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Organizing Your Child for School
Tips for Restoring Order to Homework, Binders and Study Areas
By Carol Josel

The PROBLEM

Ever said, “Get your act together!” to your child? Maybe even more than once? Just one peek in his bedroom—clothes spilling out of drawers and even lurking under the bed—is enough to set your teeth on edge. No wonder there’s all those panic-stricken mornings when he’s playing beat the clock with the bus, scrambling to find a book one day, a math paper the next. Next time, be sure to remind him to check under the sheets, too. You never know.

Then there’s that weighs-more-than-her book bag she lugs around every day. Together, open it up, wade through the crinkled papers, textbooks, maybe even yesterday’s lunch, and grab a hold of that bulging binder. Dangle it by its spine, give it a shake or two, and see what falls out. Nothing is supposed to, so point taken. Tidy up the book bag, but don’t pack up that binder quite yet. There’s work to be done.

The Binder Solution    

First, you might need to head back to your favorite school supplies store and purchase lots of notebook dividers—one for each minor subject and four for each major subject, thus providing for their accompanying notes, returned test/quizzes and homework. Now there’s a place for everything except incoming work. For that, pick up a pocket folder. Worksheets and other papers are gathered throughout the day in the left-hand pocket and transferred to the right one upon completion, easily retrieved in class the next day. Add a three-hole pencil case and hole puncher if they’re missing from your arsenal, along with a roomy assignment book, too. Best bet? A teacher’s plan book—preferably one with a weekly, eight period format. Then get him into the filing habit, making it a weekly, if not nightly ritual.

The At-Home Fix Up

Wherever your child tackles schoolwork—even it’s the dining room table—keeping supplies handy is a must, be it on a shelf, in a box or basket. Among the must-haves are notebook paper, ball point and felt tip pens, markers, pencils and a sharpener, a ruler, glue, highlighters, a stapler and staples, white and multi-colored index cards, printer paper, and ink cartridges. Meanwhile, don’t forget a dictionary and thesaurus, and, to avoid those night-before-the-project-is-due pleas, include construction paper and poster board, too. Then, hang an easily seen calendar for recording long-term projects and reports, along with important engagements and activities.

Next, find an out-of-the-way spot for storing completed units of study. Go with any good-sized box or oversized binder with a tabbed divider for each subject—easily retrieved for later referral and exam review. This also insures that schoolwork is valued and doesn’t end up in the dumpster.

Finally, avoid those panicky morning searches with a “Drop Spot,” a convenient, on-your-way-out-the-door location for piling up the loaded book bag, sports gear, musical instrument, and lunch money or reminder that lunch is in the fridge. This should all be done up the night before, except for her free-reading book. And while you’re at it, you might want to add there a one-time locker survival kit: a zippered bag filled with a foil-wrapped low-fat energy bar, extra pens and sharpened pencils—a box of colored ones, too—along with a list of vital phone numbers and some tissues.

Now you’ve done your part. All that’s left to do is oversee it all and keep up the momentum. Is it worth it? You bet! As 8th grader Josiah Tam once said, “Learning is so much easier when I stay organized.” Help make it so for your child, too.

A learning specialist for 25 years, Carol Josel has authored three books and currently supervises student teachers at Gwynedd-Mercy College. Contact her at carol@schoolwisebooks.com  or visit her website, www.schoolwisebooks.com.