How To Set Up Your First Classroom

Each summer I come across the same questions circulating around Facebook groups or popping into my email inbox and they all revolve around where to go started with setting upwards a classroom. First-year teachers are asking this question, as well as veteran teachers who are wanting to ameliorate their organization for the year. It's a daunting chore but one that tin be achieved by post-obit a few simple steps.

Tips for setting up a classroom at the beginning of a new school year.

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In this mail service, I am going to share with you the six-step procedure you lot should follow for setting upwards a classroom at the start of the new year.

This is great for a teacher who is beginning his or her very beginning year in the classroom. Simply likewise, whatsoever instructor can use this method for setting up their classroom.

The goal hither is to gear up your room in the most productive style so that you tin can take reward of the time you lot take, instead of feeling like it is working against you.

Screenshots of resources included in the Prep for the First Day Challenge.

Steps for Setting Up a Classroom

My favorite phrase is "brand the plan, work the program."

That'due south considering when you take time to create a plan ahead of time, you salvage yourself so much fourth dimension when y'all are in the classroom.

The plan tells you lot exactly what to exercise and when to practice it so you lot aren't spending time scratching your head figuring out what to exercise next.

I have put together a total outline + action steps and actress tips to help you equally y'all gear up your classroom. You can download the free guide, vi Steps to Setting Upwardly a Classroom– a complimentary gift from me to you lot!

But for at present, let's cover each of the steps!

Footstep 1: Organize at Home

First, set up an organized classroom by already being organized. If you lot are a commencement-year teacher I know you take been collecting things over the summer.

Exercise yourself a favor and organize them Earlier you move them.

Get a few boxes and put all your desk supplies in one box, all your library books in another box, classroom materials in a dissimilar box. This will help you when you get to stride number 3.

Classroom items inside of a bedroom organized by similar items.

Even organizing all your materials from your undergrad classes is helpful for all the new teachers reading this! I talked virtually how to organize your materials from college classes (and get rid of some of it!) with Dr. Fecich on her podcast Edumagic.

Stride 2: Make clean the Classroom

Okay, I know this footstep is NOT fun! Posting Insta stories of cleaning cabinets and dusting shelves isn't sure to proceeds much traction. But Delight hear me out when I say this…This part is And then important!

Just taking a quick hour to dust all shelves, wipe down all the cabinets is going to set you up for so much success! This is a great task to requite to a friend or family fellow member who lovingly came to help you get your classroom set up.

A classroom in the process of being set up

It's of import you do this pace earlier you bring any materials in your classroom!!!

So, on the solar day you go your keys, bring some cleaning supplies, pop on a good podcast episode (here'southward a rec I can give yous ;)), and get to cleaning.

Step 3: Layout the Classroom

We are already in step iii, but nevertheless haven't brought anything into the classroom yet!!! Before y'all fifty-fifty start bringing boxes into your room- lay it out.

When setting up your classroom, yous want to consider the physical flow of your students and create areas within your classroom.

Make sure to start with the big areas in your classroom like your student desks*, whole group teaching area, your classroom library, and small grouping area, and your instructor desk area.

(More tips on how to do that downward below. For now, yous are simply figuring out the areas for all of these parts of your classroom)

*I encourage you to set pupil desks up in groups of 4 for cooperative learning. Learn more almost Cooperative Learning here:

Simply Teach 5: Dr. Kagan Explains Kagan Cooperative Learning
Simply Teach 39: How to: Cooperative Learning with Sarah Hakim

An empty classroom with only desks and chairs.

Screen shot of Classroom Organization challenge resources. Text overlay: Spring Clean Your Classroom. Click to join.

(Please forgive me. I know the picture quality of these photos is quite terrible. But in all fairness, I took these with my iPhone four in 2022 when I had no idea I would ever be writing a blog that people actually read…)

Step four: Organize Your Cabinets

At present we are at the footstep when you can start bringing stuff into the classroom!

This is when y'all will bring all those boxes from home that are organized and unpack them into cabinets that will exist organized by similar things.

I know that you will exist tempted to skip the organizing step in favor of getting your room all cutesy-fied. I promise you we will go there but do this first!!!!

Information technology is tempting to come directly into a new room and put every Pinterest pivot into action and make your room look and experience at habitation (it's important that y'all practice that!).

But so, you spend so much time with that and all of the sudden it's 3 hours till Meet the Teacher Night and you have 7 boxes of stuff that y'all have to shove in your cabinets and so no one sees them.

One time the school year starts Ipromise yous, you volition non have time to organize them then then it simply becomes a jumbled mess that gets more and more disorganized every bit the year goes on.

Avoid that anarchy and do this step beginning, and I promise it will assistance you in the long run!

Looking inside a classroom cabinet organized by similar items

Step 5: Set Up the Classroom

Okay, but Kelly…haven't I been setting up the classroom this whole time???

Well, kind of.

This specific step is more about putting things on shelves, setting upwards your stations, and putting all the STUFF into the different areas yous laid out in Step 3.

Hither are some posts to aid you organize different areas of your classroom:

Tips for Organizing Your Classroom Library
Arrangement Tips for Stations
How to Organize Your Minor Group Instruction Area
x Tips for Keeping Your Centers Organized
x Tips for Setting Up Your Classroom

Pace 6: Decorate the Classroom

YAY! Now to the fun part!!! Become your Pinterest lath pulled upwardly, start working on all those projects and make your classroom feel like home!

You demand and your kids demand it. I would go then far every bit to say that your kids' parents need information technology too.

In Decision,

If you want a classroom that starts out organized (and will stay organized throughout the year) then y'all must follow a plan.

Organize items at home
Make clean the classroom
Layout the classroom
Organize cabinets
Set upwards the classroom
Decorate the classroom

Inside The Organized Teacher Framework™, we go over these steps in-depth so that you can create an organized classroom that lasts all twelvemonth long.

Screenshot of resources included in The Organized Teacher Framework™ course.

Quick Links

I shared A LOT of links in this post. Here is a quick epitomize of them all!

Download the costless checklist- 6 Steps to Setting Up a Classroom
How to Organize a Classroom Library
12 Must-Have Teacher Desk Accessories Every Teacher Needs: Classroom System Tips
Station Organization Strategies
Organization for Small Group Teaching
Theme your Cabinets past Like Things (video!)
7 Meet the Teacher Night Activities
Just Teach Podcast– practical organization and management tips for teachers
Simply Teach Bonus Episode: Dr. Spencer Kagan
Only Teach #39: Sarah Hakim– How to: Cooperative Learning
Free First-Year Teacher email support series