Time, Space, & Memory: Easy Tips to Help Your Middle Schooler With Organization – Part 2

February 28, 2020 bsabian Books, Children, Coaching, Education, Family, Parenting, Special Education

Last week, we journeyed along the "space/time/memory continuum back to the days of middle school. In that blog entry, we focused on time management issues, particularly as they relate to long-term assignments and projects your child may be undertaking. This week, we shift our attention to the matter of space. Specifically, is there a straightforward way in which parents can help their middle schoolers organize their papers and other school work in a way that reduces the odds of things getting lost?

Space

In my work as an executive function coach, I hear things like this from parents all the time: “Last night, he worked really diligently on his assignment. He focused really well and did a thorough and conscientious job and he felt really proud of himself. He brought the assignment to school but when it came time for class, he couldn’t find it.” Or, how about this one: "He got this assignment today from his social studies class. He came home motivated to tackle it but when he got home and we looked through his backpack for it, it wasn't there."

If this looks like a practical way for your child to get his or her backpack to school, it may be time for you to consider purchasing an accordion file.

Does this sound like anyone you know? It's incredibly frustrating for students who have really put the time and effort into an assignment when the time comes to turn it in and it's just not there. One of the most frequent causes of homework assignments that go M.I.A. is an overstuffed, disorganized binder. Particularly by this time of year, some students are carrying around reams and reams of paper. Backpacks get heavier and heavier to the extent that some students are probably tempted to employ a donkey or camel to haul it around - if only they were allowed in school. Assignments that are due today can often be found mixed in with classwork from October, making everything hard to find and keep track of, let alone carry on your back.

Fortunately, there's a simple, decidedly low-tech way of dealing with this problem. The first step is to go out and buy an accordion folder. I just found one on Amazon for $6.30 so it's definitely not a budget buster. Once you get it, here’s what you do: Set aside 15 minutes or so and ask your child to bring over their backpack, binder, and all the school-related papers they have on hand. For each subject, divide all the papers into 3 piles. The first pile will consist of papers that are current and that need to be on hand at school. These papers go back into the appropriate binder or folder. So, any homework assignments, worksheets, notes, or information sheets related to the class' current unit should be filed here. The second pile consists of papers that might not be needed right away but might come in handy when it comes time to study for mid-terms or finals. Anything that might provide a good refresher about past units would be good candidates for this pile. These papers will go into that class’ slot in the accordion folder. The last pile is for papers that they know they’ll never need again. Anything that seems unlikely to be of any help towards future exams or assignments goes in this pile. These can be thrown out or recycled. Once a student's binder is cleared of all papers that aren't immediately important, it's so much easier to stay on top of assignments.

Does your child need more help with organization or time management? Check out Academy MetroWest's executive function coaching services.

Accordion file - available on Amazon for under $7.00.

Depending on your child's skills and/or motivation, it may be a good idea to do this as a joint endeavor the first time through. Kids have widely varying abilities when it comes to classifying papers appropriately and it's a good idea to make sure they're not throwing out papers you know they're going to need or, on the other hand, holding on to papers that are unlikely to serve any future purpose. Once they get the hang of it, this is a task that they can and probably should do independently. Particularly for kids with massive amounts of paper to deal with or who have never done this before, the first time through is likely to take some time. In theory, each successive effort should be quicker and easier. If your child uses a calendar system like the one described in last week's blog, it's a good idea for them to set this up as a recurring event so you won't need to remind (trans: nag) them about it. You can work with them in order to determine how often they'll want to go through this process but they should take it from there if possible.

Regardless of the tools and strategies you use, it's important to remember that your child does not lose papers strictly for the purpose of driving you crazy. Kids with executive function delays need patience, support, and feedback from their parents. Sometimes, it can be helpful to collaborate with your child similar to the way a couple of detectives would approach a mystery. You can present these organizational challenges as puzzling problems that need to be investigated and solved. Working together as an alliance is always going to be the best strategy!