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Some students and educators start looking forward to the next school year almost as soon as the previous one ends. They miss their classmates, their colleagues, and one another.
Schools are more than just educational institutions. They are social support systems, and the relationships forged in classrooms are often formative and fulfilling in ways we only appreciate over time. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges, or that certain tasks tend to come with a prerequisite degree of dread. Here are five simple steps to get ahead of classroom clutter and stay organized all year long.
Teachers can be incredibly creative when it comes to storage solutions, especially on a budget. Just check Etsy or Instagram for endless ideas on how to sort or stow absolutely anything. But novice and veteran educators alike can always use some fresh inspiration. TeachStarter is an online teachers’ lounge for educators, including those overwhelmed by binders and shoeboxes that offer more utility than whimsy.
But traditional storage is often static. Not so with HON’s SmartLink mobile storage system. With multiple sizes and a range of color options, our vertical and versatile towers maximize capacity by rolling under our Build series tables and desks or into overlooked alcoves—then out into the open when needed. SmartLink interior configurations are just as flexible, with plastic tubs easily removed or stored for next time.
It’s true that you can’t have too much storage, but you can have too much stuff. Many educators are so familiar with scarcity of supplies and support materials that accumulation has almost become second nature.
More storage only gets you so far when battling chaos. Pairing down sets priorities, adds value to those items you choose to keep, and creates the opportunity to share with colleagues or organizations that will put them to good use elsewhere.
Curate your supplies to only those items you actually use, not those you hope to someday, but never do. Consider the same approach when it comes to decorating your room. Museums don’t display their entire collection either. Rotate instead to showcase and celebrate student work while keeping everything fresh and inspiring.
Clutter is more than just excess quantity, it’s also the absence of order. It doesn’t have to be a huge mess to create stress, and all of the ancillary symptoms that come with it. From anxiety to insomnia, not knowing where things are can be a distraction with real consequences.
Even the Mayo Clinic is touting the benefits of investing in more order. Remember that adage about the correlation between creativity and messy desks? It turns out the opposite is true. Cluttered environments make our brains “less effective at processing information — and more prone to frustration.”
Designate locations for frequently used materials and those used less often, then create a detailed list of where everything should go. It will help keep you accountable and prove invaluable if a substitute or colleague needs to cover your class in a pinch or a crisis.
When it comes to educational environments, students are also stakeholders. Younger students may need more reminders to return items to designated places, and older students may need the right “teen tact” to encourage routine maintenance. But staying ahead of clutter is undeniably a partnership. And it’s a great habit to teach.
The Academy of Neuroscience Architecture notes the importance of spaces to call our own. That doesn’t mean covering every square inch of wall with student work. Less can be more. Let “making the wall” become a distinction or accomplishment, not the standard.
Extend that concept to storage as well. Consider the benefits of less, then hide the rest so students don’t feel like they’re surrounded by materials they rarely use. Create a set of daily tasks for students to tidy up specific spaces for everyone’s benefit.
Education at its essence prepares children for the future, one that will increasingly require a balance of creative and technical skills to solve complex problems, regardless of their academic path or occupation.
The “maker movement” informed the holistic design of HON’s Build series of Makerspace tables and matching stools, offering schools and students more interactive options for surfaces, storage, and seating that all work together. With various heights, dozens of colors, and endless configuration options, Makerspace strikes the perfect balance of versatility and durability for aspiring artists and engineers.
“The Build Makerspace is an integrated solution with end panels you can accessorize with smaller bins, and shelves underneath for storing larger ones,” explains Aaron Snyder, Product Marketing Senior Manager at HNI Workplace Furnishings. “Students can take bins back to their desks, or the entire table can easily move on castors anywhere. It’s a design that invites collaboration throughout the classroom.”
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