So, right now, your 3rd years are getting ready to graduate. They’re going to move up and out and they are STOKED. And so are you. But you’re also sad. So, so sad. Therefore, you are going to make a sappy bulletin board telling them how much you’re going to miss them and how they are going to have great adventures, but please, please don’t forget the awesome ALT. Please?
Now, that’s cool and all. Obviously I have partaken in such a bulletin board. Besides, when else do you get to be super sappy? Like, never.
But at this time of year, there is something even more important to consider. That something is “How to Store Your Bulletin Board Materials Appropriately.” Or HtSYBBMA. Whatever. The point being, I believe in recycling material. Not only does it save the earth, but it saves you time and energy. That bulletin board above? Took me thirty minutes. Which includes finding the material in my “organized” locker and taking down the old bulletin board. Because I already had all the everything finished.
Things to consider:
- Backing everything with construction paper. It makes everything bright and cheerful and durable. You can rip tape off the back and not worry too much about ripping your artful and interesting information.
- Storage. I have several different ways to store my material. My favorite is using shirt/omiyage boxes. Like so:
If anyone has extra of these, hit me up! I love them! - The other way I store the material is in an accordion folder (If you don’t know what that is… look it up on the internet. I’m not explaining.) in my school appointed locker. Which I found out I had eight months after I arrived.
- Tape vs. Push pin vs. Staples. When I was an RA in college, I used staples to keep everything on the wall. Which meant when it was time to change the board, I was ripping out about a pounds worth of metal from the board every month. Japan frowns upon that sort of waste. With good reason. Here, I use tape. Which creates a giant wad of awkward tape ball every month. I’m sure push pins would be the economically intelligent choice, but my school has asked me to keep the boards looking pristine. So I only use them when something isn’t moving for a long time. It’s your preference and your school’s preference. Also, I think it’s nicer when the material doesn’t have a bunch of holes punched into it.
- Timelessness. The idea of timelessness is great because you can continue to use the same bulletin boards every year. Sandwiches never go out of style! Britain and America will always disagree on what to call a line(queue) of people. If something does have a date on it, make sure to save a copy of your document for easy change every year. Or make it easily changeable.
I hope these will help you as you prepare to actually be organized this coming school year. That was your resolution, right?
