Hoarding in Your Classroom

This article will be archived under the Teachers Lounge page under the How's it Going section. In this section you will find articles that articles are centered around various topics that are light in nature but have an impact on education.

Is this your classroom? If it is, then that may be a problem. You may be a compulsive hoarder!  Hoarders have issues with letting go of objects, materials, and just stuff.


We typically think of hoarders in the context of a home.

But after seeing some classrooms that have the appearance of hoarding, I have come to the conclusion that hoarding tendencies affect all areas of your life. It is sometimes disgusting to see some teachers classrooms.

I must admit, I have hoarding tendencies myself and I acknowledge them and attempt to keep them under control.

I understand that paper is expensive and I too, enjoy using paper more than once. Double sided printing just makes sense.

However, there is a difference in being conservative and getting the most out of items and just not cleaning up and not throwing away your trash!

Perhaps your thinking What's the big deal? Does it matter if a teacher is unorganized, messy, or a hoarder?

In general, No it does not matter if you are a little unorganized. I would be a little embarrassed to let people see my car because of how messy it is.

My car is embarrassing because I have been lazy and do not clean out the garbage on a consistent basis. I do not see the mess as having value.

Hoarders have a problem for seeing mess and clutter as it is... junk.

If you are not careful you can have a classroom that is filled with junk that has been lingering since 1992.

Lessons to Learn!!!!

1. Clean Up! Do not be lazy, clean your room and desk up everyday before you leave. If not everyday at least every Friday. 
• Just think how much better your Mondays will be if you clean up on Friday
2. Hoarding is not healthy! If there are things that are in your room that you have not used in years, yet you still believe they will come in handy one day... You are wrong.

Here are a couple of questions that will help you decide if you are holding on to worthless teaching materials that clutter your classroom.

• Is the information outdated?
• Is the material/information medium outdated?
• Can it be found online faster and/or easier?
• Do I use it?

Hoarding is stressful to me. I can not bear to watch an entire episode on A&E. I get stressed out watching it and it has the same effect in the classroom. 

Students, coworkers, and the poor  soles of substitute teachers are affected by hoarding teachers. It is not just affecting you. Help yourself and those around you, CLEAN UP THE JUNK!