Yesterday I blogged about having a desk or going desk-less. You can read about it by clicking here. Lots of people shared on Facebook that they had gotten rid of their desk and others wanted to know more. I have done it both ways so I thought I would share a few tips I learned along the way. Some I learned the hard way!! 😉
Here are some things into consider if you are thinking about getting rid of your desk. First, are you even able to get rid of it? Many people commented that their district mandated what furniture had to be in the room, which included a teacher desk.
Next, where are you going to put all your stuff? Here are some things to think about:
I always had projects I was in the middle of- it could be base ten mats I was creating or number lines or materials for a science lab.
I love these black stackers and Sterilite drawers. I have a million of them that I used for a million different things. The black stackers can be bought at an office supply store like Office max or Staples. They cost about $7 for two. I know I paid less because I am cheap! I bought the drawers at Wal-Mart for about $10 each piece. You can buy them online here and it looks like it might be a good deal here.
I kept this set of stackers by the door so I could grab things as I left the room. I wrote about them here. It worked about 60% of the time for me, which was WAAAY better than my old track record of piling! LOL!
I had these carts behind my guided reading table and they were perfect for storing guided reading materials and math manipulatives for guided math. I actually left them with another teacher when I resigned because I didn’t want to store them. I will definitely be re-buying these if I return to the classroom! Wal-Mart has them online here.
If you like any of the bright colored chevron labels, I shared them for free on my blog a few years ago. You can get your copy here free!
I kept one more shelf behind my table…
I got this shelf for less than $20 at Wal-Mart, but I couldn’t find it online. It was great for storing things I needed right away and it sat right behind my chair at the table.
Did I miss anything? Any other stuff to store if you get rid of the desk?
Mandy Gregory is a 2007 and 2012 Teacher of the Year. She has taught Kindergarten- 4th grades in both the general education and inclusion settings. She is currently a 1st grade Special Education teacher. She is the owner and creator of Mandy’s Tips for Teachers website (www.mandystipsforteachers.com) and has over 13 years of teaching experience. She is married with two beautiful children.
I pinned all of these pictures! This year was my first full year without a desk and I have a lot of organizing and arranging to do over the summer to work out some of the kinks that developed this year–mainly piles and piles of my stuff accumulating where I needed to be working with students! That and being able to find what I need quickly when I have students at the table with me. Thanks for the help. 🙂