At the end of last school year, I left a district I had been in for eleven years! Moving allowed me to live much closer to my family (now it’s 10 minutes to see my parents, not two hours), so it was definitely the right choice.
While I’m excited to start this new adventure, leaving a building I’d been in for more than a decade meant I had to face some harsh decluttering truths! Decluttering my classroom was a labor of love, sweat, and constant overthinking. These are the decluttering truths I found most harsh but helpful.
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Process Matters
Having a decluttering plan really helped me figure out how to empty my classroom. First, I knew I wanted to leave on the last day of school, turn in my laptop and keys, and be done. That helped give me a deadline. I also knew that I wanted to avoid weekend or late night trips, so I came up with a strategy that would help me meet those goals.
Taking 10-15 minutes to think through a system helps in the long run. First, I identified what items I would need for the last day, for the last week, and for the last month. That told me where to start and where I would end.
Your Desk
I don’t have a true teacher desk anymore (read about why), but I do have an organizer where traditional desk items live. Decluttering my desk was one of the quickest and most common sense parts of packing up.
- First, I was surprised by how much expired medicine I had in my desk. That had to go!
- I also kept asking myself “Do you need more than 1?” More often than not, the answer was “no,” so I tossed, recycled, donated, and passed along.
- School districts give out a weird amount of swag: reusable bags, keychains, water bottles, etc. Since I’m moving to a new school, these are easy to pass along and leave for a new teacher.
The Harshest Decluttering Truths
Of the lessons I learned packing up my classroom, these decluttering truths were the toughest!
- First, I decluttered some of my classroom library. While I love all of the titles on my shelf (Tamora Pierce, for example), some are not often checked out, so I donated or gave them away. Other books have proven to be distracting or inappropriate for my students. For example, the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them would get checked out all the time, not because students loved it but because it’s short, and they wanted to skate by during silent reading.
- Then, I sorted through my old classroom decor. I had a weird number of borders for a high school teacher, so I put half of them in the workroom for free. I had fabric scraps left from old bulletin boards and mismatched seasonal items. I also had some unopened bulletin board letters, so I put them out for free, too. The idea that “if I haven’t used it yet, I’m not going to use it now” guided me a lot!
- Next, I had a few unfinished projects. In every case, it was a project I probably would never finish, so they had to go. If you haven’t finished the project, then it’s time to let it go!
- Finally, I went through my collection of student gifts. Over the years, you collect tchotchkes, graduation invitations, letters, etc. While my students were testing, I went through my collection. I kept most of it, but there were plenty of duplicates, weathered, and beaten pieces that I could recycle. Plus, going through these memories was such a joy!
Most Important Decluttering Truths
For me, these were the most important decluttering truths. Honestly, I may need to keep these decluttering truths in mind for my home, too!
- First, how often do I need a digital and a print copy? Almost never. In fact, doing a digital declutter was just as important as doing a physical declutter. My Google Drive was a disaster, so I found that purge very satisfying!
- Finally, this was the most important process for me. Does this item have a home? Is it worth taking the time to give it a home? If not, then it has to go. Treasured, valuable, and necessary classroom items do have a home because they have a purpose. For example, my task cards are essential, so they are carefully organized.
