What do you do with ...

[clayspaniel]

old thank you cards? I'm having a sort out and have still got cards going back 20 years! Feel bad throwing them out as they remind me of the lovely children I've taught over the years, yet I never look at them and they do take up room.

I give them to the Reception class, they cut them up and make their own pictures with them!

Do you keep them in a special place? I rarely look at mine and feel they are cluttering up space, but I feel sad to throw them out. I just keep them in a cupboard full of old teaching stuff and sentimental things.

I've kept the ones that remind me of particularly lovely students. I'm still in touch with some of them now.

Scan them and keep them on the computer (or is it the Cloud?), then put originals in the recycling.

When I was an NQT we were advised to create a Praise Pack (grim name) - an A4 box file which all such cards go into. The rationale was that we could then look back at them when we were having a tough time. I've used it more for trawling for quotes for job applications! When the box is full I weed out the ones with less written on them ie less use for quoting.

I have two colossal sugar-paper thank you cards which I have to keep on top of the wardrobe, but for all the drawings and individual cards I have a folder if pockets to put them in.

I also have a collection of notes I have confiscated in a jam jar!

I used to keep everything, but after almost 30 years, I have become less sentimental because I have too much shite in my house and lovely though the cards are, there's no room. I read, display for a while and recycle in the knowledge that it's better for the planet!