Management Linky

Miss T is having a linky party on anything management related.

I did a post a while ago about my management system.  Click here to check it out.

I left school on Friday primed for vacation and a little evening with work friends.  Of course, I left a whole bunch of things behind.  I went in this morning to pick up some stuff and ended up working for 2 1/2 hours in my classroom. I was dedicated to doing the clutter free thing, but just could not get myself to follow through at the end of the day.  I am so tapped out at 3:00 that I just clean up a bit and go home.  It worked to go in early, but that is so not happening on a regular basis!  It was nice just to go in and work.  I took a picture of all the stuff I purged, but did not bring my cord home to download the pics.  Picture three copy paper boxes full, a medium size garbage can and an overflowing recycling bin!  

I started going through a cupboard and realized that, not only had I not really used the cupboard since the beginning of hte year, but I have stacks of papers in there.  Sadly, there was some student work from last year that was squirrelled away and class sets of copies.  Lots of recycling!  I hate throwing things away, but I feel like you have to balance conservtion with sanity sometimes.

On a personal note, it is winter break week and I am busily preparing to host a baby shower for my SIL.  Somehow I have to fit 25 people in my little hosue and make it appear as if I am always ready to host a crowd.  I have an endless bathroom project underway and am making my storage room/craft room/office usuable by human beings. 

Oh, I also have a BIG event tomorrow afternoon...and report cards go home in a week.  No pressure of anything!!!

Well, off to bed - I hit zombie mode about 2 hours ago!

New Toy!

I have wanted a file bag for-ev-er.  I was inspired by the Clutter Free Classroom Project (and a bit of the blues today).  I finally splurged and bought one!  Mine is dark pink and I think I will jazz it up with some fabric or flowers or something else pretty.

My thought is that I will put it on my desk and  put the papers I take home in the files.  Does anyone else chuck massive stacks of papers in their bag that they drag home and never touch?  It’s like all of my good intentions go out the window and I totally forget that I have things to get done at home.  Hopefully this baby will help me organize my things to take home and actually accomplish something when I get there.

My Rules for Purging

Yikes!  I started my rules for purging last week and never posted it!  In my defense, I have been working on my application for post-grade school.  It has been so long since I have written a 5 page research paper with citations!  How did I do this in a couple nights in college? 

On a side note – I’m up to 98 followers! Wow!  I never thought when I started writing this a couple years ago people would actually want to check out my ideas.  It has been a great venue to learn new things, get ideas, and find resources I use (because I post things to the page, I can access them so much more quickly at school).

BLOG PROMPT for last Friday's Linky:

What is your plan for de-cluttering your classroom?

1. Book shelves

• Weed book collection: home to storage, give away, closet storage, or bookshelf
• Sort and label books with stickers
• Label book boxes

2. Filing Cabinets

• Clean out files
• Sort drawers
• Maximize use of space

3. Cupboards

• Purge from cupboards
• Create a system for organizing and labeling

4. Student materials

• Purge games and centers
• create system and label

5. Under Table Storage

• Eliminate under table storage – sort, purge, and puut away materials

6. Organize my teacher area and resources

7. Computer Files

• Purge file – eliminate old unit and themes
• Create systems for new files and units
• Create photo books with past years’ photos and erase from computer

8. Create system for student supplies

A little ambitious?  I am always moving things in my room around and always feel like there is an area to improve, so this project is not just about purging for me.  It also about making my room flow better than it is.

My thought would be to tackle one area at a time.  I can’t wait to see what challenges are coming to help wrap my brain around how this is going to be accomplished.  It is a year long project, so let’s just hope that I don’t have to move rooms!

Can’t wait to see other plans!

Clutter-Free Classroom Project…and Other Stuff

First – I am sooo close to 100 followers!!! I never thought I would get here!  I think I feel another give-away coming on.  Stay tuned!!!

Second – whew!  What a day!  I had a field trip, 2 trainings (1 during school and 1 after), bus duty, a roller skating party, and one of the trainings was at another building…and I only had 10 minutes for lunch between our return from the field trip and my training.  The kids were super excited for the trip and you know how the day goes when they are so excited about something.  I had a 3:1 chaperone ratio, but was still dealing with behaviors constantly.  That is another matter entirely.  Let’s just say this has not been an easy year for behaviors or, shall we say, adult supports. 



Thirdly, are you following the Clutter Free Classroom Project?  We just got the assignments for this week. 
Today I wanted to post about my “non-negotiables” for purging.
As a side story, I have to tell everyone that I was a reading teacher a few years ago and another reading teacher and I combined rooms in the old room of a retired teacher.  Our rule was anything older than me HAD to go!  Can I tell you there was a game from 1950 something?!?  We also found that she had literally copied class sets of entire books and FILED them.  We had copy paper boxes full of sets of papers we were recycling by the time we had cleaned out the room.  Then…a construction worker left the ceiling hatch open, it rained and flooded the hallway.  They had to shovel piles of disintegrated papers out of the hallway!  Amazingly, it was all cleaned up by the time I got to school.  Can you imagine?
Anyway, here is my list of non-negotiables.

• Anything that I haven’t used in 5 years (that is how long I have been teaching 1st where I am).
• Books from programs that are no longer used – I can’t throw them away, but I can put them in a nice little closet for someone to use, should they wish to)
• Multiple copies of papers and books (other than books for listening centers).
• Picture books I have not read in five years.
• Odd items that I have bought or collected that are in a box because they have no other home.
• Copies or files that I am never likely to use or ones that I do not have a place for.
• Old units and binders full of resources that are no longer used…can I do it?

Hmm – I think that is about it for now.  I have mentioned before that I have very little in my room that I do not own personally.  So, I plan to put things that belong to the classroom or items I can purge for whoever may take my classroom in the future in a forlorn little closet that is blocked by my bank of computers.  Is that cheating?


What are your purging rules?