Ah . . . it’s that time of year . . . The school year is winding down. The smells of freshly cut grass and freedom and bubble wrap are in the air.

It’s that time of year where we start hoarding boxes . . . begging from friends . . . and ordering from Amazon. Mostly for the packing material.

It’s that time of year where we pack up our classrooms. Here are some tips to help the process go more smoothly:

1. Classroom use. Ensure you know who will have access to the room and if the room will be used regularly for summer school, camps, meetings, and the like.
2. Enlist help. Ask your students, office aides, NHS students, booster clubs, PTSA members, and anyone else you can think of to help you out. Anything someone else can do for you frees up your time.
3. Checklist. Take a picture of your room, so you know how you want it set up for the fall. Create a checklist of what you do so that packing next year will be easier. The list can double as an unpacking list.
4. The last shall be first. Begin backing up the least used items, leaving the most used for the last box. Mark the final box with, “Open first.”
5. The first shall be first. Get at the front of the line and notify your office staff of any repairs needed over the summer now.

While I generally try to keep blogs to three tips, I kept finding myself adding to the list! Here I am at five and I still have others.

***Golden Rule of Packing #1. If you value an item, take it home.
***Golden Rule of Packing #2. If you find yourself with an unopened box in September, there’s a good chance you don’t need it. Perhaps a new teacher would find value in it.

This process is time-consuming and complicated, and I hope it goes as smoothly as possible for you.

Enjoy your well-deserved summer!

Allison Venuto is an educator with 12 years of experience in the Dallas area and is the owner of Ducks in a Row Personal Organizing. You can contact her at Allison@DucksInARowDallas.com.

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