Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Do you have unwanted clutter in your life? Are you good about decluttering from time to time? I think I am but I also know I could be better.
I started working on 25 years of accumulated clutter in my classroom last week as I am retiring at the end of the school year. I have a colleague moving into my room and I want him to be able to start bringing stuff down during the last 5 teacher days. He is a Japanese teacher so he probably doesn’t want my Spanish stuff! Kon’nichiwa!
I think that I know that cleaning out my mom’s house has helped me to start this process in a thoughtful way. I was careful about what I took from my mom’s house and really put thought into it. I tried not to let guilt drive my decisions and I took things that are truly special to me. My mom’s love language was gifts and I already had so much in my house from her!
Back to my classroom…
I am saving most photos and every single letter or card ever written to me by a student. I took pictures of a few funny posters and things I made early in my career so that I could toss them.
Some of the things in my closet I haven’t touched in years so those are easy decisions. I will make a donation box after the students pick what they want.
These cassette tapes are special to me because one was the first gift Tom bought me and the other two were purchased in Spain.
I started a table of giveaways and the kids have really enjoyed perusing and taking some things. I had one girl come in (I taught her last year and she was hoping to have me again next year) and tell me that my giveaway table made her too sad.
I haven’t tackled books yet. I have lots of old travel books and some old children’s books in Spanish. I guess I need to ask my own two kids if they want anything before I get too crazy.
I have started tackling papers and I did my first pass through. I think I will do one more to see if I still think I need to save certain things. I bought some pretty pink file folders to organize those.
Again, the question I ask myself is – how would I feel if this item got destroyed. I guess it would be hard to get dog poop on something in my classroom so maybe I will ask the question what if red Gatorade was spit on this? Would I be upset?
Maybe work stuff is easier to deal with than personal stuff?
What are your thoughts?
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
I have a hard time getting rid of sentimental items. (That’s one reason why the unfinished part of our basement is overflowing with things, papers, etc.) I don’t have any good tips!! It sounds like you have a good plan in place to get rid of a lot of things and you know that which you do not want to part with. I think it’s great that you’re letting students take some of your no longer wanted items. Good luck with everything pertaining to retirement. I have a feeling you’re going to get some very warm send offs!
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It is hard to let go of things that have a special meaning but I think taking a photo is a great idea. Too much clutter keeps us from enjoying life – I really believe that is true for me.
Now, I say this knowing full well it has taken me time over the last 7 years to get rid of things from my in school counseling position. I’ve had to let things go little by little. I am finally at a point where I know I will not be using all the books I used to read to classes. Each time I look at them I have fond memories but now it’s time to pass them on.
xo,
Kellyann
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I would think work stuff would be a little easier than home stuff to declutter but it’s obvious you have a lot of sweet mementos from students to go through! Congratulations on your retirement!
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The cassette tapes! How special.
I try to start tossing a few things in May. I’ve had my same room for a few years so that makes it easy to not really think I need to go through things like if I had moved room to room. That being said, I think I do a decent job getting rid of what I haven’t used
Last year, before we got rid of our old curriculum, I took 90 workbooks wondering if I’d need them. I didn’t. 🤣so I’ve been recycling them bit by bit.
Also , at the end of the year, teachers always put things in the lounge for others to have and I always laugh when I see something (like a lamp) that I put out and later it’s in someone else room. Glad it’s gone to a good home!
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I would probably go about this like you are- asking yourself how you would feel if something got ruined. I would hang onto the cassettes, honestly, but I would be hesitant about taking other things home. I’d be prone to hang onto the books; I took a lot of that kind of thing from Dad’s house, but I’ve already weeded those down here since then. I’m a words girl like you, so I’d keep the cards/letters and put them into a special box at home. You’re doing really well! I’m sure your students are sad at the thought of you leaving. You’re leaving a big void, and whoever comes after you has some big shoes to fill.
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I’ve inherited science teacher stuff from two colleagues who left in the middle of last year (and one of those had a ton of stuff from her wife who started teaching 100% virtual the year before). Bins of markers, sticky notes, pencils, colored paper (soooo much colored copy paper!). At the beginning of the year, I gave freely to my department colleagues, especially the new teacher who didn’t have much of anything.
When I retire (2-3 years), I envision doing something similar to what you’re doing – a huge giveaway table where I just stack stuff on my lab benches and have my colleagues come and get it. I do not need 6 staplers, 4 electric pencil sharpeners, and 40 pairs of scissors in my home life!
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I’m enjoying sharing some of the books I saved with my grandchildren these days. One thing that is surprising about retirement (at least for us) is how something that consumes so much of your life is so easily parted with once you’re actually away from it. We thought we’d miss it more, and I guess some people do, but education has a lot of negatives (not the kids, but all the hoops, etc) and I don’t miss that. Figuring out how to spend your time is the new challenge, not because there’s not enough to do but more the opposite. So many things you can do…where to spend your time now? I do think work stuff is more easily let go of than our personal mommentos. I’m excited for you!
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I declutter frequently. When I find things I want to get rid of, I put them in a bag in the trunk of my car. When the bag is full, I drop it off at Goodwill or my church if it’s clothes I can pass on. I’m so excited for you as you retire!!
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You are so smart, Amy, to go through things now! I didn’t have that opportunity when I retired in ’21 as I’d been teaching kindergarten remotely for a year (due to Covid and a health issue) and someone else had used my classroom. I went in to start the clean out process after the school year ended (I had LOTS of stuff – 32 years of elementary/kindergarten stuff) and was told after a day that they were going to start construction the next day (!) and I needed to move everything to the center of the room. I ended up with three meniscus tears in my knee! Then my mom got ill and passed away. Eventually it all got cleaned out/distributed but it was an incredibly stressful summer! The journey continues as I continue to declutter at home! Best of luck on your journey!
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I actually still have a whole thing of cassettes from when I was younger. I cant give them up.
I get in moods with clutter. One day, I’m like, I can never part with this – the next, when I’m sick of cleaning – I’m like, bring the Uhaul in – EVERYTHING goes to Goodwill!
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A cassette tape – wow, that’s a blast from the past! We have moved so many times, including a big downsize to move to the UK, so I have really tried not to accumulate much recently. We also cleaned out my mother-in-law’s house when she downsized…whew, that was a job. I kept a lot of things when I quit teaching (many years ago), but have gotten rid of it over the years. I bet your giveaway table is popular! Maybe some of the other Spanish teachers can use some of the books?
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Maybe allow yourself one bin and once that is full, the rest stays behind. Otherwise, it will have to find a storage place at your house. But, I am sentimental, but also trying to declutter things, so I know it’s easier said than done.
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I didn’t keep anything except a file folder of notes and cards from students, parents, and others. Luckily, my room was going to remain a fourth grade classroom, and my best friend was moving into it because it had a SmartBoard (do they even make those anymore). Together, we went through my filing cabinets and either threw stuff away or offered it to the young woman who was hired for my job. We had a camping theme so I had lots of that kind of stuff. I left it with my bestie to parcel out to other teachers who joined the team over the years. The only things I kept were some picture books (which I finally donated three years ago) and a few chapter books with special meaning to me. I’d echo what I think someone already said. Take photos, print them out and put them in an album. You don’t want to “throw away” a very important part of your life. But, you also don’t want the clutter, either. I’d say to think Marie Kondo…does it spark joy? If so, keep it and decide later.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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Congratulations on your upcoming retirement! We are currently emptying our house of everything, putting the house on the market, and moving abroad. Lots of tough decisions about what few items we can take.
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Oh wow! I’m jealous! Where will you be moving to?
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So the realllllllly nice thing about only staying in a classroom for a year or two is that I accumulate nothing. I’m actually leaving most things for the new teacher. It’s really hard to throw things away or give them away, but I would honestly think about an item’s usefulness long-term…that helps me.
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