How to: Perma-Clean Your Classroom
In my own rather small apartment, I’ve become obsessed with the idea of “permanent clean.” The idea that my apartment doesn’t just need to get clean…it needs to stay clean. I’ve done all sorts of things to achieve this (mildly deranged) vision: from creating a special drawer just for my toothbrush, to outfitting my shower with special silicone condiment dispensers for all my shampoo. Heck, I’ve even used museum putty to secure my drawer dividers, so that everything stays perfectly in place! One day, centuries from now, archaeologists will study my perfectly-preserved apartment and marvel at the neuroticism of my generation…
But, I’m telling you…Perma-Clean works! My apartment might not always be clean, but I can have it Martha Stewart-ready in 5 minutes or less. And, my classroom? Ok, sure, there’s the occasional illicit wrapper on the ground, or the hole puncher explosion that no one saw coming…but, for the most part? Room 701 is Perma-Kleen! (Insert cheesy infomercial music here.) Easy, breezy, beautiful!
Now, it wasn’t always this way. Perma-clean has taken a few years to achieve—be not discouraged, if your classroom looks more like a McDonalds Play Place than it does the Kondo-inspired haven of your dreams. I’m here to share a few simple tips and tricks to help you learn from my mistakes, so you can perma-clean your classroom until it sparkles. From day 1 to 180, you too can have a classroom that’s spick-and-span all year long!
Step 1: A Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place
Ok, first thing’s first: if your classroom is like 90% of classrooms across America, the real reason that it’s difficult to keep clean is that not everything has a place. Sure, you have places picked out for student notebooks, for spare markers, and for, you know, the refrigerator…but, one no-name paper or unwieldy solar system diorama later, and the whole system comes crashing down! Like the famous case study on “broken window theory,” one small lapse in storage quickly spirals out of control.
Consider the potential culprits below, and ask yourself: where would I put these things, now? Where could I put them, in the future? There’s really two categories here: papers and…non-papers. The two forms of matter that make up our instructional universe…
Papers…
Daily Copies: Where do you put your copies, if you have time to make them days or weeks in advance? I’d recommend separating them by class and by day. That way, it’s easy to get set up in a flash when you skuttle in with your morning macchiato!
Extra Copies: What about extra copies, at the end of each class period? Where do those go? I drop mine in a “student extras” tray for each level, so that absent students are free to scavenge when they return. (But, if you choose to store yours in the recycling bin, I’ll never tell. I’m sure this school composts, right?!)
Current Grading: Where do you keep papers (or projects) that you’re currently grading? Where do you keep the rubrics? The rosters? Create a paper tray just for your in-progress grading, so that you never lose an assignment. And, so that you can grade a few papers at a time, at your leisure.
Student Returns: Where do you put student papers that are ready to be returned? Create a paper tray for each class period, easily visible from your teaching station. (Because, out of sight, out of mind…you don’t want to be stuck passing out six months’ worth of papers on the last day of school!)
Miscellaneous: Where do you put student papers with no name? Papers that are “in progress,” as when a student leaves for an orthodontist appointment? Create a special tray for those, too—or pop a few clippy magnets on the board for just such occasions.
Grades and Archives: Stacks of old quizzes that you don’t want to be sold to next years’ eager class of 8th graders? Last semester’s gradebook, that you’re saving in case of Y3K? Every teacher needs a space for archives. Create a set of file folders for each assignment, or buy a couple of tab-divided binders with papers from each class period. When summer hits? Pass it all back or throw it all out: no sunglassed government official is going to come track down your scantrons.
Admin Mail: Ah, the flotsam-jetsam of the mail room…a passive-aggressive, oddly personal memo about staff microwave use? A not-so-sealed envelope about the upcoming earthquake drill? (The drill’s not until tomorrow, but somehow you have a feeling that there are no injuries.) Pop a few magnets on the board for seasonal flyers, and find a special drawer or tray to hold the rest. Otherwise, they’ll float around your desk for years to come!
Non-Papers…
Technology: Sure, you have a drawer for your laptop, and maybe a cabinet with your DVDs. But, where do you keep the projector remote? The DVD player? The spare dongle? Consider creating a bin or drawer just for all your technological needs. While you’re at it, set a tray next to your teaching zone (or mount a little Velcro on your whiteboard) so that you never have to hunt for the remote.
Notes and Reminders: A teacher pops by and gives you her extension—which, you cleverly jot down on a Post-It. You smart cookie, you! But…duh duh duh…where do you put the Post-It Note? Create a little reminders zone, and set aside a roll of clear packing tape to tape long-term Post-Its to your desk. (I like to think of this as stone-age lamination: the technique has served me well!)
Extra School Supplies: Half-sharpened pencils, a weird bobble-headed pen, and a highlighter that’s seen better days…create an empty box at the back of the room where you can toss student extras whenever you find them (which is to say, in every nook and cranny).
Lost-and-Found: A sticker-covered Hydro Flask, an unmarked set of AirPods, a weird and frightening troll doll with fluorescent orange hair…what?! Whatever it is, it goes in a clearly-marked bin in the back. Then, once a quarter or so, off to the library it goes!
Bits-and-Bobs: What about paper clips? Rubber bands? Pens, highlighters, staples? Glue sticks, chapstick, chopsticks? Invest in a set of drawer dividers and create a miniature nook for each of these beloved little friends. They deserve a home too, no matter how small. And, while you’re at it, how’s about a command hook for your bag, so it doesn’t slump quite so sadly on the floor…
Trust me: whatever your classroom go-to’s, take the time to carve out specific spots for each of these categories. Ask around for stackable trays, invest in some lidded tupperware bins, and set up those tiny drawer dividers. Buy the tape, buy the Velcro, buy the clipboard if you need it. Spend the 20 bucks that you need to do this right. It might take you two hours in August, but it will keep the classroom clean ‘til May!
Step 2: Building Your Muscle Memory
Ah, sweet serenity. Your classroom is finally clean! Now, the real challenge: keeping it clean. A few tips, below:
Label everything: Labels aren’t just your friends; they’re your guardian angels. When you’re brain dead on a hot, muggy afternoon—Kahoot music ringing in your ears as you wander aimlessly, clutching a no-name paper or a lost pen cap—it’s the labels that will show you where to turn.
Practice mindfulness: Cleanliness takes time, and it’s a legitimate form of self-care. Take a deep breath and survey the room whenever you get a moment. Look around. Take a beat. In other words, slow down. Be present. Even in the middle of a lesson, you can always take a little minute to get things right. (Some people like to rake their zen sandboxes; I prefer to mindlessly align my stapler, my pencil cup, and my hole puncher. To each their own, I guess.)
Draw your personal line in the sand: And, speaking of sand…ok, I admit it. Your classroom won’t always be clean. But, you have to draw the line somewhere. Create one or two simple rules that will help you keep your world in orbit, even when it’s starting to spiral out of control. For me, that’s my desk and my copy table: my desk will always be clean at the end of the day, and my copies will always be put back in their trays. Come hell or high water! Put these rules on a Post-it note, and stick it to your monitor. Eventually, they will become a part of your moral code!
Step 3: Mobilizing Your Minions
Once you’ve got the hang of your new system, it’s time to get the kids on board. This part is essential: doing this all on your own is a recipe for resentment. Because how many flippin’ times can you flippin’ push in these flippitty-do-dah chairs, anyways?! Flippity floppity!!! You hear me, my fellow laborers? Let’s let the kids take a turn!
Invest the time up front to help your students do their part: post signs above each bin and tray, with large, clear labels. Create a beginning-of-the-year Kahoot, chock full of trivia about classroom storage. And, add 90 seconds for tidying at the end of every class period, with a pictographic slide showing where to return common items. (We already know that kids don’t read directions, so pictures are highly recommended: see my examples on the Freebies page for ideas!)
Explain, explain, and re-explain. Sure, it’ll take some time to achieve all this…but, that first magical day, when the bell rings and your chairs are pushed in? The copies are in neat piles, and the markers are nestled back in their cubbies? It’ll be the hallelujah chorus for you, my friend!
So, Perma-Clean for all—young, old, and haggard, alike. Get it clean, keep it clean, and teach them to clean. Because there’s no clean…like Perma-Clean!
