I am such a clean freak and a stickler for organization. I do my best to pass on some of my idiosyncrasies to my students. I definitely don’t want them to be nut-cases like me, but they could definitely use some organization skills. I had high hopes at the beginning of the year that these bookcases for each table would be the solution to my problems. However, I was DISAPPOINTED
when it did not work. We have gone through 8 bookshelves this year. How many groups do I have you ask? I have 5…so that means 3 bookshelves have broken and had to be replaced. I refused to buy another one! (I actually didn’t personally buy them, but got them through a generous donor on adopt a classroom, but its the principle of it all) I feel like a crazy woman when I repeatedly say “Clean out these bookshelves!” and my students just look at me like “that is clean.” It is something we are working on…yes we. I have to remind them to spend 5 seconds to put their materials away the correct way the first time, rather than 10 minutes to clean it after the fact, and they have to listen to me.
Aside from the ridiculous bookshelf battle I have also been working to clean up the materials that have accumulated over time (practice what you preach????). Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of the day I admit that I put materials that I should file into a drawer. It’s almost like if you don’t see it then it’s not there…right? Well of course that is until it ends up like this:
This is ALL stuff I need to file eeekkkkk
I spent some time cleaning out my drawers and optimized space in the classroom. I covered this built in area with an extra bookshelf I ordered at the beginning of the year. So funny that I thought it would stay extra….ANYWAYS, I moved the things out of this bookshelf and put them into the built in. I still need to work on this area, but it looks way better than it did before.
BEFORE:
Do your eyes hurt? I know mine do! All this clutter hurts my brain.
AFTER:
It’s not that much better…yet, but it will be!
I took a few minutes to cover the dirty and ugly shelves near the windows with some cute contact paper. Naturally I ran out of one design halfway through. My OCD self was going to rip up the black and white pattern and do all chevron, but I actually kind of like the way it turned out.
(don’t mind the hideous mess below…I haven’t cleaned this area yet)
I also tackled the closet. I don’t know what happens when the door closes, but it’s like there are closet fairies that mess everything up. I took a bunch of stuff that I have been hoarding hanging onto for future projects and got rid of it. I straightened out my monthly decorations and did some general straightening out. I felt so much better when it was done! I don’t have pictures of this area, but believe me it is clean…for now!
I know I still have a long way to go in my spring organization, but as they say “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
