Having a strong academic foundation is essential for long term success as a student. No other skill is as important as student organization. It not only readies middle and high school students for life beyond, but also directly assists in building other valuable skills such as confidence, independence, and college readiness.
In this guide, I’ll dive into how to implement effective organizational strategies that makes it easier for you the parent, your student, and your student’s teachers see great success!
Why Student Organization Matters
1. It’s a Crucial Life Skill
When it comes to effective student organization, it isn’t just strictly about school, it’s a skill that will transcend past graduation and affect students for the rest of their lives! When students develop these skills, they are able to stay organized, track deadlines, and manage schedules. Without these valuable skills, students will fall through the cracks upon leaving home and gaining independence. Additionally, this can contribute to undermining their college and even career readiness after school!
2. Builds Independence and Autonomy
Students who take charge of their own organization are able to foster their own autonomy. This assists in building self-reliance which can encourage responsible decision making as well as resilience! This all comes together in the form of personal pride upon completing tasks independently.
3. Enhances Academic Performance
It comes as no surprise that disorganization can impact the quality of study time, while also leaving students overwhelmed. When a student has a well-developed organizational system, it can help students stay on top of their assignments, reduce stress, and ultimately improve their grades and academic confidence!
4. Strengthens Mental Health
Student stress levels have never been so high. As students enter middle and high school, they begin juggling multiple subjects and deadlines. This high level of stress quickly leads to anxiety and burnout. By mastering student organization, a student is able to create a safe mental space, reduce chaos, and more which all leads to them living a happier and ultimately, healthier life.
5. Prepares for Life Beyond School
Organization transcends beyond just academic benefits. While strong organization skills begin in school, students will use these same skills to pursue personal goals, assist in their careers, succeed in college, and many other facets of their lives! The most important thing to note is all of these skills are rooted in student organization habits learned in middle and high school.
How to Develop Student Organization Skills
1. Modeling, Collaboration, and Transition
- Modeling: This can be done in a variety of ways. One such way is to keep a family calendar or list that demonstrates your own organization for your household. Think of things like a grocery list on the fridge, etc.
- Collaboration: Make it a family affair! Have a weekly meeting with your family on things like goals for the weeks, events coming up, and routines/changes happening.
- Transition: As your student becomes more familiar with your family’s organization, let them take ownership! Begin encouraging them to strive for independence with their organization, whether it comes to school or their daily life.
2. Equip with the Right Tools
Student organization requires the right tools for roots to form! Curating a toolkit that can help your student achieve this is a great first step in getting them excited about their organization. So, what’s in this toolkit then?
- Physical planner or digital calendar: This is used to track academic assignments, chores, or other obligations that the student should keep track of.
- Binders and folders: Each subject should have their own binder or folder with labels that makes sorting easier.
- Color-coded system: Students should have highlighters, colored pens, and tabs to help them color coordinate assignments and subjects for school.
- Checklist: Either physical or digital, the student should have some sort of daily checklist that helps them manage larger assignments or projects. Checklists can give a sense of accomplishment and continues to motivate the student to complete the work.
3. Foster Consistent Routines
Consistency is key when it comes to student organization:
- Daily backpack check: This is better reserved for younger students to help encourage them early on to stay organized. Checking their planner and folder is also necessary to ensure they’re keeping track of due assignments and upcoming projects.
- Weekly planning sessions: Setting aside one day out of the week to plan the week ahead is ideal for developing your student’s organization and executive functioning skills. I recommend doing this on Sunday as it can be a great mental ‘reset’ before the week ahead.
- Morning prep: Spend around 5-10 minutes each morning reviewing goals and tasks before hitting the road! This gives your student a clear objective for the day and can help get them motivated!
The Lasting Value of Student Organization
When embracing student organization, your child is setting themselves up for success in both their academics and their life beyond. It’s difficult motivating them at first but becomes integrated into their routine quickly with a little persistence and know-how. The earlier your child develops these skills the better. Students who enter high school with a lack of organizational skills can quickly fall behind. That’s why it’s essential to start early! Treat student organization as an investment into your child’s future! Strengthening these skills and systems now will give them a lifelong head start!
Ready to Build Strong Organizational Habits?
Here at The Tenney School, we recognize that these skills don’t just develop overnight. It takes time, effort, and a lot of know-how! That’s why we build student organization directly into our curriculum through the use of executive function training. Everyday students spend a little bit of their time in homeroom going over student organization tips and exercises with their teachers. This not only helps the student develop these skills but also helps our teachers too! When everyone is on the same page and has clear expectations set, it gives room for students to truly shine.
If this sounds like the type of learning environment that your child would thrive in, I highly recommend inquiring today! Our school has a flexible admissions process that allows students to join us at any time during the year through our rolling admissions program. Learn more about it today so we can help your child prepare for the rest of their life!