Packing up a classroom is no easy task. I’ve done it four times (in a row) so I should know. Each year I had to pack up the entire classroom floor to ceiling for one reason or another. I have a few tips for packing up a classroom at the end of a school year that I think will be super helpful to you.
1) Take pictures
Take pictures of anything that you like in your current room. This will make whatever situation you have in your new classroom totally repeatable. This will also help later when we talk about taking inventory of what’s actually in your boxes.
2) Start packing early and slowly
There is no reason that you need to save all of your packing for the very last day of school. Simply start packing the things that you won’t use for the rest of the school year. Even have the kids help you with this. I really enjoyed helping my teachers with their classroom pack up when I was a student. It felt like we were cleaning up our classroom. I have a bunch of tips about keeping the clutter out of your classroom all year long.
3) Collect copy boxes from your copy room!
Or bring your Amazon boxes from home. You will need them. They can be any size or shape. I have a free printable moving label for your boxes here. Print them out on bright paper to easily identify your boxes. If you can’t procure enough boxes, email the school staff and ask if anybody has some decent boxes they can bring in for your pack up.
4) Get rid of the things you don’t use.
There is seriously no reason why you should be packing up things they don’t use. There are a few things that you can do to get rid of these things. Either throw them out, or donate them. Don’t pack things up to bring with you that you’ll never use.
5) Save a box exclusively for yourself.
Pack up a box with ONLY your desk things. Come back to school time, you will be so happy and excited to know that your desk is ready to set up. It’ll be the first thing that you can unpack when you get back to school.
6) Don’t pack your boxes too heavy.
Whether you move them or your custodial staff moves them this is important. You don’t want your boxes too heavy because then you’ll be kicking yourself when you move or unpack them. This is a simple thing that people don’t often think about.
7) Number your boxes and keep some kind of inventory.
You should have an idea of how many boxes you have. This way you will know if you received all of them on the unpacking end. I would take pictures of the contents of the boxes before you seal them up. Then in September if you are looking for something specific you will know exactly where to find out. You can even get a little extra and type your items into a Google Doc. Tag them to a box number. Then you can Ctrl + F if you need to find something and you’ll know what box it’s in.
8) Have a first week or first month of school box.
You will likely have a bunch of boxes. There’s going to be a TON for you to unpack. If you can put together a few “first priority” boxes then the pressure will be off for unpacking. If you look back at the back to school prep podcast episode I spoke about BTS prep. I mentioned that you should make some copies for your first week. Those things should wind up in this box.
9) Be diligent in your packing.
It’s super easy to get frustrated or lazy. Whatever you do, don’t throw random things into a box without thinking about it.
10) Finally, ask your custodians what they can do for you.
They will more than likely move your furniture for you. They will probably also move your boxes. The custodians will also probably need to know how many boxes they will be moving or storing for you, so make sure you have a final count.
Packing up a classroom is crazy stressful. Remember that although you want it to go smoothly and be close to perfect, it’s probably not going to happen. You’ll seal up a box and realize something else should have made its way there. Remember to give yourself grace. It’s probably also the end of the school year, with regular EOY stress. Do your best, and maybe spend a few nights on the couch with my favorite back massager and a glass of your fave drink. Best of luck, friend! Don’t forget to grab that free printable moving label before you go!
