In my 8 years of teaching, I have packed up my classroom a total of 3 times now. I have moved my stuff to new schools, as well as moved everything into storage. It can be very overwhelming when you see how much stuff you actually have. And in a lot of cases, you don’t usually have a ton of time before you have to be out of the room. But here are some tips I have found to be helpful when moving classrooms!
1. Start Packing Early
Surprisingly, this is a tip I wasn’t able to follow any of the times I packed up a classroom. One of my times packing was during the Covid lockdowns of 2020, so I was given an assigned time to go in and pack. The other two times were after being on maternity leave, so I had to wait until school was out to go in. BUT, if you are able to, I highly recommend starting to slowly pack things up before the end of the school year. You can even have your students help you with little tasks. This will make things a lot less overwhelming during the summer because you won’t have to do it all at once.
2. Pack In Things That You Already Have
While you will probably still need some boxes or storage bins, it can be helpful to utilize things you already have. If you have rolling carts, or shelves, or tubs that you are already going to be moving out of the room anyway, you might as well fill them with smaller things to save space. This will also save money, because you won’t need as many moving boxes. For the boxes that I did need, I really liked using these Banker’s boxes and these plastic storage bins with lids.
3. Put "Like" Items Together
I know…when you are in a rush to get everything out of your classroom, it can be tempting to just starting throwing things in boxes so you can be done faster. But if you are moving into a new classroom, you won’t want to deal with that when it comes time to unpacking. So, try putting all of your art supplies together, all of your puzzles together, all of your books together, etc. Future you will be glad you did this!
4. Declutter
Moving classrooms is the perfect opportunity to declutter. Teachers are great at collecting and holding on to things because they “might” need it for something one day. But if you didn’t use it at all last year school year, you probably don’t need it. It’s okay to donate things you don’t use or even throw stuff away! You will feel so much better moving into a new room with a fresh start and not a bunch of junk you don’t need.
5. Use A Wagon Or A Cart To Carry Things
I have been fortunate to have two classrooms with outside doors that I could park right next to. But one of my classrooms did not have this and it was wayyyy down the hallway from an outside door. This meant I had to move things much further. Instead of carrying boxes that far, I used our stroller wagon and a dolly, so that I could get more things in one trip.
6. Ask For Help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! More people are willing to help you than you think. I have found that several of my friends and family that aren’t teachers actually enjoy getting to go into a classroom. And the more hands you have, the faster it will go!
Packing up a classroom is a lot of work and not much fun, but I hope these tips can help make the process a little easier for you.
