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Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children
Organize the unorganized?



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good times




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 12:12 am
I am at a lost! I need for ideas! I have a super smart kid who is terribly disorganized! I want to give her some help for the coming school year. My child is going into junior high so there will be classroom changes and short times at the locker. Any ideas on how to get my kid to class and home with materials and assignments that are needed? I would buy locker shelves and sorting containers but I have no illusions that they will stay neat and organized. I think they'll just be another space to be unorganized. Last year my child's grades really dropped due to this issue. Any help is appreciated!!! Thanks!
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good times




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 9:49 am
bump
Has no one had success with this issue?
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amother
Jade


 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 10:13 am
If your child is already in middle school and this has always been a problem, it's very likely beyond tips and tricks and at the level of requiring professional help. If nothing has worked until now, it is unlikely she can overcome this on her own. Cognitive behavioral therapy is something to look into, and a possible evaluation for ADHD or other executive function disorders.
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good times




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 10:26 am
I'm looking for ideas and tricks to help her be organized when I am not there and with a limited of time under pressure. She does not have ADHD and does not need professional help.
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youngishbear




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 10:31 am
Does she want the tips and tricks you're looking for? If she doesn't, or isn't able or willing to put in the work, it's a waste of time unfortunately.
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Optione




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 12:31 pm
-Each subject can be a different colored notebook. Then have a list of what subject is in each color.
- Get her a few 5 subject notebooks. This way, she will have the same notebook for multiple classes in a row- one less thing to get from her locker.
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GetReal




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 1:14 pm
Maybe those thick binders? Then you can have a section with paper for notes for each subject along with a folder/divider, for handouts. Maybe one for morning classes and one for afternoon? A small datebook, to write down homework as soon as it's assigned.
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perquacky




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 1:42 pm
See if you can get the school psychologist or social worker involved. My son in middle school had daily and then weekly locker and backpack checks to ensure that books were where they needed to be and that the right ones were coming home for homework.

It wasn't a total success, but it helped a little.
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good times




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 4:17 pm
Optione wrote:
-Each subject can be a different colored notebook. Then have a list of what subject is in each color.
- Get her a few 5 subject notebooks. This way, she will have the same notebook for multiple classes in a row- one less thing to get from her locker.


Thank you this is very helpful! It cuts back on a lot of steps.
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good times




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 4:22 pm
GetReal wrote:
Maybe those thick binders? Then you can have a section with paper for notes for each subject along with a folder/divider, for handouts. Maybe one for morning classes and one for afternoon? A small datebook, to write down homework as soon as it's assigned.


This is also a good idea. I wonder if they have an all in one with a binder plus folder plus notebook (rather than stray papers for notes).
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good times




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 4:29 pm
perquacky wrote:
See if you can get the school psychologist or social worker involved. My son in middle school had daily and then weekly locker and backpack checks to ensure that books were where they needed to be and that the right ones were coming home for homework.

It wasn't a total success, but it helped a little.


Thanks for the suggestion! Unfortunately it doesn't look like the school has appropriate personnel for this type of thing. Too bad, it would definitely be ideal for someone in the school to teach her and be on top of it within the constraints and routines of the school.
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singleagain




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 4:29 pm
as a disorganized student, who is still not a completely organized adult, I remember that I always did love going to like staples for the back to school sales and picking out new binders and notebooks. I would say, maybe preview some organizational tools (so at the store you can show her the difference between them), and offer to pay up to a certain amount of these supplies, let her choose what she wants, and what she thinks will help.
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 4:38 pm
I kept a white board in my locker and the school social worker and I would make a list of what I needed to bring home each and I would check it off as I went. She also checked my assignment notebook at the end of the day to make sure that I did not miss anything.
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singleagain




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 4:46 pm
just wanna say on the subject of a social worker/teacher/adult checking to make sure a middle school age kid is bringing home their homework, again, based on my experience as a once upon a time disorganized student, and still not fully organized adult, I would be really annoyed at someone checking up on me, unless it had always been part of my life, but to suddenly introduce a chaperone, would have made me want to rebel..... OP maybe, your dd is not like that, but still don't introduce a chaperone without talking to her

also, does she also want to try to be more organized, bc you can buy all the notebooks, binders and organizational equipment from here to sunday, and if she refuses to use them, it's a waste of money
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 9:17 pm
First of all, not sure why such a knee-jerk reaction to the suggestion of professional help. If you don't find that the "tips n tricks" approach helps, then why not? When my bookkeeping is falling apart, I ask an accountant for professional help. If graphics are not your forte, you get professional help. Failed the math regent - get a tutor. There are professionals who help students and adults alike learn organization, and there's no reason to be afraid of one.

Secondly, when it comes to organization systems for someone who is not naturally organized, it must be SUPER SIMPLE. There are many ways to go about it, but it MUST BE SIMPLE. Because it is not coming naturally, they will have to consciously remember and do each part of it so keep it to a couple of steps. No folder+notebook+binder+memo pad with color coding and who knows what else. SIMPLE.

You need two simple systems: One for organizing papers (other materials will need management, but from what I recall at this stage the main hassle is papers) and one for tasks. Regarding having the right books in the right places, see if you can arrange for an extra set of everything to be kept at home. Will save a lot of aggravation over the year.

If this is a struggle, there definitely needs to be some level of adult involvement. Help the child understand that the involvement is about helping her, not about policing her. If she doesn't want someone to be on top of her about every detail in school then keep it to a minimum by just having the teacher give a little feedback - for example, mom will be checking at home that DC wrote down assignments and did as written, but because mom can't know whether everything was written down correctly in the first place or if student knew where to find it when she got to school, the teacher can send home a brief memo or email at the end of each week noting whether assignments were complete or what is missing.

I am definitely a fan of binders over notebooks. Notebooks are very unforgiving. If you write something in the wrong one (including if you brought the wrong one to class in the first place) then you need to start ripping out and attaching into a better place... and then you end up with loose papers when they're given out, even if you find a way to get them together later that's another job (remember: SIMPLE.) You get a binder with a slim 3-hole puncher that LIVES in it, and the SECOND a paper is given to you you punch it and put it in the appropriate section.

Tip: One thing you can do to make task management easier, is have an extra binder section labeled "to do." If the social studies teacher gives you a paper to complete for homework, you write "social studies" at the top and put it in to-do instead of in social studies. That way you're less likely to either forget the homework or have a hard time finding which page you needed for homework. If the social studies teacher gives out a paper that you use right there in class as a source sheet and don't need again, that goes into the SS section. You can also have another section for completed homework that needs to be turned in. Right at the front of the binder so the student can easily see what they need to do and find what they need to give.
One year in high school I actually had a separate smaller binder for current things, and kept my giant subjects binder at home. Transferred things as they got old. This would not work for everyone but I loved it. Minimized what I needed to deal with all day/every day but required a little more maintenance at the end of the day.
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singleagain




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 9:28 pm
I like what seeker is saying about the binder.... I would suggest something with pockets and such like this binder: http://www.staples.com/Case-it.....71277





though shop around with your kid to make sure the pockets are ones she will appreciate and consider using... it really helps to have her be involved in creating her system, she's more likely to use it that way
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 9:34 pm
The more pockets you have = more opportunities for confusion or misplacing things. A slot for pens, fine. But no need for paper pockets - papers go STRAIGHT into the binder, do not pass go! You can even make a section for things like notes to bring home about upcoming events or such.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 11 2015, 9:37 pm
I also want to note that while I did have a coach helping me come up with things to try when I was junior high age, pretty much every system that I ever had that really worked for me was the product of my own problem-solving as well as trial and error. The student will have to find what works for her, so instead of imposing a specific set-up on her, try to act as more of a facilitator - you can provide ideas if she needs but also help her figure out what her needs are, come up with possible solutions, evaluate whether the solutions are working, and make changes if they're not. These are skills that can transfer to other areas of life a lot more usefully than any binder/notebook/planner system will.
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cbg




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 12 2015, 12:20 am
1. Get a heavy duty 4-5 inch binder, depending on how many classes.
Filled to capacity with filler paper.
2. A zipper pouch that goes inside the binder, with lots of pens and pencils. That way everything is in 1 place
3. Tabbed dividers with large pockets
4. Colored book covers that coordinate with the color on the divider
So if the divider for math is red then cover the math book with red, if the divider for English is blue then cover the English book blue.
Also if the student needs additional folders keep them color coordinated.
This way if the next class is blue, everything in blue needs to go to class.
5. A plastic accordian folder is helpful to keep tests and papers that need to be in a safer place.
6. A small notebook to write down assignments

I was unorganized as a teen, but I compensated by being extremely organized. Color coding everything helps.
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kollel wife




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 12 2015, 11:29 am
Can I suggest - can you contact the principal who could suggest a teacher who could help.

Many teachers are very organized. A friendly helpful teacher who might get paid a bit extra to help with this might work out very nicely.

You can't check on her in school, but you can ask someone else to do so.
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