A full week off!

I know, I know, be jealous, last week I had a week long vacation!  Don't be too jealous though, as much as I wanted to spend my vacation like this:

I actually only spent it like that HALF of the time! :)

I decided this was my week to ORGANIZE the classroom!  I am usually a very organized person and if you walked into my classroom you would most likely find it neat and tidy.  But, I have my "secrets" too.  Mine are just behind closed doors and curtains!

Yuck! That was my extra paper storage shelves- after I had already begun cleaning it (I wasn't sure it was blog worthy yet).  It was difficult to find anything in there and when I pulled out one thing everything else tumbled out!

My stack of unopened packs of loose leaf paper.  I don't really use this type of paper but it is on the third grade supply list for my teammates so I have just been hoarding it for years.  Two coworkers were in the building the same day as me and they had already taken armloads of the stuff- it was out of control!

My other paper area of embarrassment!  Especially because this one sits out in the open!  I have no idea why I even had it- it just kept junk and scrap paper mostly- so it had to go!

My junk all laid out- YIKES!

Well, I recycled some of the paper that should have been recycled long ago and the rest has found new and happy homes.  I gave up the blue shelves (that I should have given away long ago) and condensed my collection to the built in shelves.

Tada! My 9 x 12 construction paper is in the file crate along with extra lined paper (I couldn't give it ALL up) and extra copy paper.  The paper holder is the home for my 8 1/2 x 14 size paper.  The bottom shelf has the 11 x 17 construction paper and graph paper.  I think it looks MUCH better- even if it is normally covered by a curtain!

Boring post I know- but I have been following the clutter free classroom and I am inspired to keep organizing!