The end of the year is finally here. Yepeiii! Even though you have summer vacation on your mind, take some time to think about how you can prepare your classroom so that it is organized and ready for next year.
It may seem odd to start getting ready for the next school year now when you are cleaning out your classroom and getting ready for summer, but trust me, it’s the perfect time.
Why the End of the Year is the Best Time to Get Organized
Don’t cut your summer short by preparing your classroom days or a week before your first duty day. Get it ready at the end of the previous school year!
Too many teachers work in their classrooms before the school year begins, when it is not in their contract to do so. I was one of them. Now, I start work on the day that I need to report.
Instead of going into your classroom a week early to prepare for the new school year, take time at the end of the previous school year to get organized.
Anything you don’t finish can be completed during professional development days or after school during the first week.
Prepare Your Classroom for Fall Before Summer Break
While my students are working on some fun, end-of-the-year projects independently, I am on a mission to organize and get my classroom ready for next year.
I know no one wants to think about the beginning of the year when summer hasn’t even started, but trust me, you will thank yourself for it.
Here are some tips to get your classroom in tip-top shape for the next school year.
How to Prepare Your Classroom for the Next School Year
1. Create a To-Do Checklist
It can be overwhelming to think about everything you need to do to organize for next year, so create some calm, write yourself a checklist.
There is something about dumping all your thoughts onto paper that makes large tasks manageable.
If you don’t know exactly what to do to organize your classroom, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. You can download my End of the Year Classroom Checklist below.
2. Declutter Classroom Materials in Stages
Don’t wait until the last few days of school to declutter. Start a few weeks before the last day of school. Choose an area to declutter and work on one area per day.
When organizing your desk (or workspace table), be selective of all your decorative things. They are taking prime real estate, so only keep a few things to clear space. Less is more. The following tips will help you not only with your workspace but an area in your classroom that you want to tackle.
Take Everything Out and Sort
The first step to any decluttering is to take everything out of your cabinet, drawer, box, etc.
Create three piles:
- Keep
- Donate
- Toss
If you haven’t used something in 2 years, donate or toss it. Believe me, if it’s been two years since you haven’t used it, I guarantee you won’t use it.
Have you heard of the 20/80 rule? We use 20% of our things, 80% of the time. Give yourself permission to rid yourself of 80% of the things you do not use.
I usually put items I want to donate in the staff lounge, with a sign that says “Free”. If it is still there after 3 days, then I will recycle or trash it.
Put like items together
Do you have math manipulatives in separate areas? If so, how is that working for you? I bet it isn’t. Like items should be placed together and stored together, so you can easily find them.
Place items where you will use them
If you need tape to post chart paper on your whiteboard, do you have your tape close by? Items that you use often should be placed close to where you use them.
For example, small group reading books shouldn’t be across the classroom from your small group reading table. Be strategic about where you place things you use often, so you aren’t walking around your classroom back and forth.
3. Label Commonly Used Items for Better Organization
Label commonly used items because there is no way you can label everything! But most importantly, commit to putting things back where they belong.
You don’t need a fancy label maker; you can write on small index cards or label stickers. Heck, even Post-it notes taped on will do, like in the image below.
Label your drawers, cabinets, plastic bins, file cabinets, and binders. Do what you can in small doses.
Labeling helps you to maintain order and will motivate you to place things back where they belong. It minimizes chaos and helps the day run smoothly.
Labeling items for yourself is just as important as labeling materials for your students. Since my students’ desks are so small, they don’t have enough space for some of their materials. My solution was to label some containers by color. Each team is assigned a color, and they keep their materials inside that container (see below).
4. Organize Your Paper Work Like a Pro
Place Files in the Order They Are Used
Go through your file cabinet and label your hanging folders. Color code them and place files in the order you use them throughout the year.
For example, the first subject I teach at the beginning of the school year is equivalent fractions, then adding and subtracting fractions, so those two folders are in that order in my math file cabinet. I do the same with holiday as you can see in the picture below.
Toss Hard Copies that are on PDF
Toss any copies that you haven’t used in two years, and if you have a PDF of a hard copy, don’t waste your time putting it in a manila folder to file; toss the hard copy.
If it’s on your computer, then there is no reason to keep a hard copy of it. It’s much easier to organize PDFs on your computer than to organize hard copies in your file cabinet.
5. Declutter and Organize Your Classroom Library
By the end of the year, I bet your classroom library is a bit of a mess. Students will inevitably place books where they don’t belong, so I will elect their help with reorganizing your classroom books.
Ask students to find books that they don’t want to read, or books that look old and outdated. There is no reason to let books just collect dust if nobody wants to read them.
Have them place them on a table, and go through them to make the final cut.
If you see books that former students have read and liked, keep them. Make the rest available for students to take home, and what is left over gets recycled or discarded.
6. Keep Bulletin Boards Up
If your bulletin boards are in good shape, please keep them up. Don’t waste your time taking them down, to just turn around and put them back up a few months later.
I learned long ago to use cloth bulletin boards or heavy-duty ones made of a plastic material.
I’ve bought plastic shower curtains (yes, you heard that right) from the dollar store that I have used to “wallpaper” my room, and so far they have lasted 3 years, and they are still going strong.
Think strategically about what you take down. If your administration is ok with it, leave posters and bulletin boards up so there is no need to put them back up when school starts again. One less thing to do!
7. Rethink Your Classroom Procedures and Layout
Think about procedures you want to change and improve. Whether they involve classroom management or reward systems, make a note of the changes you want to implement in the beginning of the school year.
Does the layout of your classroom make sense? Do you have a drawer of math manipulatives far from your math center table?
Be strategic about where you place your desk and tables. Make it so that you aren’t walking back and forth in your classroom to just grab one item that you need.
8. Prepare the First Week of School Activities
It’s hard to think about the next school year when you are already overwhelmed with doing report cards and cleaning up your room, but I promise you that making copies for the first week of school will make the beginning of the year less stressful.
The copy machine is normally occupied at the beginning of the year. Think how great you will feel when you know that your copies are done and you can focus on lesson planning and setting up your classroom. It’s a huge burden lifted off your shoulders, trust me.
Not sure what copies to make? Ice breakers and “Get-to-Know-You Activities” are a must. Read my blog post “5 Ice Breakers for the First Day of School”. I also wrote a blog post “First Day of School Lesson Plans” that goes into detail on what exactly you can do on the first day of school. It includes a free downloadable lesson plan.
If you need resources to get you through the first week of school, check out my Back to School Classroom Survey and Activities, both in English and Spanish.
Final Thoughts on End-of-Year Organization
In conclusion, these ideas will help you be prepared for next school year so that you start on the right foot. As hard as it may seem, finishing off the end of the year by preparing for the next, will set the tone for a successful school year.