
Organizing your classroom may not sound exciting right now. It is almost time for break! But before you head out, let’s take just a few minutes to tidy, declutter, and purge.
Sounds like a whole lot of fun, right? Lol. Just stick with me. You will thank me when you head back into your organized classrooms after break is over. 😀
Tidy Your Teacher Desk
Take five minutes to tidy and straighten up your teacher desk. It is so tempting to just throw everything into one of the desk drawers. But DON”T DO IT! Put papers, supplies and items back in their proper places. You will love walking back into your classroom to an organized and clean desk to begin again.
Declutter & Reset The Small Group Teaching Table

My small group teaching area can get so messy and disorganized, it seems, in a matter of minutes. Most of the time, my classes are back to back so I don’t always have time to put everything back where it belongs- magnetic letters, manipulatives, word cards, etc…. Reset this area so you and your students can start back to an organized space!
Remove All Christmas Holiday Decorations
I had a principal once who insisted everything Christmas be taken down and stored before we went on break. It may seem a bit harsh but really it was a good thing! It sets the tone when you come back that we are ready to begin learning afresh. You can do what I like to do and plan ahead. When putting up your Christmas displays, be sure they have a winter theme that can stay up. For example, along with Christmas also include snow and snowmen. Then, remove the Christmas parts, add in some penguins or polar bears and you don’t have to redo the entire display!
Prep The First Week

I know the last thing you want to think about as you get ready to head out the door for break is making copies and prepping for when you come back. But you will be so glad you did! Even if it is just prepping for the first day back instead of the first week, that helps too. It removes that stress from your mind as you go through break. Copy or prep reading interventions and the morning work for that week. Keep your intervention activities in file folders ready to go or place in student notebooks. Anything completed before you leave is one less thing to have to dread and do when you come back!
What do you do to make coming back from break easier? Share them in the comments below!
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