Throwing Things Out: Updating Your Teaching/Learning Resources

As I remake the classroom, I expect to throw away a large number of items. I hate parting with the books and materials that have helped me so much in the past, but there simply isn't the room, time, or need for those materials any longer.

My rule of thumb for throwing things out will be the following:

• Have I used the item in the past year? If not and it's not very special, out it goes.
• Can I quickly find a similar material online? If that's true, I don't need hard copies.
• Do the materials work? If not, again, out they go. For example, I have a huge container of linking blocks, but they don't link well. Instead, I'll use sugar cubes next year. I won't throw these out, but instead, put them in a common area in case another teacher wants them.

We can't hold on to all materials from the past. Instead, just like at home, there's a need to review and update your teaching collection regularly.