Like it or not, summer is upon us. You can probably already taste that chocolate ice cream on your tongue, feel the sand between your toes, or smell the popcorn from the boardwalk.
Although most students get to burst out of the school doors for the last time on Tuesday, June 11, teachers continue until Thursday, June 13 to wrap up gradebooks and clear out their classrooms for the summer.
However, not all teachers pack up their rooms in the same way. Although the school administration provides a list of guidelines, each teacher uses their own organization system.
Spanish teacher Mrs. Pamela Kaneda follows these guidelines when packing up her classroom.
“Some of it is just paperwork. We’re supposed to cover open shelving,” Kaneda said. “I have to take these giant reams of paper and cover them up.”
French Teacher Ms. Suzanne Stadnicki also notes that teachers are expected to move things around, so it is important to limit the amount of items left on shelves and surfaces.
“We are asked to take everything off of the shelves and unplug everything. I defrost my refrigerator,” Stadnicki said. “I take everything off of surfaces, other than the computer and the printer.”
Depending on the teacher and subject, organization methods can vary. Physics teacher Mr. William Rothenbach plans ahead, following through a little bit at a time as the end of the year nears.
“I start off with a really good plan, and everything is getting put away really nicely and organized,” Rothenbach said. “As we get closer to the last day of school, things get put in empty paper boxes from the copy room, put on a shelf, and labeled with the year As I put things away, I try to wipe them down.”
Conversely, graphic design teacher Ms. Regina Iannello does not have as many materials to pack up. She finds that utilizing her space and keeping track of her materials are important steps in her organization process.
“I’m lucky because I don’t have a whole lot of art supplies,” Iannello said. “So mine consists of making sure I have enough supplies for next year and itemizing everything. The decorations, I put away, use them for the next year. I don’t have a ton of extra space, so I just make sure I can get as much in the closets as I can.”
English teacher Mr. Robert Zakrzewski agrees that putting away materials is not a big part of his end-of-year routine either, which he attributes to the fact that he always plans on returning.
“Fortunately, I don’t pack up much,” Zakrzewski said. “I get to come back to it, so I can leave a lot. I just cover a lot of stuff up, because they clean a lot in here.”
Sometimes, teachers base their organizing and cleaning on what kind of technical work will occur in classrooms over the summer. Math teacher Mrs. Beth Benzing finds that her cleanup differs based on whether or not the classrooms are being painted.
“Every once in a while, they have to paint your room, so I have to take all of my t-shirts down, and all of the decorations,” Benzing said.
While the walls are only painted every so often, the floors of classrooms are cleaned almost every summer. Teachers must be mindful of what they leave on their desks, as it can be rearranged during the summer.
“They move everything in the hall over the summer so they can clean the floors,” French Teacher Mrs. Traci Dubs said. “I usually put my little trinkets away in the closet, just so they don’t fall off of my desk when they move it.”
Furthermore, dust is a factor that teachers keep in mind when cleaning up their rooms. With classrooms remaining vacant for about two months, the tiny particles are bound to accumulate on classroom surfaces.
“Because the air-conditioning and air-circulation systems are off over the summer, I try to cover anything that has a horizontal surface,” Rothenbach said. “I try to cover [surfaces] with plastic bags so that the dust collects on the plastic bags, not on the expensive equipment.”
While teachers do pack up and put away their things, not everything stays in the classroom over summer break. In addition to their school-issued laptops, teachers take some other items home to use during the break.
“I have a big class library, and I go through and pick books that I’ve been wanting to read all year, but didn’t get to,” Zakrzewski said.
Additionally, Kaneda watches out for the living aspects of her classroom.
“I take my plants home. I don’t want them to die,” Kaneda said.
Like several other procedures nowadays, technology has changed how teachers pack up their rooms and the number of items they take home with them. With almost all files and assignments existing online, teachers are finding that they do not need to take as many paper items home with them.
“Everything is on my computer, so [I just take home] my computer,” Benzing said. “All of my notes are already automated.”
Cleaning up at the end of the year doesn’t always have to be a hassle, though. Benzing takes the cleaning as an opportunity to clear her slate for the next school year. “I love closure, so I love throwing everything away at the end of the year, and starting fresh in September,” Benzing said.
