More End of Year Tips {Linky}

There were a lot more tips that I wanted to include in {yesterday's Bright Ideas post}, but we were supposed to keep the posts short and sweet. So I decided to tell you more today! You can even link up your own end-of-the-year ideas!!

Thank you to the fabulous Theresa at Pinkadots for making me a button!

This may pain some of you to read. Feel free to close your eyes. I go through practically everything once in the fall and once in the spring and purge. Even though I have plenty of storage space (which is a luxury, I know), I just can't justify hanging on to things that I have no intention of using. Or that I have intentions of using and never do. All of my lesson plans from 1999? I finally let go of all of them except last year's. The literacy worksheets from two curriculums ago now that I no longer teach lit? Gave them to the teacher who actually wanted them.


Now, there were a few instances this spring as I was gutting my two filing cabinets when I wasn't quite ready to part with some of the materials. I let those stay. I tend to go with the two-year rule. If I haven't looked at it or even thought about it in the past two years, it's gone. That might be a little ambitious for some of you. Maybe some of you would prefer a five-year rule. Whatever works. I'm not the boss of you ;) Anyway, sometimes there are still things that I can't let go, but haven't used for a really, really long time. In that case, if I can scan it to my computer, I go that route and recycle it.

Which leads me to my next tip...

Retiring teachers. These lovely people who have been-there, done-that have a wealth of information that they are more than willing to share. However, they also have a ton of stuff that they no longer need that they want to unload. On you. That does NOT mean that you have to take it! If you can't think of how you would use something, just... say... no. Or, if you are like my passive-aggressive self, you will hang on to it for two years and then feel guilty about throwing it in the trash/recycling bin. (Luckily, no one in my building is retiring this year!)

Clipart from Educlips

Now let's talk storage. My personal favorites are clear tubs, binders, and magazine holders (IKEA has really cheap ones at 5 for $2 or something insane like that). They just make everything so much easier to find.




What end-of-the-year organizational tips do you have? Comment below, or write a blog post to add to the linky! (No products, please.)





11 comments

  1. I need to take a trip to IKEA! I also need to purge! Thanks for the tips.

    Susan
    Passioninportableland

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  2. Your "in progress" shelves look better than my done shelves! :) I guess I better get busy.
    ~Brandee
    Creating Lifelong Learners

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  3. I desperately need to clean out my file cabinets! I need to start small and take on one cabinet at a time, otherwise I get overwhelmed! Your shelves and cabinet (even in progress) looks great!
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

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  4. My closet looks EXACTLY like yours! Plastic bins and cheap Ikea magazine holders and all! Great minds ;)

    Laura
    Adventures in Multi-grade

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  6. I was wondering where I could get those cheap magazine holders from! Thanks!

    http://fifthgradeconfessions.blogspot.com/

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  7. You are so organized!! I love it! I'm a hoarder of those see-thru tubs too---love 'em! And I hear ya on the retirees dumping all their stuff on you. I know they mean well, but I really don't need anyMORE crap. Bless their hearts, but you're right, just say no (or trash it after they leave the room). ; )

    Ali
    Teaching Powered by Caffeine

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  8. Love your organized closet! I definitely need to take a trip to iKEA this summer! Wish we had one closer! Thanks for sharing :)

    Amelia
    wherethewildthingslearn

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  9. I love that your purge so often, but how do you find the time?! I have stuff in my room that I am not allowed to throw away and that drives me crazy!! I would love to be able to purge all of my materials that I don't use, but I don't know if one day someone will walk in and ask where it is!! Drives me crazy!!

    Mrs. 3rd Grade 

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  10. I must RUN to IKEA - my closet looks more like a cave that was built with books, papers and assorted necessary teaching items. Yes, necessary - I only just purged all my old transparencies. Yes, I know. I have a problem. Organization is my nemesis.

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  11. I loved reading this! I am with you on the multiple purgings! I do the same exact thing!! And the retiring teachers? I think that's how I had SO MUCH years back. I'm working on that two year thing. I have most of my stuff gone and the room is down to the basics (this took me YEARS!!) but I still always feel like I can ditch more...it becomes an obsession ;)

    I will try to link up with you Diane because I LOVE this! :)

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