9 Places to find hidden clutter in your classroom
By Christian Howd | June 23, 2007
Classrooms have a way of hiding clutter. Closets, book shelves, tables, desks and counters are all inviting surfaces for those random objects that collect around the classroom. The Unclutterer blog says that, while you might have a place to store an object, you might not have the best place to store it. Even further:
Just because you have space to store an object doesn’t mean that you should.
So if you are looking for places to starting decluttering your classroom, here are a few ideas:
- Desk drawers. Pokemon cards, crazy pencils, aspirin from 1994…who knows what is residing in your desk? If you are like me, you have accumulated confiscated student contraband, a random assortment of office supplies, and a collection of forms, as well as files and other important or not-so-important papers. Toss old student materials, obsolete forms and old papers. Sort your office supplies to make them accessible and usable.
- Under your desk. That’s where that missing bag went! Teachers plunk down their heavy load by the desk, and it’s only a matter of time before something gets shoved under there. Take a peek and see what valuable (or not) materials are down there.
- Classroom book shelves. Classroom books shelves aren’t exclusively reserved for books. Are your students using all the materials you set out there? Can some of those materials that aren’t used frequently be moved to a better storage area?
- Curriculum book shelves. Do you really need 50 copies of the science standards? What about that folder of professional development materials from 2001? Start hacking away at this area and get it down to what you reference most and find useful.
- Closets. Cover me, I’m going in! Besides the overzealous dust bunnies, closets are the classic location for old folders, notebooks, binders, curriculum materials, obsolete text books, classroom decorations. Be realistic with what you need and use, and eliminate the rest.
- Tables and counter tops. Classroom tables and counter tops with their large, flat surfaces are the perfect storm for clutter. Most materials shouldn’t reside here, unless you are stocking the table with materials students need to access. Storage here should be temporary. Resist the urge to just set things down because you see the surface, and find better locations for the things that are already on your surfaces.
- Filing cabinets. It’s nice to walk down memory lane by looking through your masters from 1987. And if you are like most teachers, you have accumulated multiple copies of everything! You might just have a few favorite materials you access, with the others being for “just in case.” Get drastic with this area, keeping only things you have used within the last year or have specific plans to use in the future. If you haven’t used it lately, chances are you won’t use it in the future.
- Computer desk. Whether your computer is by your desk or located out so students can access it, this is an ideal place to collect scattered writing utensils, paper and other trinkets. Keep a clean surface here to place paper-based materials you may reference while on the computer.
- Computer files. While this clutter isn’t physical, having a disorganized “My Documents” can still create mental anguish when you just know you saved that file somewhere. Organize your files into folders and start saving into the proper folder. You will locate what you need faster.
10 Places to Find Hidden Clutter [Unclutterer]
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June 28th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
I typically threw out what I did not use in the previous year of teaching. Very rarely did I regret it. Great post and great ideas!