Classroom organization is probably the last thing on your mind right now, right? You’ve worked hard all school year! It’s no surprise that you might not have the time or energy to put toward frivolous forays into the world of tidying.
Soon, however, all your kids will go home for a well-deserved summer break, and you’ll be left with a peacefully quiet classroom.
You’ll finally have time to turn your attention to the bread and butter of teaching—your resources, your room, and most importantly, yourself. Whether you want to get into it immediately or after some time away, you’ll need to do a serious amount of organizing and tidying so that you can start the new school year fresh and re-energized!
Tips for Classroom Organization at the End of the School Year
Organization in the classroom doesn’t just make things easier on you — it makes it easier on your students too. So when you’re ready (go ahead, give yourself a breather … you deserve it!), here are some classroom organization ideas from the teacher team at Teach Starter.
#1 Clear Out Broken Student Supplies
If you’re one of those teachers who has a large tub of broken and half-used student supplies, you’re not alone. When I was teaching, any items that were found on the floor without a label were put in the ‘No Name’ box. If a student was missing an item or needed something they didn’t have, this was their first port of call.
It’s tempting to keep these items year after year ‘just in case’. Chances are, however, you’ll just keep accumulating them until your classroom is one big ‘No Name’ box itself!
Keep the items that are in perfect working order. If it’s broken or nearing the end of its life, chuck it! You don’t have to feel guilty for sending it all to landfills, either! Companies such as TerraCycle take all your old office supplies (as long as they’re not electrical!) and make sure they’re disposed of sustainably.
#2 Reflect on the Year
While everything is still fresh in your head, complete an End of Year Mindful Self Reflection for Teachers. Reflecting at the end of the year is a great opportunity to take a step back and concentrate on your achievements and learning journey as a teacher, and begin to plan for a successful year ahead.
You’ll answer questions like:
- What was your greatest achievement this year?
- What was your happiest moment with your students this year?
- What would you have done differently this year?
- What was your biggest struggle or cause of stress this year?
- What could you do to make next year easier?
- What will be your number one goal for next year?
#3 4 Take Down Your Displays
When I was a teacher, designing displays was one of my favorite things to do at the start of the year. I would get crafty, using cardboard, fabric, and displays I’d found online (Teach Starter of course!) and spend hours cutting, laminating, and sticking them to the wall. It was always a little bit sad to disassemble the displays at the end of the year.
Here are some key tips to ensure that your displays stay in top condition and reusable for years to come:
- Take a photo before you dismantle your displays so you know exactly what is in each display, and how best to fit everything together.
- Keep each display in a large plastic envelope. This will make sure nothing gets lost and you can keep it safe from moisture and dust while it’s in storage.
- Get a plastic tub for each Learning Area so that all your displays are together. It’s easy to find the display on Narrative writing when you know it’s in the Writing box!
- It’s worth it to keep displays with student names, especially if you’ve used a particular Classroom Theme Pack and are planning on re-using it. You never know when you’ll have another Matthew, Sarah, or John! Why remake a perfectly good display?
#4 Refresh Your Resources
If your displays are looking a little worse for wear, it’s time to be brutal and send them to the big recycling bin in the sky. The purpose of putting up displays is to engage students in your content and provide them with a bright, happy, and inclusive classroom. Having clean and tidy displays not only creates a positive classroom environment, but it also leads by example when it comes to having your students take care of their own learning environment.
Other resources you may need to refresh at the end of the year include games and manipulatives. Get out each game and make sure it has all its pieces. If not, replace them!
If you’re looking for a fresh start, browse our website – we upload dozens of new and innovative resources every week. Use Teach Starter’s Classroom Theme Packs and Studio function to create unique class names and vocabulary words year after year!
Here are some of my favorites:
#5 Declutter
If you’re having to move rooms (the bane of every teacher’s life!) make the most of the opportunity to de-clutter and sort through your belongings.
Worksheets from the 90s? Ditch them. Haven’t used that perfectly usable science kit that’s been sitting in your cupboard for years? Donate it to another teacher!
Our blog 5 Ways to Nail the Perfect End-of-Year Classroom Clean Out gives some amazing suggestions on how to declutter your classroom.
If you’re not a fan of a cleanout because you’re afraid of creating trash or needing something later down the track, have a teacher garage sale where you create a pile of unwanted items and open your door to all your colleagues to come and collect!
Better yet, see if there’s an organization in the local community that would love some donated classroom items.
#6 Sort Things to Take Home
A teacher’s classroom is their home away from home. Chances are, you spend more time there during the school year than you do in your own house!
Make sure you clear out your classroom of things to take home before you turn the lights off and shut the door for the final time.
Here are some suggestions of things that you might need to take home:
- lunch containers or mugs that need an extra deep clean
- cushions and rugs that may need a good clean
- any class plants or pets that can’t survive if left to their own devices
- money or valuables
- textbooks you’d like to read over the summer
- any planning resources you want to use if you choose to work from home
- gifts you may have received at the end of the year.
#7 Pack Up What You’re Keeping
Whether you’re moving classrooms or not, the end of the year is a great time to collate and pack up your belongings. It is likely that your school will be giving your walls and floor a good clean over the summer!
To avoid your objects being broken or misplaced, pack them away in a tidy manner, and put them up against the walls with your desks and chairs. Try to keep as much intact as possible so that it’s ready to set out when you return after the new year.
This is also the perfect chance for you to re-organize your games, displays, folders, books, and other resources! Teacher Holly’s blog 6 Cheap and Clever Classroom Organization Hacks can get you off to a good start with the smaller bits and pieces!
For larger items such as games and displays, you can’t go past a good plastic tub. Color-coordinated tubs that fit easily onto shelving in your classroom make bright additions to your classroom without costing the earth. Alternatively, why not hang games up in plastic envelopes so that they are displayed and ready to grab when you need them in the new year?
As you pack up each area, wipe it down with a damp cloth or some spray and wipe to ensure it’s ready to go in the new year.
#8 Prep for the Year Ahead
If you feel you’ve said goodbye to the year that was, and are eager to look ahead to the future – this one is for you!
Whether you’re continuing on in the same grade or changing it up completely (I went from teaching Grade 4/5 for five years to teaching Grade 2!), there are some staple steps you should follow to get ready for the new year.
Step 1 – Get your new class list.
Once you’ve got your new class list, you can confirm the number of resources you’ll need. Desks, chairs, pencil tubs, drawers, mini-whiteboards, tablets, the list goes on! Ensure you’re adequately prepared for your new students well ahead of time (until a surprise student enrolls, anyway!).
You might also like to take this opportunity to create some wonderful customizable name templates.
Other things you might like to get prepped once you have your class list include:
- class progress tracker folders
- homework booklets
- reading journals
- show and tell schedule
- classroom jobs roster.
Step 2 – Prep to meet your new families.
I always like to put together a little pack at the start of the year with information for Parent Information Night.
A little page with information about me, my teaching experience, and personal interests is a great icebreaker when meeting new parents. I always make sure to include a class schedule with important days, a year calendar, and information on my class rules, routines, and expectations. Parent communication is imperative, so make sure everyone is up to date at the start of the year!
Step 3 – Make sure you are curriculum-ready.
If you are lucky enough to stay in the same grade, chances are you will be able to reuse and recycle a lot of your planning and resources from the year before – lucky you!
For those teachers starting from scratch, printing off games, worksheets, and activities for your new grade’s curriculum can save you a lot of time and stress in the future. You can guarantee language arts and math basics will be used, even if you’re not sure of the specific order you’ll be teaching topics. If you have a teaching partner, collaborate with them so that you can collaborate and share resources.
What’s on your classroom organization to-do list? Comment below to let us know!
Banner image via shutterstock/mccannmp1
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