Dear Teacher,
Why do you have SO MUCH stuff in your classroom?!
Signed,
The Teacher With Too Much Stuff in Her Classroom!
True story y'all! Maybe you're a first year teacher reading this and thinking “I don't have enough!” OR maybe you're on your twentieth year going “Girl, I've been there and dumped that!”. Truth is, we collect a lot of stuff. If the show Hoarders were to come to ANY elementary school, I bet they would see that we are worse than your average grandma.
So what can we do about it?
Easy …. wait until after summer and clean it ALL out! Sure that sounds simple enough, but here are some things to keep in mind:
1. What Do You Need or Not Need?!
Be sure you have a clear understanding of what you are going to use for the upcoming school year, or will ever use again. Keep in mind, you probably have to hold on to anthologies and loads of dictionaries, thesauruses, and so on and on. With these types of ‘supplies' already taking up space, there really isn't a whole lot of room left for other things. You must decide what is a keeper and what really doesn't need to be kept.
2. Sort the Piles
After you have your ‘keepers' and ‘non-keepers', it's time to divide and conquer each pile. For the ‘keepers', you have to sort and organize. Perhaps you use bins or buckets to put each item in to. However, you could also have lots of storage space and you can sort by subject/supplies/decor/etc. With the ‘non-keepers' pile, you should sort between what can be thrown away and what can be passed on to others who could use it. *You may have a common space in your school where you can drop off items for other teachers to come rummage through. You could also donate to the local thrift shop or Goodwill.
3. Smile, You're Done!
So you've sorted, organized, and rid yourself of the items you truly do NOT need. Now you can take a deep breath and smile. You are prepared for the incoming year. SO if you are like me …. you're ready to head out and buy more! (Come on …. you had to know that was coming …. you're a teacher!)
Enter this amazing giveaway in order to add more goodies for your classroom!
6 Responses
I like to keep one copy of any books with stories – even if the book is old it might have a great story for a read aloud for yourself or to use as part of a sub plan.
I have had to move classrooms every year, the only upside is that I have to go through all my stuff and I tend to get rid of anything I don't think I will use again. I hate being surrounded by clutter so I have no problem getting rid of things! I hate going into other classrooms where they just have way too much stuff!
I've gotten really good over the years at packing everything up/organizing/sorting before the school year ends. I hate coming back to a mess at the beginning of the school year 😝 It's taken me 5 years to get a good system but every year I get better. Where DOES all that stuff come from??
Thanks for sharing. Love your tips and suggestions.
Loved your suggestions…I have had to move my classroom again this year so I wish I would have read them earlier! Thank you!
LOVE your suggestions, and LOVE your decorative clip-boards hanging on the wall! I struggle with throwing stuff out, because everything's useful to me. But I've become very, very good at organizing and hiding the stuff so at least it looks good. 🙂 — Renee