To pack or not to pack

Every year at school we are given a stern warning that we should never, under any circumstances, put anything away for the summer before the children leave. Because if we did that, the students would know that summer is close and they will *gasp* STOP paying attention because they will know that we have already checked out for the year. Never mind that they know their report card grades are due 2 weeks before school gets out, or that teachers are arm wrestling over the Disney movies in the library because we are out of crap to teach. No, we must not pack up anything!!

But, people, what if you are pregnant? I am not about to lug 80 children's books from bookshelf to closet, carry 10 xylophones down the hall to storage, and possibly get kind of sweaty taking posters down as my amniotic fluid runs down my legs on the last day of school!

So I am being veerrrryyyyy sneaky. Each day, a few things get put away, or thrown away, or hidden. The trick is to leave the crap on the walls so it doesn't look too bare. I also made my sub a list that says "How to Pack up the Music Room" so it looks like i haven't already done everything. But seriously, do I want to come back from summer vacation to a trashed out classroom? Do I really want to find that my sub kept my coffee mug full of coffee in the closet because they weren't sure what to do with it? And finally, do I want to have to call out the search dogs come August because some doofus sub hid my conductor's baton? I NEED THAT, DAY ONE!!! How will I control the kids without my conductor's baton?

Nope and nope.