TRANSCRIPT

Day 1: Instant Clarity 

Hey there, and welcome to Day 1 of the Classroom Reset Challenge—you made it! And I’m so proud of you for showing up.

In case we haven’t met, I’m Kristen Donegan—a former elementary teacher and Reading Specialist with over a decade in the classroom. Now, I help teachers like you create simple, sustainable systems to get organized, protect your time, and finally feel like you’re not drowning in the day-to-day.

And right now? You might feel like you are drowning.

This time of year is a lot.
You’re tired.
You’re juggling field trips, report cards, end-of-year events, and trying to keep your kids from climbing the walls.
Your classroom feels like it’s caving in—papers everywhere, supplies exploding, and zero energy to deal with any of it.

That’s exactly why we’re starting this challenge with one small win.

📝 Today’s task is simple:

Clear just one paper pile.

You don’t have to organize your whole desk. Just find one stack—one area that’s weighing you down—and reset that.

And we’ll use a simple system:
Keep. Toss. Action.

• Keep what’s still useful

• Toss what’s outdated or no longer needed

• And move anything that requires your attention—grading, copying, etc.—into an Action pile

You don’t need a fancy filing system today. You just need to see space again.

And when you do? You’ll feel lighter. Clearer. Calmer.

Inside The Organized Teacher Club, I teach you how to set up paper systems that prevent these piles from ever getting out of control in the first place. But today, it’s just about taking that first step.

📸 Before you start—snap a before photo.
Then after you’ve cleared your pile, take an after pic and share both in our Facebook group. You’ll feel so accomplished—and you’ll be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card just for participating!

💥 Feeling motivated? Try one of these Extra Credit options:

1. Tackle a second paper pile

2. Declutter your teacher bag—yes, the one that’s been carrying the same stack of random stuff since March

3. Pick one surface in your room that feels suffocating, grab a bin, and scoop everything into it. Put the bin away—out of sight, out of mind—for one week. After that, come back and go through it using the Keep, Toss, Action system.
   → You’ll create instant breathing room, and once you see that clean space, you’ll be more motivated to keep going.

That’s it for today—just one pile, one win, one small reset that matters.

And I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 2, where we’ll shift our focus to your supplies—so you can stop rebuying what you already have, and start prepping for fall with clarity and confidence.

You’ve got this.