Clean Your Room… Clear Your Mind
Over the last decade, I have visited a lot of video production classrooms and met with hundreds of video production educators. There are some truths that I have realized lately that I felt need to be shared as the expectations of you continue to increase.
The first truth is that you are stressed. You may feel like you are drowning in the classroom and the only joy in the classroom is the products that you and your students are producing. You are mired in administrative tasks and needs. You are playing defense all day and preparing your defense before you prepare your lessons. To be blunt and unprofessional, it sucks.
The next truth I know is that your room or lab is probably not in the shape you want it to be. When it comes to preparing lessons, sharing those lessons, and trying to get everything done in your time in the building, often the shape of your classroom or lab falls off the table. Until you snap and angry clean… then all of the papers are stacked with no regard for content or need. Cables are thrown into a cabinet. Computers are straightened but never actually cleaned. Your students always walk in and notice the difference but you can never share with them that you are at your breaking point and that was the only thing you could control so you cleaned…. At least that was the case for me.
My last year in the classroom I learned that I needed to change that and I did some things weekly that helped me with my stress and my overall classroom care.
I started to take 30 minutes each week to clean my room. It seems like a lot when you are already strapped for time but hear me out. It will pay off! I promise you. I spent that time just doing a menial task that actually allowed me to think about my job, tasks, problems, etc. I have always had a commute to work and I realized that during that time, I solve many of my problems because I am not actively thinking about what I am doing. It’s the same thing when you clean your room.
Remember that stack of papers. That 30 minutes could be used to get rid of the silly worksheets that you got in that staff meeting a couple of weeks ago that you will never use again. You know… the ones what you threw on your desk when you got back with just enough time to go to the restroom and blow off steam about the last hour of your life you will never get back “learning” something you will never use. Those papers. Get rid of them. Organize the papers you need and put them in a place that isn’t visible. Just doing that will make you feel so much better.
I would rotate what I did each week - unless it was a rough week then I would do it several times. The next thing that always drove me crazy and was high on my list of things to clean was the computer monitors. I do not understand why students feel like they have to molest the screen in order to create content. It would drive me crazy to see a screen that looked like a crime scene - mind you I never had touch screens. You have your biggest offenders and for those students, I would send a before and after via email to share their lack of professionalism. I ALWAYS have a bag of microfiber towels in my office just for this task. It’s so relieving to actually see some progress as you clean.
Your desks and counters in your classroom are most often overlooked but I used those areas for intel. It never failed that I found a wrapper of some sort. Students are good at hiding what they are doing and eating and using a computer are two things that should never be done. Especially when hot cheetos and doritos are all the vending machine sells. This also helps you somewhat inspect your computers as you will have to move them in order to clean. Also, while you are wiping down the counters, hit the mouse, keyboard, and tower, if you have them.
Finally, just like the monitors, students can not walk past a window without touching it. I think it’s a part of teen DNA. While windex or ammonia based glass cleaners are best, I recommend that you find something that comes in a scent that brings you happiness. For me, it was apple scented products. I always tried to use those instead of the others because it not only smelled better, it smelled like something I liked and that made me happier.
At this point, you have to be thinking “Thanks Tom…This is just another 30 minutes in my week wasted on something that doesn’t directly impact my teaching.” I would argue that it will directly impact your teaching. First, you have taken 30 minutes to invest in your workspace. You are in that space all day every day- make it yours and make it something you can be proud of. Next, stacked papers and clutter only make the walls feel like they are closing in around you. If you can spread your arms and move around without fear of knocking things over or tripping, you will feel better.
The most important benefit of doing this is that you will actually see something improve in your classroom. It’s hard to see instant improvement in the video production classroom. When you clean a computer monitor and it looks great, you get an immediate rush of endorphins and dopamine because you are filling that void in your mental space - the need to complete things. This is a very low stress way to get at least one win per day. It’s the same as those who make their bed every morning. You have completed something and you can see it and the students will appreciate it. I assure you they will.
The key to this is to make sure you go into the process knowing that it’s a menial task that is not in your job scope but it will greatly impact your job because your space will be clean, safe, and probably smell better. Those three things alone may be the only win you get that week in that space but it’s a win all the same.
MEET THE AUTHOR, TOM WHITE
Tom White is the Education and House Of Worship Specialist at Amitrace where he works with programs around the southeast United States to create better workflows for their programs. Prior to that role, Tom was the broadcast engineer at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Tom taught at Morgan County High School and Rockdale Career Academy where he and his student produced thousands of live streams for sports, news, and community events. Tom’s program at the Rockdale Career Academy received the NFHS Network Program Of The Year in 2016 and his program at Morgan County High School received the New Program of the Year title in 2018.
Tom has been a long time contributor to many publications and is the host of Teaching to The Test Pattern Podcast.
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