51 Things to Get Rid of in Your Classroom in 2023 ·

I got a message from a student inside The Organized Teacher Framework™ who told me she filled up two trashcans worth of stuff in her classroom to get rid of. It got me thinking, what are some of the things teachers having laying around their classroom that they can get rid of right now?

Classroom. Text overlay: 51 Things to Get Rid of In Your Classroom Right Now

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I am often asked about which things to keep and which to get rid of. Teachers want to know how to decide what to keep and what to throw out.

Part of the problem is, as teachers, we tend to be hoarders. Which is fair. We are given (practically) zero dollars to set up our classroom and want to hang on to things in case we might need them.

Key word there is might!

In this post, I’m sharing a list of things you can get rid of today! Be sure to click links for any items that apply to you, you’ll find some extra tips and ideas!

Plus, stick around till the end where I tell you about how to keep it all organized!

Classroom Things to Get Rid Of

The “save the planet” side of me wants to make sure you exhaust all options before actually throwing something in the trashcan.

Remember, you can donate items to other teachers (who want the items, don’t just dump them on them!), the library or specials teachers, the library or volunteer spaces in your community, the possibilities are endless. Also, be sure to recycle whenever possible!

And, check out The Zero Waste Classroom for more ideas on creating a sustainable classroom.

Dried out or old markers
Anchor charts your students are no longer using
Documentation for former students
Papers/activities you never got around to last month
Broken maniuplatives
Student work you never graded
File folder games that are falling apart
Charging cords that don’t work or are torn
Past lesson planners (okay, I don’t know that I’d actually do this…but it’s probably a good thing to toss)
Plastic sleeves that are stained from too many expo markers
Teacher resource books you don’t use
Papers teachers give you “just-in-case” you might need it
Inspirational signs hung around the classroom (keep these limited! Don’t take up valuable space with stuff your students probably aren’t reading)
Instruction manuals
Board games missing pieces
Board games your students don’t play with
Extra copies of the week’s activities (you can reprint or download if you need it)
Email subscriptions that no longer serve you
Books that are falling apart
Bottles of hand sanitizer that you aren’t using (Okay…2020, I know. But I say this because I probably had 30-40 bottles in my cabinet and we only used 10-15 a year)
Same ^^^ for extra tissue boxes (donate them to the specials teachers!)
Sticky notes you are no longer using (I’m talking about the ones on your monitor that you forgot were even there)
File Folders with copies from year’s past (again, you can always redownload it)
Games/activities/papers/resources left from the teacher in your classroom before you
CDs
Textbooks you aren’t using
Busy border on your bulletin boards (keep it simple and calm)
Stuff stored on top of cabinets (if it’s up there, you probably aren’t using it…do you really need it?)
Textbook/Teacher Editions books for curriculum adoptions your district is no longer using
Old/broken crayons that aren’t being used
Decorations that are outdated
Supply caddys that are broken
Expired snacks
Craft supplies you aren’t using
Extra paperclips
Magazines
Indoor Recess Creations from your students (just don’t let them see this!)
Dried out play dough
Dried out paint
Dried out glue
Any kind of administrative stuff from previous years (school calendars, first-day of school procedures, etc.)
Papers, papers, papers. Really, just get rid of all the papers! (Get the Paper Organization Course here!)
Outdated math or language arts maniplatives
Manipulatives you don’t use (I bought a bunch of those reading response dice and never used them, not even once!)
Old team lesson plans
Emails that have already been handled (Did you respond to that parent about their kid’s late work? Let it go!)
That box of *gross* candy and chocolate you got last Valentine’s Day
Materials, papers, and files for grades you no longer teach
Old student tests (if you aren’t going to use them for parent conferences, why are you hanging on to them?)
P.D. certificates (can you scan them in and upload them to your computer?)
Creation Station items that never get used (if the kids don’t use it, they don’t like…why hang on to it?)

How to Get and Stay Organized

You are wasting your time if you get rid of all those items, but don’t have a plan to keep your classroom organized.

When it comes to staying organized, you have to have a plan. As I like to say, make the plan then work the plan!

I helped my friend, Brittany, make the plan for getting her classroom cabinets cleaned out and a bit more organized.

We first identified the problems she was experiencing, talked through strategies of how to get each of those areas organized, then created a plan for keeping it all organized.

You can walk through this same process with the Creating and Sticking to Classroom Organization Routines free download.