Summer Decluttering

As the waning school days finally came to a slow end last week, I sat in a communal office to work with students who needed additional support. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two teachers energetically clearing out their desks. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” I asked as one of them threw a wad of paper across the room and grinned as it landed neatly in a trash can.

“It does,” the teacher agreed. “I’m getting rid of it all.”

“What if you need something next year?”

She shrugged. “I hope I don’t.”

We both laughed and the conversation ended there, but I felt empathetic. By the end of the year, the piles of what can best be termed “stuff” amass to such a degree that it’s tempting to skip the trash can and throw everything out the window. Instead of giving into either temptation, it is harder in the short term but easier in the long run to organize our decluttering efforts, so we can be sure to keep what we need and get rid of anything that stands in the way of success.

Future You

It can be difficult to imagine what might be needed several months into the future, but we do ourselves a disservice if we dispose of anything that could save time later. Celebrity organizer Marie Kondo advises that we throw anything away that does not “spark joy,” but let’s be honest: a lot of what we use at work is not intended for that purpose. Instead, these two tried-and-true organizational questions can help us decide what to keep:

Have I used this over the last two years? 
Do these materials support the classes I will be teaching next year?

To answer the first question, any items that have been unused for two or more years are unlikely to ever be used again and should be considered expendable. For the second, we often hold onto curriculum materials or other resources from classes that have been updated or completely changed. Unless the resources we have are aligned to relevant course standards and will therefore still be useful, it might make more sense to get rid of them. 

Taking it Home

Very few teachers are lucky enough to be able to store items in their school buildings all summer, since these spaces are used for all kinds of other purposes like summer school or community gatherings. Inevitably, a lot of people wind up packing up their classrooms into crates and taking it all home, which provides the added stress of having to move everything out and then back in just a few months later.

Out of sight is out of mind, and even if we need to take school materials home, and it might be useful to designate a spot out of the way for storage so that nobody has to be reminded of work during a time that is supposed to be restorative (or at the very least, a change of pace). Even if the only space available is under the bed or in a car trunk, it helps to keep the clutter to a minimum in the place that we go to decompress.

Clear Your Headspace

Decluttering is not just a physical endeavor; to really reap the benefits of a clean slate, we should also take some time to clear our minds of whatever exhaustion or negativity is clinging to our consciousness from the prior school year. While this kind of mental work is far more complex and potentially time-consuming than organizing physical items, even a little bit of introspection can be beneficial.

As an example, many teachers end the year with certain uncomfortable moments or conversations in mind. Some people find it helpful to write down or journal whatever is feeling unresolved, reflect upon the experience in terms of what could be done differently were a similar situation to arise again, consider what has been learned, and then let it go. Another way to clear our minds is to specifically keep “shop talk” and other work-related conversation at a minimal to nonexistent level over the summer. The extra headspace should help make room for other pursuits, such as a renewed interest in a hobby or added time to do an activity that typically gets sidelined during the school year. In addition, getting outside each day in any capacity is highly restorative from a mental health perspective, so just spending a few minutes in nature can also hit that all-important reset button. 

The last thing a lot of teachers want to do in the early days of summer is to look toward the upcoming school year, and there is a strong argument to be made for fleeing as quickly as possible into the hills (or maybe a lovely beach town). However, for anyone who is still stuck near home and has time to spare, getting organized can be the work of relatively little time, and it sets up the coming year for success. That way, when August rolls around and everyone is feeling the creeping dread of having so much to sort out, at least the hardest of the decluttering will be done and our energy can go toward getting ready for students at a (somewhat?) sane pace. 

Written by Miriam Plotinsky, Education World Contributing Writer

Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where she has taught and led for more than 20 years. She is the author of several education books (both out and forthcoming) with W.W. Norton, ASCD and Solution Tree. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be reached at www.miriamplotinsky.com.

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