The pictures above are from cleaning my classroom as mentioned below.
1. Avery with rosy cheeks from running around the room.
2. Avery, Emma, and Luke playing in the clothes cubbie.
3. Luke, Emma, and Avery in the school library.
My new year has started with cleaning--sorting through closets, vacuuming behind the bed and other fun things. While going through articles I have saved I found a couple on getting rid of clutter, organizing, and a book entitled Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. I think part of my clutter problem is all these articles and books. I now have 2 bags for Good Will--one filled with books and the other with clothing. It seems that as I try to get rid of things I find books that I want to read, clothing that I know I will wear (that I haven't worn in years) and things I have saved for Collin and Megan (that I know they don't want) and now think I need to save for grandchildren (that they probably won't want either). I am remembering back to Spring Break last year when Megan and Avery came to help me clean out my classroom after 30 years of accumulated 'stuff'. Fortunately, Brenda Morehead, a teacher herself, came along to help also. Brenda took over and started with a cupboard and helped me decide 'save' or 'give away'. She had the common sense to tell me when there were things that there was no reason for me to keep even though, without her, I would have thought of a reason I needed it. She also would tell me there were things that no one would want. How could that be? I have saved some things for 30 years and no one wants it? Well, she was right. Megan on the other hand would have thrown everything out so was in charge of watching Avery, Luke, and Emma as they played with all the the 'great' things I had in the room.
The reason I started this blog is to send you to a very funny program on NPR. I love listening to Public Radio and one of my favorite programs is Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I missed it yesterday so just listened to it on their website. Go to NPR, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Jan 2, '09 and go to the last session with the Brian Williams interview. The whole interview is funny but I really laughed at the part about Florence Foster Jenkins. Believe me, it will make you laugh, unless you are tone deaf. Other favorite programs are This American Life and Speaking of Faith.
Brenda definitely offered way more balance than I with the whole decluttering of your classroom! In my defense, I was willing to let you keep SOME things. Just not as much as you would have liked! Thank goodness for Brenda is all I have to say. :)
ReplyDeleteThis was right after Avery's lip injury.
Yes, I realized after I posted this that all of the things that I brought home (except for the children's books)I will most likely be throwing our eventually. And I agree--thank goodness for Brenda as she helped me get the ball rolling.
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