View Full Version : How much of work stuff to bring home?
fidgiegirl
8-2-12, 11:47pm
The program I used to run is folding. I am doing a different job at a different level but in the same school district. They were unable to find a suitable replacement to run the program (elementary Spanish) and are going a different direction. I left a lot of personal items in the classroom I used to have anticipating that I would have been going back this year. But now I'm not, and the program will be no more, so I can't have the excuse that "the long term sub can use whatever s/he wants." At a minimum, I need to deal with my own items. I taught in the program for seven years, and was the lone teacher in it. So I got to keep the same classroom, complete with cupboards and closets (it was a former art classroom) as well as inherited all the stuff from previous teachers in the program. It's a lot of stuff.
Beyond my own cultural items/realia/curriculum materials there are the materials owned by the school that they will no longer be needing. My sense of needing to deal with that is growing. But I ask myself - why? If I were to have resigned completely and were not in the district and had moved on, I would have zero obligation to deal with the fallout of a cut program. Mostly it is a kindness thing. There is a new principal in the building, and I don't want to be the jerk that left her with a classroom of crap to find people power to deal with, even if that crap wasn't owned personally by me. Especially since my boss is this new principal's boss, too, and she'd be fine with me using work time to go take care of it. Also knowing that it will all go in the dumpster, whether this year or in 10 years, makes me want to deal. I think I will ask the principal if she minds if I offer it up to some teacher friends/Spanish immersion school in the area, or if I take any of it myself. Some is language neutral, thus could be used in literacy activities in general classrooms or by the ESL teacher. Some is garbage, and I should have thrown it while the program was still in existence. No one else will know what is worth keeping and what is not worth keeping, and it will hog up valuable space. Plus, it will give me closure knowing that the program really is done and wrapped up and that chapter of my life is closed.
The office-y/general teaching supplies I will likely just leave for the next person to have the room, or offer it up via an all-staff e-mail. Anyone can use that stuff and it will be snapped up.
But the big question is: how much to bring home? Will I ever, realistically, teach elementary Spanish full time again? The only thing that keeps me wanting to take a few of the materials, visuals, etc. is that I have batted around the idea of developing and marketing a Community Ed Spanish course package in the past. If I did move ahead on that idea, it would stink to have to re-make/reinvent everything that I'd need when I know it's all already there.
Or is bringing the stuff home (even some of it) just hanging on to a past that is no longer? The more I reflect on teaching, the more I realize that even in school, we over "stuff" our kids. We do NOT need all the things we think we need to teach. And it can get to be too much. Way too much.
I do have the room at home, especially if I limited myself to just one or two reasonably sized totes. And some of it does have sentimental value from my travels.
What thoughts do you have? I need some outside perspective on this one.
(Sorry so long, I guess lots of aspects to think out. Thanks all.)
Perhaps you should first pull out those materials that would cost the most in money/time to purchase or put together again and see how many of those you have.
I would keep a small box of a few sentimental items and let the rest go. I bet it will be very freeing. I've had to do this over various stages of my life, getting rid of the artifacts of a prior life and its hard. Some of it was letting go of the dream of who I was (even if I never actually WAS that person, it was the idea of the person I could become). Realize that it may be harder than just the physical removal/disposal of items and give yourself time to grieve as necessary.
On a practical level, give away what you can to those who can use it NOW rather than hoarding it for a "someday" even if you do have the room for it. Recognize that techniques and the like will change, so something useful now may not be as useful in the future- thinking more will be available on media devices vs paper. Keep what you think you could reuse in the next year not a "someday I want to do this". Keep it organized so that if you do need it, you will be able to find it. Maybe make yourself a list/index of what you have so you don't drive yourself crazy trying to remember "did I keep this or throw this out?".
Kelli, I agree. Keep a few items of sentimental value and hand off the stuff that's not garbage. Only you can say how close your Community Ed idea is to reality (given constraints of time, other obligations, etc.), but given that the idea has been "batted around" with no more progress, these items become more "I-might-need-these-someday" items, and I don't think you keep too many of those around the house. Meanwhile, they can be used by people actively teaching and learning Spanish.
If you are still in the first 1/2 of your teaching career you very well may teach Spanish again--or anything--and there's a good chance you will need some of the things in that room.
I left a classroom once and left it all behind thinking I wasn't going to teach again. I was wrong and the very next year I regretted having given it away. Much of it was of value and I had paid for. Even stuff the school system that could possibly be of value to you in the future you should take--provided you'll be in the same school system.
The time to "leave it all behind" is the last day of the last year you teach before retirement.
Practically, that's what I think you should do.
fidgiegirl
8-3-12, 10:25am
Uffda! Two opposing, and valuable, views on the topic!! I am going to be processing today. :)
How about keeping the things that you found most valuable in the classroom, that cost over a certain dollar amount? You can set your own threshold. And certainly keep a few items from your travels.
Since many schools in the area are adding Spanish to younger grades, I'm sure there are numerous teachers who would really appreciate anything you cull.
You could always take it all home, sort through it as time allows, and then offer what you don't want to other teachers.
What about tutoring? Any chance you might do this - and are there materials you would use?
fidgiegirl
8-3-12, 11:26am
Since many schools in the area are adding Spanish to younger grades, I'm sure there are numerous teachers who would really appreciate anything you cull.
What about tutoring? Any chance you might do this - and are there materials you would use?
Yeah - re: adding Spanish in the area - that's why there was no competition, I think, for my position. Only one applicant! :( There are so many choices now compared to when I was hired. There aren't enough teachers :(
Tutoring IS another venue I thought of. I've been thinking about herbgeek's comment. I actually got rid of a ton of physical items year-before-last because with my SMART Board I wasn't using them anymore. But in a tutoring/Community Ed scenario, the access to that technology is almost certain to be non-existent. That's why I wonder if I need at least a FEW of the items.
There are LOTS of items I'm ready to get rid of. For example, there are probably 200 children's books in Spanish. I don't want any of them, and neither do the other teachers in the school (they funneled anything in Spanish over my direction, which made sense).
bunnys, your comment has me thinking, too. I will never be reassigned to Spanish in this district. There was only one program, and now it is gone. They won't create another program anywhere else (well, one place might have a SMALL chance of creating one, but no time soon.) It would only be if I chose to go back into it. I might. But at this time I'm sticking with what I'm doing, or maybe would do ESL. But that's only the plan! What if I change my mind, or life circumstances force me back into it? Argh!
Hey I understand the desire to simplify and streamline and all that.
I live in a part of the country where funding public education is not at the top of the priority list for municipal governments. And teacher stuff is expensive.
I don't think you should keep it all but just go through it (not fun, I know) and err on the side of conservation.
One thing I'd like to add: if it makes you sad, then you likely shouldn't keep the stuff around even if that IS a practical thing to do. If running into the stuff you have stored will only make you have regrets, or sadness, or feel your loss over again, then maybe you should let it go. I'm sensing a great deal of sadness in your comments about the program being discontinued. If that is true, do you want a constant or even a periodic reminder of that or do you want to move on to better things (at least on an energetic level)?
One thing I'd like to add: if it makes you sad, then you likely shouldn't keep the stuff around even if that IS a practical thing to do. If running into the stuff you have stored will only make you have regrets, or sadness, or feel your loss over again, then maybe you should let it go. I'm sensing a great deal of sadness in your comments about the program being discontinued. If that is true, do you want a constant or even a periodic reminder of that or do you want to move on to better things (at least on an energetic level)?
This is very true. You sensed correctly. :(
Would your public library welcome the children's books in Spanish?
Would your public library welcome the children's books in Spanish?
Awesome idea!
Would your public library welcome the children's books in Spanish?
I need to get some guidance from my boss or the school principal on just who I may offer things to. There is an established procedure for surplus materials. I'm hoping, though, that I can offer them up to some relatively new Spanish immersion schools among our member districts. I really appreciate the suggestion, though. There are a lot of different native languages represented in our city like in so many others. And literacy in a child's first language encourages literacy development in English.
As a former classroom teacher who helped to clean out (too) many classrooms and storage rooms, I applaud you on your commitment to clean up, since the program has ended. The new administrator will be very grateful (even though she may be too overwhelmed to show it), as will the other teachers and staff. It never hurts to leave good karma behind!
My vote would be absolutely to pass things on to people who will use them now. Educational materials do get old: the illustrations become outdated, paper yellows and tears easily, etc. It's best that they be used now, if that's possible.
Having left the classroom myself, though it was emotionally hard to do at the time, it turned out to be very important for me that I passed on the things people wanted to use- and I donated 200 hardback children's picture books to the school library in a neighboring district- recycled/trashed a lot of stuff, and brought home 4 smallish boxes: 1 of games that I've played with my grandkids, 1 of memorabilia that I've either integrated into my home or donated now, and 2 that I continue to use for private tutoring. As I said, it was emotionally hard to do but the feeling of completion and satisfaction as I locked that classroom door for the last time has carried me through the storms of reinventing my self professionally. I highly recommend the same course of action for you!
Thank you, mschrisgo! That's exactly what I envision. That feels good to think about.
Thanks to all who have responded to this thread so far. It seems dumb to have to work through this - it's only stuff, after all - but I want to do it well and clear it from my mind. I really appreciate all of your thoughts and have given them all a lot of consideration. I'll let you know what happens this week! Hoping by the end of the week that I can tackle this.
I just sent the principal and my boss an e-mail with my thoughts re: this. Hopefully they are kosher. Basically it would be foolish to turn down anyone offering to clean out a classroom! What a PITA when people leave their crap behind (for whatever reasons).
Life_is_Simple
8-3-12, 11:25pm
Uffda! Two opposing, and valuable, views on the topic!! I am going to be processing today. :)
It's not every day you see the word "uffda" in a thread :cool:
rodeosweetheart
8-4-12, 8:32pm
One time I was volunteering at a prison, and the warden said they needed Bibles in Spanish, so I bought them a case of Bibles in Spanish.
How about donating the children's books to a prison for family visiting time?
Well, I went and spent the whole day today, and didn't bring home that much. Books that are worth money and are mine, more organizing stuff than anything. I pitched a WHOLE LOT. 3.5 of the big rolling industrial barrels full of posters with stereotypical images, VHS of poor quality (as if any VHS are worth anything, even if they are of GOOD quality), old supplies like markers and crayons (hard to do, but this is overall a rich school, and will be inundated with fresh new everything in a few weeks. No point to keeping it). I didn't touch my desk/files. I got the office supplies tamed. There is probably another good day's worth left.
The principal decided the school's media center is keeping the books. I will weed them, though. And the staff will be taking LOTS of now-unneeded items. She also encouraged me to pack up the worthwhile materials for a potential rebirth of the program. I am skeptical there will ever be money to do it, but went along.
Well, I am done.
It took - I am astonished - 18 hours. Thank God current boss in the district was ok with me taking the time to do it! I didn't just throw it in boxes, I went through it. But not carefully! Mostly, I pitched - probably 75%. After a while of kids handling things, they just don't look good anymore. And so much of it was teacher-created as well as well-used - it just needed to go.
I have several boxes packed up to offer to an immersion school, just have to find one who wants them.
Several boxes of the best items are set aside for a future Spanish program, but I was extremely selective, remembering that any future teacher will NOT be teaching in the same program model as I had and will most likely use much technology.
I had way too much stuff in that classroom. WAY too much. There is no way I should have had to take that amount of time cleaning it out. Lesson learned for if I ever go back to any classroom. The learning is NOT about the stuff. It's about the quality of teaching. That was my first teaching job and I was in it for several years. I notice I created a lot less stuff later on. Partly this was because I had my SMART Board by then, and partly because I kind of "saw the light." Another part was that I had already made it in my earliest years. I also had a lot of organizational objects like drawers and baskets because I had 300 kids per semester. That's a lot to keep track of!
I did bring quite a bit home, more than I had hoped. But some of it is practical stuff, like doggy poo bags, all lumped together with the "pack away for future" stuff. And some is for my current job. So while I'm done at school, I have to now sort the stuff I brought home.
Interestingly, as I went through things, I became excited again about a community ed profit center around children's Spanish. I kind of expected an "ugh" feeling to emerge, but it didn't. That's saying something. I could do it in a very focused way, like a course on Day of the Dead or cooking. I LOVE cooking with children. Ask any of my past students their favorite memory of Spanish class and I bet 8 out of 10 will remember a cooking/food activity.
Thanks for supporting me through this process. I kept a lot of your comments in mind as I went through it. Big hugs!!!
You're no longer in the classroom? Are you still teaching? In what capacity, if so?
Congrats on finishing your purge.
No longer with kids - doing instructional coaching for at least the next 2 years. And now that this program is gone, I won't be going back to that school. If I go back into the classroom, it will be in a different district because of my licenses and our student programs. Nowhere to go back to, really!
Gardenarian
9-4-12, 10:28pm
Hi Fidgie -
Whenever I read your posts I can't help thinking about all the homeschoolers out here who are always looking for Spanish teachers! Would we ever love to have someone like you!
fidgiegirl
9-4-12, 10:29pm
@Gardenarian, thanks! I have thought of that route, too. How would I ever get started? I know a few homeschoolers in the area, but not sure if any of them participate in any kind of co-op.
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