It’s the last week of school, and it’s time to start taking everything down. Maybe you’re staying in the same classroom next year, or maybe you’re not. Either way, getting your classroom ready at the end of the year is no small feat! Here are 5 tips I have to reduce your stress when preparing your room for summer.
1. Start Ahead of Time
If at all possible, start working on your room ahead of time. I know, this one is really hard considering the million things going on at the end of the year. But if you can spend 15-30 minutes every couple days throwing things out, organizing your materials, or even boxing things up, you will thank yourself later. I am REALLY bad at this one, but the better I get at it, the less stressed I feel each year.
2. Let your students help
Students LOVE to help! There are so many things they can help with: cleaning desks, peeling off name tags, organizing books, and more! Give a student a Clorox wipe and they suddenly want to clean everything in sight. Find something that all students can start with (like cleaning their desks) and then slowly assign small groups of students to do other tasks. Once they finish, they can go back to their desks to work on an activity like Memory Books. I like to have my students sign up for a job or two before we start this process. They get excited and pick something they’re (usually) good at.
3. Ditch What You Can
We all know to do this one, but teachers are terrible hoarders! Did someone say FREE? I’m in! I have collected so many things over the years that I simply DO NOT NEED. I’m doing a better job now, but I still have lots of little items collecting. Think through what is essential and what is not. It’s difficult, because there are so many items we only use once a year, when we get to “that” lesson, but I believe you can let go of a lot more than you might think…
4. Label Your Boxes
I mean, this should go without saying, but I personally forget do this one often. Label your boxes! You can write directly on the box, the packing tape, or a sticky note like me! If you do it like me, I recommend taping the sticky note down so it doesn’t mysteriously disappear. As you can see, I am a sloppy labeler. I write a lot of details on my boxes. Do whatever works best for you and will help you identify what’s inside the boxes come fall.
5. Put Some Things in Clear Containers
Perhaps even more helpful than labeling boxes is making the boxes you use clear! I would solely use clear bins if they didn’t cost so much, but I do use as many as I can! This is a great if you’re storing candy for your prize bin or anything else in that vein. Get an air tight container and you should be good to go! PLUS, this is the perfect way to store those essential materials you’ll need when setting up your classroom again in the fall. Keep it in sight!
There you have it! 5 tips guaranteed to help you as you prepare your room for summer. Let me know what other amazing tips you have in the comments – I’d love to hear!
