If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 of this list.

Here are tips 6-10 for packing up your classroom at the end of the year!

Tip 6: List It

So this one isn’t just an end-of-the-year deal. I absolutely love Google Keep for keeping a list of things I need to do and keeping all those various links we need throughout the year. One other thing that it is good for is remembering things.

I have one note on Keep (think of it as like a board of sticky notes) that is just “stuff I’m doing differently”. This is where I put all the information that I want to do differently the next year. So this activity didn’t work, or this way worked better, or the kids destroyed the Captain Underpants book #3 so I need to get another copy, etc. So whether you keep a notebook or a google doc or note on your phone…whatever it is, get yourself a place to list all the things you want to remember throughout the year, but particularly during classroom pack-up.

For example, last year I accidentally made two entire class sets of science notes for three units. This was a LOT of pages and I use the same notes every year. So I decided to throw them in a drawer and save them to use this year. I also went to my Google Keep and put on my “stuff” sticky note a reminder that I have notes for the Adaptations unit already printed.

As I pack up my library, I note which books need to be replaced, the last book in a series that I have so I can buy anything that’s been released since the last book buy, or any book that is well-loved and is okay but might not last a whole other year. This has been super helpful when I get my draw money and start buying books at the beginning of the year – I already know what I need. This goes for all sorts of things – string lights are burnt out, the pillow cover is ripped, I’m all out of liquid glue, whatever it happens to be. Make yourself a running list and put it somewhere easy to find. (Also if you haven’t tried Google Keep, it is so useful!)

Tip 7: Clean It

Another terrible one. But it’s one of those things that spending the time now makes your life so much easier in August. Clean those bins, wash the covers and the curtains, wipe down all the desks and chairs and surfaces – the kids can help with some of this. Clean off the bookshelves and dust everything.

Will you still have to do some of that when you come in August? Yes. Will it be as bad? No. Remember the room will sit vacant for a few months (unless your school is being used for summer school). So it can gather at least an inch of dust in that time. Wouldn’t you rather it just be the one inch and not that one inch on top of the four that were already there? And if things are properly put away you won’t have to worry about cleaning them again.

Wiping down every surface, cleaning up the chalk dust, cleaning out the recess bucket, and wiping down all your containers will get things ready for next year. That time you take now will save you so much time and sneezing when you start putting things together for the new year.

Tip 8: Protect It

Sometimes you have to take everything off your bulletin boards and shelves. Sometimes you don’t. So this tip doesn’t apply as much to those that have to take everything down, but it applies to everyone else. This is where you’re going to track down the bulletin board paper, and target whatever color your school has a ton of (why is it always orange?). You then take enough paper to cover every board and every open shelf. Especially the open shelves.

Take your miles of orange paper (it doesn’t have to be orange but that’s usually what I get because there’s so much more of it left than the other colors) back to your room. This part is key: cover the heck out of those shelves. Tape that paper on TIGHT. Seal any rips/paces that stick out. This keeps dust and critters (see Tip 9) out of everything on your selves. Obviously this is one of the last steps you do because it requires everything to be on your shelves. If you don’t want to waste paper, have your students write messages to next year’s students and then pull them out at the beginning of the year to share with your next group. It’ll give the kids something to do those last few days and you won’t feel like you’ve wasted miles of paper. If you don’t want them to write messages, have them solve math problems or write science facts. It’s a big piece of paper, kids are going to want to write on it.

The other thing you’re going to do with your bulletin board paper is to cover your bulletin boards. This protects them from any splatter from the floor cleaning/redoing/whatever that is, it also protects your board from fading in the sun and extends the life of your board and the backing paper.

These steps are also very useful for a classroom that will be used for summer school. Covering your stuff keeps curious hands out and you won’t run the risk of losing anything.

One more thing you should do to protect your classroom and stuff is to zip-tie your cabinets or somehow lock them. Again, this is especially important if you have summer school. If you have a stash of paper you don’t want anyone borrowing from, or you have special toys for indoor recess, or whatever it is, do yourself the favor and zip-tie the cabinet shut, protecting all your things. Of I’ve seen teachers use bike locks, rope or string, even tape to seal up or at least discourage foraging. And yes, I know this sounds excessive but trust me, it’s a good call.

Tip 9: Plan for Critters

I almost called this one “Bug It” to go with the other tips but…that seemed weird and not accurate. I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want to think about it. But it needs to be done. So here we go…

Ehem.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are going to be critters in your classroom over the summer. Many of them. Of the furry or insect variety or both. This needs to be accounted for.

One: NO FOOD. If your backup ramen isn’t going to go bad until two years from now, you don’t have to take it home, but that sucker needs to be in a good plastic box with a lid that seals. If it is food and it is not sealed away, it needs to be thrown away or it needs to go home. Honestly, better to be safe and remove any and all food from your classroom.

Second, you know those cute little borders and banners made of strips of fabric? They look awesome. They also make awesome mouse nests (I speak from experience, though thankfully not my own). Mice love fabric. They like things they can shred and make nests out of. If you have fabric not put away in sealed plastic containers, you run the risk of attracting furry little rodents.

And even if you don’t see the rodents themselves, no one wants to clean up mouse droppings. Just assume you’re going to have mice and roaches and plan accordingly.

Tip 10: TeacherTetris

TeacherTetris (sometimes called “Teacher Jenga”) refers to the way most of us have to pack our rooms. You’re told to get as much off the floor as possible (but don’t overload the furniture so they can move it) which turns into us stacking things.

See? Look at all those things stacked on the cabinets. It gets more or less intense depending on your room. But here are some tips for a successful tetris-ing of a classsroom.

First, start with the heavy stuff. The crates/boxes/drawers that are sturdiest go at the bottom. Also the big stuff goes at the bottom. Be sure to lock any wheels (or remove them).

Second, start piling all the things on top of the heavy stuff. Try to go from heaviest to lightest, biggest to smallest. Leave the weird things – like lamps, bean bag chairs, whatever – for last. Before stacking your lamps take out the light bulbs and put them in a safe place. The idea is to get everything off the floor and into whatever shelves/cabinets you have that do not move.

Stack it as high as you safely can, fitting as much in the space as you can. Hence the name: TeacherTetris.

Finally, a super helpful tip for heavy objects: put them on wheels. Even if you have to “borrow” a cart from somewhere for the summer, get those heavy things on wheels. Your custodial staff, and your back to school self, will be eternally grateful. Then just wheel that cart to the side of the room where you are stacking and pushing all your other items.

Now all you have left to do is take a photo of your carefully stacked pile of crazy, post it on your insta, and head off into summer.

We’re in the final stretch now. I hope at least one of these tips was helpful!