Many of us are getting ready to go back to our classrooms and start setting up for a new school year. I don’t know about you, but I get really overwhelmed the minute I walk into my room. All the furniture is pushed against one wall and everything is out of place. So here are five things I focus on when getting my room in order.
Arrange the furniture
I take all the desks and arrange them in an inner U-shape and an outer U-shape. Then I move the bookcases, file cabinets, and other objects where they are supposed to go. Then I place all the chairs around the room. Below is the arrangement I am going for. At the beginning of each year, I arrange my desks in this manner until I get to know the students and they learn the routines.
Go through the library
The library is my nemesis. I have to do it first. I take all the books out of the shelves, wipe them down, clean baskets, and then organize them back into the shelves. I also take out any books that look past their prime or are not being touched due to lack of interest. I donate those that I can.
Every year, I purchase a lot of books according to my students’ interests. The truth is – I have too many books. I know that is not a bad thing, but it is a lot to manage. And that is why I do the library first!
Get rid of stuff you’re not using
I am not sure if I am channeling Marie Kondo or what? I use to have the attitude – don’t get rid of it, you might use that in the future. Now, I am like, if you haven’t used this in the last few years, it has got to go! I guess my twenty-five-year teaching experience has caught up with me. I have clearly collected a lot of stuff. Therefore in the last few years, I have been trying to dump what I can (literately to make room). I know I am still a hoarder, what teacher isn’t, but I am making progress.
Mainstream curriculum by putting it in the same place
Last year, I realized I had social studies curriculum behind my desk, in a file cabinet, and in one of my closets. I wish I could say it was just that subject, but no, it was all of them. No wonder I was struggling to find anything. I had to check three places. So I redid my file cabinet with each drawer designated for a certain subject; math, language arts, science, social studies, beginning and ending of the year, etc.
This made it so much better. If I needed a math activity, it was somewhere in the math drawer. This year I want to organize the drawers by the order I use the activities during the year.
Decorate with empty bulletin boards
At my school, we do Back to School Night in the second week of school. I prepare my bulletin boards before school begins and they are empty. It can seem embarrassing on the first day of school when the students arrive and your classroom looks a little bare. But I educate my parents, student work will be up by Back to School Night. I am not against boards that help teach our concepts or themes, but I do like to display student work, especially at the beginning of the year.
The photos below are of two boards that are empty when school begins. One is where I hang each writing piece the students create during the year. The other is one that I change out every month or two.
So as you return to your classroom, try these tips to help get your room ready. I hope you have a great year and your preparation goes quick!
Karen
