The end of year is a lot of fun, but packing up your classroom can feel like a daunting task with the endless list of to-do items. Skip the overwhelm and close out your classroom with ease. 

Plan for the last two to four weeks of school. Map out everything - the end of year activities, celebrations, deadlines, and days for organizing and packing. 

Take pictures! Document how your classroom is set up and where specific items were; your future self will thank you when you are setting up in the fall. 

Purge and save to clear the clutter. It’s okay to get rid of what isn’t needed. It’s also okay to save what is needed - have a system and organize what will be used. 

Join me for the End of Year Classroom Closeout series to prepare for the end of year with success and walk out for summer feeling like a rockstar! 

Show notes: www.annotatedela.com/podcast/episode4

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End of Year Checklist: www.annotatedela.com/free

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Melissa Burch 0:00

Welcome back. I am excited you're joining me as we discuss closing out the classroom for the year. This is the first episode in the three-episode End of Year Classroom Closeout series. Today we're going to talk about preparing for success and organizing behind-the-scenes items. I am so excited, let's get to it.

Melissa Burch 0:22

Step one, map it out. Whether you're a planner or not, this is essential. It is going to eliminate overwhelm and decision fatigue and ensure that you can close out your classroom with ease. So when I say map it out, I mean, get a 30,000 foot view of the rest of the year, sit down with a calendar. I do this about two to four weeks before the end of the school year. I get my school calendar out and I put down all school activities, all team activities, and all classroom activities that are happening. Important dates interruptions to the schedule, I set a deadline for the last day to grade and finalize grades, I gather any supplies needed or make a list of supplies I might need for the rest of the school year or any activities that I might need supplies for. I make sure I have a plan to keep my students engaged or as engaged as they can be; just like us, we're all starting to tune out. And then I plan days to either come in early, stay late, or use my prep to focus on organizing and closing out. I kind of make a checklist of tasks for each day or for the week, so that I am not doing some of these other tasks the last teacher workday. I don't wnat to stay late on that day, I'm walking out at the end of my contract time ready to relax and enjoy my summer. So, having a plan and mapping it all out really, really helps me feel less overwhelmed and makes the tasks a lot less daunting. And I don't feel in a rush as I'm doing it. Again, that decision fatigue is real. So I like to make all those decisions ahead of time. And then I just know what I'm doing each day or each week, it makes it so much easier. So if you are not necessarily the planning type, trust me - do this. When I'm talking about what kind of tasks I'm doing, I'm doing behind the scenes tasks, I might decide to come in early, I like to come in early, instead of stay late. But I will come in early and maybe sort a cabinet, pick a shelf, or if the cabinet sis maller the whole cabinet. I'm either relabeling bins or cleaning out what got put in there that doesn't need to be in there. Or if I didn't get everything cleaned out, or I'm in a new classroom, and a teacher left items behind that I was unable to purge, then that's the kind of things I'm doing or I'm filing papers and clearing the clutter on my teacher table just kind of organizing and cleaning up what the students are not noticing and what they're not using. Digital files are another thing that I begin to organize and clean up at this stage in the packing up process.

Melissa Burch 2:59

Next, I take pictures. Yes, I like to change the classroom setup. And actually next year, I will be in a new classroom and I am no stranger to switching classrooms and even schools often. I still like to have pictures, because it reminds me of other setups I've done. I don't know about you, but I have walked in at the beginning of the year, looked at a classroom and thought, how am I going to set this up? It's so helpful to look back at previous classroom setups, or even sketches that I've done of how a classroom has been set up to get those juices flowing, and set up a new classroom in the fall with some ease and a lot less stress. So I like to take pictures of where things were and how I like to have certain items set up because it just helps even if I'm staying in the same room. Every summer, our rooms get a deep clean and all the furniture gets moved into the hallway. They just put it all back in there however they feel like it, and lots of times I have furniture that's not mine. So having pictures helps. Also labeling which we'll get to, but labeling is helpful. Having those pictures makes it a quick and easy setup job. And if I want to change; if I do want to change I might sit down before the end of that school year and either sketch; and I'm gonna say sketch, I'm drawing boxes and circles. Some of you might be betterr, but I am just mapping out some of my ideas while they're fresh in my mind. So that again, when I'm coming back at the beginning of the school year, I'm not scrambling just to set up my classroom.

Melissa Burch 4:31

Step three is to purge. I already said this, right. I'm planning today is when I'm coming in to clean up. It's really important to purge; we like to keep everything okay, maybe it's just me. I like to keep everything because I might need it again. You never know. I like to ask myself, "Did I use it this year?" "Do I want to use it again? Or was it successful this time around" and I know every group is different. "How can I tweak it if I want to keep it?" "Am I teaching this lesson or this unit, again, will I need it?", if I'm having a hard time getting rid of it, I have a digital file and a physical file called, "I might need it folder." I will put that paper in there and tuck it away. And at the end of the next year, I'll look through it every year, I look through my I might need this folder. Sometimes it's easier to get rid of what I couldn't the year or the two years before. Pro tip, if you're having a hard time letting go, make an "I might need this folder." But make sure you're sorting through your "I might need this folder" every year, be realistic with what you're keeping and with what you're purging. It's okay to let some of it go. Another pro tip, since I generally just teach middle school, sixth, seventh and eighth grade, I do have binders and files that I keep at home because I have this space. And so at school, I currently just have sixth grade files. This help me purge because if I'm moving them between school and home, I'm more likely to only keep what I absolutely need. And it also keeps the school clutter down. If you have to space that might be something you want to do.

Melissa Burch 6:07

Step four is, what am I saving and does it need to be filed? I have a "To be filed folder" on my desktop for digital, and in a physical file on my desk. I don't always like to file everything right away. I know, I know. But I just stick it in the "To file folder" either on my desktop, which I'm not supposed to save things there; so don't tell anyone or in that folder on my desk. And I go through this twice a year ;usually right before winter break. And then before the end of the year, I'm going through that "To be filed folder" and putting it where it needs to go. If I'm deciding not to save it, I get rid of it. But this is where making my system is crucial. If I am saving something, I want to have my folder, my binder, digital filing system, my bin, whatever storage I'm using in place to save what will be used again. I do label all of my file folders with the grade that it's generally for; if it matches a standard, and I'm that organized, the standard on there plus the title of the lesson, the unit or the activity that's pretty organized. I don't always have the standard on the file folder or on my digital one. But I do like to have what grade I'm using it with because I do have different grade folders digitally. And then like I said, I try to keep my sixth,seventh, and eighth grade activities separated. So that makes it quick and easy to see because there have been years where I've taught multiple grades and that makes life a lot easier. Also, I like to have my binders, my bins, and other bigger storage already set up so that when it comes time to deconstruct my classroom, the bin is ready for the posters that are going in it or for the laminated items or manipulatives. Or books if I need to pack up books like I will this year to transport them to a new classroom, I like to have those bins ready to go and labeled. I also like to label a bin "Open first," which is generally all of my desk items which I save for very last. I pack up my desk on that teacher work day or on the student's very last day because those are items that I'm going to want to use until the very end. But then when I come back in the fall, I want to open that box first and get everything out. So I will label it "Open first." So that's really great to have a system in place. And actually in the next episode, I'm going to get more into how to or how I like to label my bins and it gets pretty extra. So don't feel like you have to but I promise more on my labeling system next episode.

Melissa Burch 8:41

Finally, this is a time where I can start preparing for next year. Now if I've started four weeks in advance, I'm just organizing. I like to wait till about two weeks before the end of the school year to start preparing for next year with all of my materials. Since I am switching grades this year and getting a new collaboration partner, a new teaching partner, I probably will hold off on making copies of the syllabus because we'll need to sit down and work on that together and she's really great. So she might sit down with me this year now before it ends and get that done. If you can, copying that first day newsletter, first week newsletter, or syllabus, whatever you're using, whatever first day activities you have, anything you know isn't going to change, copy it and file it now and then it's front and center and ready to go. If there's digital files you will know you'll need right away save those in a way that they're easy to access and get to so that when you come back in the fall, that's done. Your future self will thank you. So if at all possible, prepare and copy whatever you can.

Melissa Burch 9:46

Now let's recap Step one is to map it all out. Get that 30,000 foot view of the rest of the year and do this about two to four weeks before the end of the school year. Any and all activities in class interrupt Since that could happen, have it mapped out and start to make a checklist or a timeline for when you will do certain end of the year tasks.

Take pictures, it's helpful even if you'd like to change up your classroom every year. It's really great just to know how everything was set up. So take pictures of your classroom, and where items were hanging and where desks were and where you kept certain bands or manipulatives can be really helpful for your future self.

The third step is to purge. Yes, let go of what you can let go of. If you can't let go of something make that "I might need this folder" and keep it there until you're ready to let it go or use it and bring it back to life into a file that will be used regularly.

The fourth step is to save and create a system for saving, whether it's digital files, physical files, manipulatives, posters, whatever it is you're saving, have a system in place and label it well.

And finally, the fifth step is prep for next year's success. If you know you can make copies or have something ready to go do it. It will be a lifesaver come fall.

I really, really hope that this episode was helpful. Don't forget, this is just the first episode in the three episode series, The End of Year Classroom Closeout. If you want a really great checklist, go to annotated ela.com/free. I have an end of year checklist that lays out what to do two to four weeks before the end of the school year, one week before, the few days before, and on the last day, as well as a checklist that has been started. Everything is editable. It's a Google Doc and it's beautiful. So if you'd like more info, check out that freebie. And as always, thank you so much for joining me. I know your time is precious. And I love having you here with me every week. Until next time, bye for now.