Kate teaches fourth grade. 

She’s been teaching for three years and she’s gotten into a pretty good groove. Her classroom management skills have grown stronger each year — she’s known for having well-behaved, attentive students. And Kate brings a lot of energy to her instruction. Her lessons are engaging and she differentiates with ease to make sure she meets the needs of all her students. 

It sounds like Kate has things well under control. And she does. Except…

Kate feels like she’s drowning. 

Her classroom is chock full of “stuff.” 

And it’s not even all hers. 

Kate inherited her classroom from a veteran teacher. This teacher — because she was retiring — was kind enough to leave Kate all her resources and supplies. There are papers, anchor charts, old textbooks, and teacher guides everywhere. They’re on shelves, inside and on top of cupboards, and in piles around the room. 

Just looking at all of it stresses Kate out. And when she searches for a supply or resource that she knows is in there “somewhere?” Cue the feelings of overwhelm and defeat. 

Kate knows she needs to do something. But she doesn’t know where to start. 

Luckily for Kate —  and any of you who relate to Kate’s story — I do know where to start.

It all starts with a purge

A purge is the first step in ending the overwhelm that comes from having too much stuff in your classroom. 

You can’t turn your current space into an organized classroom with systems that work without first going through all you have and purging what you don’t need. 

I know it can seem daunting. And it’s true that it will look worse before it looks better. But it is so worth it. You’ll experience such relief when it’s over. You and your classroom will feel lighter and happier. 

A classroom purge that puts you on the road to an organized classroom has three main steps. 

1 | Choose an area to begin with 

For example, start with your teaching materials. Dig through cupboards, closets, desk drawers, and piles around the classroom and bring all the teaching materials to one central location. Make sure you have plenty of room to spread out. 

2 | Sort into like piles  

It’s time to take the large pile and turn it into smaller piles. Take those teaching materials and put all of your reading workbooks together, your printed writing pages together, and so on. 
This is not the time to make a judgment about whether or not to keep anything. That comes next. In this step, you’re simply sorting what you have. 

3 | Tackle each pile 

Now you’ll go through each pile, one at a time. You’ll evaluate each item’s usefulness and value to you and your students. Each item will fall into one of three categories: 

• Anything broken, illegible, or outdated - discard immediately.

• Anything you have multiples of - keep the best, discard or donate the rest. 

• Ask yourself if an item is really necessary - if not, discard or donate. 

You should only be left with materials you know you will use. 

Clutter weighs us down. It causes stress and overwhelm. Taking steps to get rid of what you don’t need and won’t use is a huge first step toward an organized classroom that supports you and your teaching rather than weighing you down. Click here for more tips on organizing your classroom.

Closing note...

Going through the process of purging supplies and materials in your classroom may prompt you to begin purging other areas of your life. A teacher who took my Planning Just So course shared with me that she did just that. She took the principles of purging that worked so well in her classroom and used them at home. She was surprised and delighted by how freeing it was to get rid of things she didn’t need.  

An organized classroom is a type of self-care for teachers. No, not in the same way a pedicure or a massage is self-care. But, an organized classroom provides long-lasting benefits to your health and well-being as a teacher. I am here to support you in your efforts to be more organized. Learn more about my self-paced, online course, Organized Just So.

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