It’s the Little Things: Together Trick #1

Oct 31, 2012

I try to spend a good chunk of time each month visiting schools and shadowing teachers, looking for the systems and tricks folks use to make their buildings more “Together.”

This post will kick off a series of Together Tricks on the little things school communities can do to make teachers’ lives a tiny bit easier.

On that note, here’s Trick #1:

When I was teaching, I had custodial services arrive every day to take out the trash, mop the floors (well, sometimes. . . ), and clean up large spills. But there was no easy way to dust off dirty shelves, wipe down student desks, or just disinfect on a particularly germy day!

After finally getting sick of sneezing, I broke down and spent 40 dollars on paper towels, sanitizer, cleaning spray and wipes at a local drugstore. But by then, it was too late–the dust bunnies outnumbered the children and my sneezing was as regular a part of my day as the bells between classes.

If only I’d had this supremely stocked bin of cleaning supplies to keep the classroom spic and span! Minimal teacher labor, expenditure and sneezing required!

It’s the little things!

Jamie T., the Operations Director at the elementary school in Brooklyn, NY, where these cleaning supplies were spotted, reflected on why her team added a refillable supplies station to each teacher’s classroom:

“We reflected on how we can be more purposeful with the materials we provide teachers. The cleaning bins and supplies we purchased fit on top of the classroom refrigerators. They’re an easy-access point for our operations and instructional teams, and their location minimizes potential disruption.  They have been a big hit all around – classrooms have what they need and we know what classrooms have!”