us to send what we want copied via fax, so instead of copying another page (wasting paper), tearing has just made more sense to me!
I am proud to say that I am not a ripper. I like to copy from the book and keep the pages in tact.
I don’t rip because I cannot stand to think that I might forget about one of the activities on the back of a page or that I might mess up a reproducible. I cannot usually find the time to go through my magazines and make copies of the backsides of each page. I wish that I could be a ripper, I believe I wouldn’t forget about my resources as often.
I am a ripper. I tear the book apart. Make copies of pages that I need so I will have the front and back side of the page. I file them according to themes and content areas. When I need something on a certain subject I pull a folder and have it all at my fingertips. If I get behind filing I work on it the first week school is out and get everything reorganized for the next year.
Annette
I am not a ripper. Once I needed some pictures of ants for a bulletin board and I cut up a cover and it killed me!! I, too, copied and kept the Mailbox indexes in a binder along with print-outs of any searches I did. The search feature is a real time saver when you need something specific, so I’d print it out and save it with the indexes.
Could not be a ripper. I feel guilty breaking the binding on a book. I scan pages I need and put them into MS Office Notebook (new program and unbelievably valueable for organization.) This way I have the books to leaf through and have an electronic copy to use again and again.
I am NOT a ripper. If I ripped I would lose it.
I am so busy with all the classes that I teach it is very hard for me to keep up with things. I have an organizational disorder.
I love being able to make a nice copy from the online resources so that I do not have to rip. And if I lose that copy I can always make another one.
I’m a ripper. It really upsets me when there is something on the back of the page that I want to use, but it doesn’t fit into the category on the other side, so I have to make a photocopy. It takes me forever to get it all filed, though.
I am a ripper!! I have to organize everything by my state’s Course of Study requirements. I don’t like to take apart the nicely printed material, but I’m too structured a person not to.
I am not a ripper, but I do photocopy all ideas and file them in the appropriate file. I love books and cannot bring myself to rip them up. Plus, since I teach abroad, we need all of the resources that we can get and ripping would just destroy valuable resources.
I am not a ripper, but I copy all of the ideas that match my current themes. Once I have copied the pages I cut them out and place each piece into it’s appropriate folder. If I see the idea in my folder and I realize I wanted more from that magazine, I simply type the idea in the online index search and then go back to my original magazine. So in a way, I am a ripper, but only with the copied materials.
I am definitely a ripper. I rip apart my whole magazine, three hole punch the pages and keep them in a binder. All my April/May issues go in the same binder as do all the other monthly issues in their own binders. If there is an activity I know I will use or a seasonal activity I want to remember to use I make a copy of it and put it in that monthly file. So when I plan for the month I just pull out my Bookbag binder, my Mailbox binder, and my seasonal folde\ for that month and I’m ready to go!
I am a ripper purely for organizational reasons. I keep everything together by season, theme or content standard. I don’t have the time to search through all my books to find appropriate lessons. I want to pull out one file and find it all!
I am not only a ripper but I put the books in binders. I found this to be easier to have the while I was lesson planning. Now that I am a Program Director I find it easier to pull the pages for ideas in my staff newsletter.
I don’t rip and I don’t know why!!! I just do not seem to find the time to organize all my stuff anymore. I do like the idea of filing according to the standards though. Our school is so “PLC - Data Drive - Teach the Standards” it is almost taking the fun out of teaching. Your magazine is one of the few things I look forward to anymore!!!
LOVE the idea of copying the contents page of the Mailbox and filing them in a binder. I have struggled with this dilemma for quite awhile and believe this may be the solution for me. Thanks,Sarah and Mailbox as I just can’t bear the thought of ripping.:(
No way. No ripping here. I am an organizer, but I could NEVER destroy a book. I keep a sample of each reproducible I want to use in the subject file along with a note on it telling what book it came from and which page number it is on. Works great for me!
Total ripper here! Sometimes a book has one or two pages that fit a theme I use so I’ll rip them out to file with one or two pages from another on the same theme. When I need ideas on a specific theme…there are all of the many ideas in one easy to find alphabetized plastic file folder in my cabinet. (Unripped books just stay filed away in another cabinet and I never have the time to go through them.)For me, ripping is works great for the organization of themes in Kindergarten.
I am not a ripper. I just copy what I want either at home on our printer/copier or take it to school to copy. I would hate to do that to my books. I am a book lover so I try to take care of my things.
I am definitely a “Ripper!”. I try and try to keep my books intact, but it always seems to be that I forget what specifically is in each one and by the time I find it again, we’re done with that subject. I love getting books that SOMEBODY ELSE kept whole (so I can rip it apart); but I can’t seem to do it myself. It’s easier to make copies, I remember what I wanted out of each book, it’s SOOO much easier to keep all like things together to do a themed unit-these are good reasons for me to rip them out! Lots of folders, hopefully cross-referenced, are just a lot easier for me to deal with (in addition to all the other books and materials); than having a lot of books around that stay on the shelf and rarely get opened! Thanks for this question. I often feel guilty for taking a book apart; but seeing how many others do it, too, is really nice and encouraging!
NOT a ripper. No way would I take the chance of losing a great idea.
I am definitely a RIPPER!
I like to file things to “try” to keep some organization in my life, therefore I rip the great ideas out of the Teacher’s Helpers, file them away so they are just a file away when I need to use them. I never have time to flip through all the pages to find what I need and don’t have room for the magazines on my shelves. Thanks for all your great ideas!
Yes, I am a ripper. I like to keep my reproducibles organized by subject and skill. If I don’t, I can’t remember the exact book where the resource is that I wanted to use and I end up spending many frustrating minutes(sometimes hours) looking for it.
I am not a ripper! I like to have my books intact. When I receive the magazine, I go through and make copies of pages I think will fit in my curriculum and file the copied pages in the according skill file. This is nice when the answers are on the back already (if they are not and are in the back of the book, I copy the answer page on the back of the reproducible so that I do not have to hunt down the answers). I like my magazines/books to be in tact so I have a main source to go back to when I have lost a copied page or if somebody else wants to use my resources, they are accessible.
Yes, I am a ripper! I too tear everything out and file according to skill and/or subject area. I will admit that this takes time and effort but it helps to keep things at my fingertips. (I guess I figure vital time in the end.) A suggestion I have to keep units separated by content area. (Easier to file resources without the hassle of copying).
I forgot to mention, the only thing I will rip out are the posters. But pages remain sacred in my books and must be photocopied.
I’m not a ripper. I have to keep my resource books and magazines in good condition and completely intact. If I want to use a page, I make a good photocopy to keep as the master. That gets filed away, not my precious book pages. If another teacher wants to borrow one of my books, I make them promise me their first born child if they dare do any harm to one of my books/magazines. All my coworkers are well aware how much these books mean to me.
Yeh Carol, Yes let’s hear it for all us rippers! I am glad I am not alone. I have tons of files with all that useful information. How else would I remember how to make the butterfly project when we are waiting for our chrisyllis to hatch? and Posters? they are filed in my giant file box. Hopefully some new student teacher will appreciate it when I retire!!!
Yep…I am a ripper…If I don’t take out the pages that I would like to reproduce, I won’t do it! Ahhh!! I wish that the Mailbox magazine and books would have perforated pages…that would make the “ripping” experience much cleaner!
I am a ripper, but only with certain books. My Daily Language, Daily Math, Math Investigations, etc. are all ripped, placed in their own binder, using the actual cover inserted in the clear notebook cover, and all pages are in sleeves. This makes it much easier to duplicate, and also to file with each page any other needed work.
I never rip Mailbox, Teacher’s Helper, or Book Bag, as those are filed by month or season, with post-it’s for really important pages.
Oh my! Rip, never! Books and magazine should remain intack unless you are throwing them away, then it is okay to rip out a page and then very carefully place it into a page protector and file it in a binder.
Yes, I am a ripper but no longer of The Mailbox. Years ago when I first subscribed, I ripped out tons of pages and organized them in 3 binders - reading and language arts, math, and science/s.s. Along the way, the Mailbox offered on-line pages so I stopped and now I download the pages but I also keep my own index. This way I can easily find a lesson on subordinate conjunctions, clipart of a kite, etc. I do still rip but from other magazines- words to use in found poems or pictures to stimulate writing. Once a ripper, always a ripper. I also always rip up my junk mail. It must be the tactile in me!
RIP???!!!! I can’t even bear to tear out the activities and posters in the center of the magazine! This is one of the reasons I love the extenders online. I might eventually consider ripping if a.) I could afford to purchase the yearbooks in addition to my regular subscriptions; b.) If the pages were not a two page spread, but were front to back so themes would not be separated; and c.) If the pages were perforated!! Hmmm… I think the pages would also have to have some “white space” on the edge so I could punch holes in them without losing any information… otherwise I’d have greater space issues because I’d have to put everything in sheet protectors!!!
I am not a ripper but I plan on becoming partial one. I do not plan to rip pages out of the Mailbox magazine rather I print out the pages from the website to file. I plan on ripping my Teacher Helper magazines this summer so I can file them away by standard. The Teacher Helper lends itself to ripping more so than the Mailbox:-)
I am a ripper! I just wish the pages would tear out more easily!
I am a ripper, and then I buy the yearbook! This way I get both, the organization and the ease of sending the things for copies. I rip to make it easier for copying and remembering!
I am most definitely a ripper. I use so many different resources. I use the Mailbox magazine, the Book Bag, the Teacher’s Helper, my teacher’s manuals, and several other teachers’ books weekly. Therefore, I rip and file. So that I only have to drag home, a file not ten books. With three young children, it works for me. I just wish some of the magazines where a little easier to rip. The other upside is when I make copies I do not have to fuss with coping a book.
I am not a ripper. My stomach honestly turned when I read the title. I never could even write my name in my college books because that would be marring them. I copy the pages, place the copy in a sheet protector, and then place in a binder.
I also copy the contents page from the magazines and place them in another binder. This way if I’m looking for a certain topic, I look in the contents binder instead of having to go through each magazine.
I’m a ripper and have been for many, many years. I take all the corresponding materials related to the pages I’m taking out and file them according to lesson (matching, colors, word families, etc). Then I give the rest of the magazine to friends who may not subscribe to Mailbox. This way, we both win!
Let’s hear for all the rippers! It doesn’t destroy the magazine, it enhances the usage.
Not a MAILBOX ripper! Like to keep the book intact.
However, when I do rip a page, I keep a master with that lesson or the themed project. With scanning, I also keep a copy in my computer files by topic.
No way! I couldn’t rip a mailbox magazine. What happens if there is an activity on oceans on one side of the page and pets on the other?! I am a copier and filer by theme. I also enjoy the printable resources.
I’m with several others. I rip ideas about all sorts of things from other magazines and file them away for future reference, but I don’t rip my Mailbox mags. If there are ideas I really like and want to use, I make a copy (in color!). That way, I have it filed so its easy to locate, but my magazines stay in pristine condition for further reference.
I am highly organized but I do not rip. I copy all of the pages, make files or find the corresponding file and place the sheet in the file. To me, ripping is destroying. My mother taught me at a very young age, you never tear up anything you might read. When you rip, then the other half of the page falls out, gets lost and is much more difficult to place in a bookcase or shelf. I also worked in a library in undergraduate school so ripping would like be criminal.
I like to rip my Teacher’s Helpers and file away. I would rip my Mailbox if it were perferated like the Teacher’s Helper. Maybe that could be something that happens in the future.
I am a ripper. I rip pages out so that I can file them into like categories for easy access. If I leave them in the books, I tend to forget about them and then won’t use them. It saves me time and energy to rip out the pages and organize them based on skill or theme.
I became a ripper when I looked back at some old issues and realized there were ideas I’d forgotten about and could’ve used. I told myself that the magazines could be better used torn apart and filed and I began ripping.
I wish I was a ripper! I just spent much of my vacation week reorganizing my many volumes of Mailbox! Now if only I could find the time to rip and organize…
I’m a ripper and a copier. I have files for Pre-K and 1st-2nd grades. I’ve taught in both classrooms in our school. My files fill a whole drawer in my home filing cabinet and more at school. I love ripping articles from other magazines to add to Mailbox ideas.
Yes, I am a ripper. hee hee
I often hesitate to rip books apart because I am afraid I’ll misplace the only master copy I have. So I typically go through and make copies of the reproducibles I want, file them away and keep my magazines all together in one place.
I am a ripper. I forget what each magazine has in it. If it is February and we are studying simple machines, I will not remember that there is an activity in the October issue. So I like to rip out and put in file folders for better use by me.
I am/am not a ripper. It depends on what magazine/book I am looking at. I rip recipes, craft idea, home improvement ideas, and paper craft ideas, but I NEVER rip pages from my Mailbox magazines. I find it much easier to just write a subject/topic on a sticky note and run copies as needed. This way I know that I won’t ever lose something that I want again.
I rip mine out and then put them into a binder. I can combine several books into one. I usually combine books that are used together so they are all in one place.