Purging.

Hi friends, thanks for joining me in The Staffroom today for my 11th Interlude!

We offer you guys quick little snippets based on stuff that happens throughout the day! Today, my moment of zen is all about JUNK…and how it literally, and metaphorically holds us back as teachers.

Classrooms are notorious for having tons of junk in them. Have you ever moved into a classroom and gone through all the cupboards and drawers? When I first started teaching, there was so much STUFF in the classroom, I didn’t know where to start with cleaning it…and so I didn’t. I also didn’t have that kind of time…

Boxes of books, old textbooks that haven’t been used in ages, board games with missing pieces that no one wants to throw away, dishes, holiday decorations, ancient resources…

Accumulates and accumulates and then it becomes overwhelming to deal with, and so you don’t deal with it…and then the anxiety builds up.

I’m all about the purge…I’ve always been about the purge. I don’t like holding on to things that are absolute, or hold no significant value in my life. So I chuck ‘em. Take time to throw it all away. My motto is, if you haven’t used it in the last 6 months, you aren’t going to use it in the next. So get rid of it.

I’ve moved classrooms at least 6 times in my teaching career, so as you can imagine, this has become quite annoying and tedious. But, I’ve also gotten much better at it! I now don’t waste any time when it comes to the purge! Get some students, and empty everything - we get organized ….make sure we throw out or donate anything we don’t have a use for. Remember that one person’s junk is another person’s gem. Someone may find use for what you are throwing away.

SO…if you are an anxious person…start with the purge!! Rid yourself of all the clutter! Take the Marie Condo approach to your classroom and get rid of the stuff you don’t need!  That way, you will actually adequately use the resources you do have in your room to their fullest capacity, and you’ll know what you need more of to keep your program running and sustainable.

I realize I talk a lot about things that make me anxious…but I know I”m not the only one…so I try and come up with some strategies about how to deal with these things! Being aware of the things that make me nervous, anxious, negatively stressed, or sad in my life have really impacted me with how I move forward and grow. Knowing what I have control over versus what I do not have control over really helps.