When it’s the end of the school year and you’re packing up your classroom, you are probably eager to start summer vacation! But as a teacher, there may be one thing “standing in your way” of starting your summer break as it relates to end-of-year classroom clean-up. Checking out! Checking out your classroom with administration before you can begin your summer plans. You want to be sure to have a tidy organized classroom to have a smooth checkout process. Once your room is “approved” the faster summer vacation will start for you! Continue reading my 5 Tips For Packing Up Your Classroom At The End of The School Year, to learn how you can be ready for checkout time!

Is There A Certain Time That You Can Begin to Pack Up?

Is there a certain time you can begin to pack up your classroom? Are you able to keep bulletin boards up over the summer? I know many administrators don’t want teachers taking down materials off the wall and packing them up signaling the end of the school year too early. The reasoning behind this is students may think that teaching and learning are finished, and with that comes possible behavior problems.

I know for me in the schools I have taught in, the administrators wanted classroom clean-up to begin on the last day of school. Often times as soon as students went home and not a minute earlier. However, I like to stay organized and pack with the beginning of the year in mind! I have found ways to work around this request since packing up a classroom takes time.

I clean up and organize a little each day that way it will not be a major process on that last day. Nor is it very noticeable if I take things down a little at a time, or organize a cabinet or two ahead of time. Find times throughout your day to do this. It is amazing how much you can get done in as little as 5 minutes. Pack things away while students are working on an independent assignment or group work. Use some moments during arriving time and dismissal time. 

Take down decorations/posters you have on the wall. Clear your bulletin boards but keep up the background paper/fabric and borders. If you do state testing in your classroom this can be a big help since you need to take things off the wall and bulletin boards to have a sterile testing environment. Once I take down things for testing I do not put them back up again after testing. Students get used to the “new” look of the room and this does not affect their behavior. 

 Begin With The End In Mind

I know we like to think that the end of the school year and the beginning of the school year are far away from one another. But the beginning of the school year will be here before you know it. So you want to make sure you don’t come back to a disaster, where you just stashed things in places. Plus being organized with packing up makes for a smoother start to the beginning of the school year. It also gives you peace of mind throughout the summer. 

Before you start to clean off bookshelves and clean out cabinets. Have a system for items you will keep, throw away, or send home with students. It is really important to get rid of things that are outdated, broken, or you will just not use. Classroom space is limited and you don’t need unnecessary items taking up spacing. Chances are you will not use something if you haven’t already so holding on to things just creates clutter.

Student Materials

Clean out student materials about two weeks before the last day of school. You will want to start sending things home with your students before the last day. Many students have a lot of things in their desks, cubby spaces, or lockers. Trying to take everything home on the last day for some students is a difficult task. Also, many students do not come during the last days of school and you end up stuck with their things.

Teacher Materials

Organize your teacher materials for ease of use. So when the next school year arrives you can easily find your materials. Don’t forget about cleaning out and organizing your digital files. The end of the year is a perfect time to clean out your digital files. Do this while your students are working on independent or group assignments.  

While cleaning out the classroom you can use this time to brainstorm. Brainstorm what you might want to do next year. Many times your mind will start to think about how to use what is in your classroom already, especially after rediscovering what you have stuffed in the cabinets or closets. This can help you to know what supplies you need to tell your administration to order for your classroom for next school year. It can also help you to choose to send home with students good materials you may have but won’t use again. This time is also good to reflect on your year and make note of what you want to improve upon or change going into the next school year.

5 Tips for Packing Up Your Classroom

1. Know the expectations of your administration before packing up your classroom.

2. Be prepared to pack up your classroom with the beginning of the school year in mind.

3. Decide if you are keeping items, throwing away things, or sending materials home with students.

4. Think in terms of student materials, teacher materials, and computer files.

5. Use this time to brainstorm ideas for the next school year.

More End of The School Year Clean-Up Tips!

• Make a list of new books you would like for next school year. If someone asks for a book list, you will have one ready to go.
• Begin to take down some posters and materials you have hanging up during the last two weeks of school.
• Clean out sticky notes not needed in your curriculum books. Place all curriculum books in a crate or box for easy storage on a bookcase.
• Gather guided reading books and read aloud. Place materials in a create, box, or return to the book room if you have one.

End of The School Year Clean-Up Tips Continues…

• Clean out paper flies. Throw out, shred, or recycle what is no longer needed. Put in place what you want and/or need to keep. 
• Clean out digital files. Put any digital file that is not in a folder in a labeled folder. Delete any unneeded folders, pdfs, or digital materials you no longer need.
• Do you need a new classroom rug or other furniture? If so talk with your administration now about getting a new one, if possible.
• Do students have consumable workbooks that need to be thrown away, recycled, or sent home? Throw away, recycle, or send home workbooks as soon as you are done with them for the year.

End of The School Year Textbook and Book Clean-Up!

• Do you have student textbooks that you will use next year? (1) If you can keep the books on the shelf, place them how you want them for next year. (2) If you need to pack things up, begin to put them in crates or boxes.
• Have students clean out desks, cubbies, chair pockets, or wherever students store materials. Have them take home what is no longer needed or throw it out.
• Look through your classroom library for books that are torn or worn. Recycle, reuse, or throw out the books.
• Look for books that may be out of place according to how you have them organized in your classroom library. Put misplaced books back in place.
• Have books arranged for how you want to use them next year. If the books can’t stay on the shelf, keep them in the book containers or place them already organized in boxes.
• Have you returned all library books you may have borrowed?

   Conclusion

Packing up your classroom for summer break may seem like a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. Start organizing, cleaning, and packing up early so you don’t have to do it all at once. This can be done, even if your administration requires you to not pack up your classroom until students leave on the last day. You can always clean and organize your classroom! Remember to keep up bulletin boards with nothing on them. This will help your classroom look like a “functioning classroom” while you begin to clean and organize. Remember the 5 Tips For Packing Up Your Classroom and try a few tips from the More End of The School Year Clean Up Tips! You may also like to read my blog post on Moving Grade Levels? And my blog post on How to Organize Your Classroom Reading Corner.