So fun to see your old class materials! Great memories! I am so happy that you are happy where you are now too though. I miss teaching 2nd grade in some ways, but being a stay at home mom is right for me in this current season of life. Wouldn’t trade it for the world! Wishing you all the best!
Aww, thank you so much Jaymie! I'm so happy you enjoyed it and I appreciate you watching and commenting! 🖤 I totally understand what you mean... obviously I'm not a stay at home mom, but transitioning to a different role that is right for me in this current season in life is VERY relatable! I also wouldn't trade it for the world... I wish you all the best too!
Ever since I’ve started watching Michelle, my organization skills have been through the roof! Literally love her! She has made a big impact on my life and inspired me to major into education🤍
I needed this video as a motivational tool to get my spring cleaning started! One cabinet, closet, drawer at a time😂 You videos are always so helpful, thank you! Looks great😊
LOL! I'm so happy you enjoyed it Trish! 🥰 Most of the time, once you start, you feel more motivated to keep going! But you're right... take it one cabinet, closet, and drawer at a time! Thanks for watching as always! 🖤
I move to instructional coaching 5 years ago after of being in the classroom for 15. I brought so much stuff when I transitioned thinking I would use or if I ever went back into the classroom. What I found was some of my faves were no longer relevant or just old. I say purge and move on. You can always purchase if/when ready again.
I completely understand your perspective! I think after a few more years, I'll feel more comfortable giving it away but right now it's just too fresh and my bins and things are all in really good shape. Thanks for your insight though!
I love watching you organize. It is so inspiring! They are actually ripping up all the floors in my school this coming summer so everyone has to pack up their ENTIRE classrooms and bring home almost EVERYTHING. Believe it or not, this closet organization video gave me some ideas on how to pack up my stuff. I am going to have to go back and watch your video of when you emptied your classroom as well for more ideas. First of all, I can't wait until May 2! I'm so excited to read your book and so happy you are considering writing another one! I think your idea for your second book will have something to do with work/life balance and how to prevent teacher burnout. Thanks again for another great video! I can't wait until next week!
Hi again! I hope you had a great spring break and thank you for watching and commenting as always 🥰 Ahhh... that will be a HUGE undertaking but can definitely be a blessing in disguise because it will give you a chance to purge and organizing all of your materials! I'm happy you were able to get some ideas and hopefully you can get some more when you go back and what that video too! Also, I'm so excited you're excited for my book release and I'm right there with you! I can't believe it's so close! 🖤🎉 Thank you for all your support... you have no idea how much I appreciate it!
Great video, like always! I love the idea of gifting your classroom materials to a first year teacher, whenever/if that time comes! Just make sure to document it (via RU-vid) so we can all share in the joys of giving with you ❤ Your videos inspire kindness, intentionality and positive perspective regardless of current circumstances. Thank you!
Thank you so much for watching and commenting Carmen! 🖤 I definitely will document it if/when that time comes! Thank you for your kind words and continued support!
I have a basement full of teaching things. Many, many bins, baskets, and containers... It IS hard to get rid of things that were expensive that you may need in the future! I am happy to see I am not alone in this struggle!!
I'm so happy I'm not alone! It's definitely hard to decide what to keep and what to hold on to (mostly from the money that was spent on the items). I appreciate you watching and commenting! 🖤
I think organizational videos are some of my favorites...there's just something inspiring about a fresh start when you are tidying up and labeling everything. Yay! I also definitely remember and adore the Clean Sweep show. It was both exciting and overwhelming, just like real-life organizing can be. I am over the moon excited about your book! Woohoo! As for your next book, I am going to guess it has to do with work-life balance, using technology as a teacher, or organizational systems for teachers. Lastly, I thought it was cool how you used "binception," just as you and Bridget encourage teachers to use "folderception." Have an amazing week, Michelle! Thanks for being you! 💜
You know I look forward to your comment every week Mandy... thank you so much! 🖤 I completely agree that a fresh start feels SO good! Also, I'm glad it wasn't just me that was obsessed with Clean Sweep LOL! I legit watched it any time it was one... it was my comfort show when I was younger (which probably isn't surprising). Aww, I'm so excited that YOU'RE so excited for my book! I can't wait and I love hearing that others are just as amped about the release as I am! 🎉🥰 Thank you as always and I hope you have a GREAT week ahead! Much deserved!
Michelle Do what you feel is best for you! Either as a teacher in the classroom or someone who travels around giving lectures to other teachers! I look forward to following you on the path you choose to take! Your videos are educational whether they are in the classroom or at home Rikke
Aww, you're so sweet Rikke! Thank you SO much! I appreciate your kind words and support regardless of my decision! Thank you for watching and commenting as always 🥰🖤
Love how you organize your closet! You can’t have enough bins! Glad Ember helped you clean with eating her kibble! I spent all weekend organizing my closet and my clothing drawers! I keep forgetting how much stuff I accumulate over the years! It felt so good to get rid of clothes I no longer wear! I had an idea for your next book!. It should be productivity based! You and Bridget should write a book together! I’ve been reading some good stuff from the late Dave Hollis and TV celebrity chef Robert Irvine!
Thank you so much Russell! I really appreciate you watching and commenting as always! 🥰 I hope you also felt much better after organizing your closet and clothing drawers... I'm with you and definitely forget how much I accumulate until I go through all the items. Thanks for your idea... we've talked about possibly writing one together so we shall see!
Just throwing it out there as a suggestion, instead of holding on to bins and such "just in case and because they cost a lot," could you sell to a newer teacher and then use the money to buy different things down the road if you go back to a classroom? That would give you a ton of extra space.
Hi Jamie! Honestly, I wouldn't want to sell them to a new teacher... I would just want to give them to a new teacher. But, I'm not ready to do that right now since I don't know if I want to spend a few more years teaching or not. We have no other use for the closet so using it to store my teaching materials isn't a huge deal for us at the moment.
I love ALL of your videos! You do you Boo! I resigned from teaching in October of 2021 and have not looked back! I finished my Masters in Instructional Design and Technology and was offered a job I couldn't refuse! You may have already had a video about this, but, I have been interested in writing a children's book for years! What is the process of publishing a book? I am so happy for you and your journey through life! Do what makes YOU happy!
Just a suggestion, you may want to put the books inside the closet instead of the bins of bins. The books may get moldy from absorbing moisture from the humidity in the garage. Just a suggestion.
It doesn't get super humid here and the bins are in sealed containers so I'm not too worried about them! I went into one of the bins about a month ago to get a book and they were fine. Thanks for looking out though!
so any sterlite bins in your bin hoard... keep them out of heat/extreme temps because they turn brittle and fall apart. I have had to repack things my mother refuses to get rid of (shes been retired since 2011) because the bins kept in the garage have turned to trash.
We don't need to use the closet for anything else so I'd prefer to keep the bins in there since our house is temperature controlled and the garage isn't. With the Texas heat, some of the bins could get warped in the garage. As for the DVDs and Netflix... most of the DVDs I have are for Scholastic books and such that aren't available on Netflix. Plus, most school districts have Netflix and other streaming services blocked.
Michelle, I hope and pray that somebody somewhere in Our Educational System will take a good long look and really see what they have passed up and I hope will bring back. Let me tell you, I only wish I had a Ms. Ferre OR a Mrs. Emerson the likes of you. - Dwight
I am finishing my first year of teaching 6th grade science. A science teacher is leaving in May m, and I will inherit all of her science equipment. Yay! Need advice on organization and storage.
Ahh... that's SUPER exciting Robin! I'm so happy for you! As for organization, I recommend holding onto everything for the first year until you know what you want to keep versus what you can get rid of. Try to group things in a way that makes sense... whether it's by the type of science, curriculum unit, etc. and use those groups to create "zones" in your classroom. Every room is different in terms of storage so it's hard to give specific advice without seeing your space but you can consider submitting pictures or videos on my website for me to review in a future video: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEzZ9-YUClnidAcTjCVASw8EnR0vj8LnLh6B1F6unxuEWaHw/viewform
I totally get wanting to hold on to your classroom stuff, but I have a concern. If that closet is for tornado protection, wouldn’t storing the empty bins in the garage be a good idea? I mean they aren’t “useful” to you at the moment and I definitely think your materials are better off in the house. Is that not an option?
Hi Monica! I totally understand your concern and appreciate you thinking of us and our safety! Unfortunately, we don't have a ton of space in our garage... we could probably make it work, but since the bins aren't heavy or difficult to move, we could easily pull them out of the closet in a matter of seconds if we needed to use it for shelter 👍🏻 We also technically could use our pantry for shelter as well!
Omg I would LOVE that marble tray for my nanny kiddo and I’m in the Austin area! Let me know if you’re interested! If that’s weird, I completely understand!
Aww, thank you so much Jessica! That's such perfect timing for you! I'm going to have a book club this summer for my book so you should definitely join in! I'll be sharing more about it in future videos to stay tuned!
Michelle, I have many boxes of classroom transformation materials. I have done Doctor Day 2 times but the other transformations I have not used a second time. What is your suggestion here? I am a bin teacher. I have one bin per month or in some cases I have one bin for two months (May/June). After 30 years, I want to downsize some but like you said in the video, materials are expensive and I plan to teach at least 10 more years. Thanks for any advice. I don't have a closet- a full basement!
Hi Barbara! Thank you for watching and commenting! As for storing the transformations, I've always used the large Sterilite bins. Most transformation would have its own bin but sometimes I would combine two transformations into a bin if there was enough space which sounds similar to what you're currently doing. I think you have to decide what's more important to you... the item or the space. If you're limited on space, you might need to purge and let go of items (most likely starting with the transformations you haven't used a second time). A good option might be gifting the items to another teacher in your building because that teacher might be willing to let you borrow them in the future if you do want to use the transformation items again! Best of luck to you!
Hi Michelle, Where is the form for preordering your book. I looked at the webpage for Teaching on the Double and didn't find it, I also noticed that you don't have a search button, perhaps something to add for the future. I love your videos and try to implement as many of your suggestions as I can in my class. Thanks for the Great Ideas. I especially enjoy your organizing style.
Hi Mary! The form is on my book website www.firstclassteaching.com which is linked in the description box of this video as well as on my personal site (www.pocketfulofprimary.com). Thanks!
Honestly, I don't think speech pathology interests me much. But, I do agree that it's a great option for a lot of teachers! 🖤 Thanks for watching and commenting!
Question about the MacBook,is it still usable and if it is could you possibly send it to me so i can add it to my vintage tech collection obsesión cause i love apple otherwise i recommend recycling to Best Buy.
Maybe 'purge' wasn't the right word😅. I understand the value to those items...our sanity😉 ....everything needs to be in it's place because there is little time to 'look' for something in the middle of our teaching day.
A lot of them are books on tape (or in this case... books on DVD) or instructional based content (such as the full series of The Magic School Bus). At my past schools, streaming services were always blocked so I had to use DVDs if I wanted to show a video (other than RU-vid of course).
