Practical ideas to help your child become more organized.
by
M. Ranard, M.Ed.
715
words
“Just
so you know, mom I’ve got a test on Friday I’m gonna fail.” My sixth-grader
is barely through the front door when this escapes his lips. Because he is an
excellent student, my head is spinning.
Smiling, I remark “What do you mean?
You’ve got three more days to study!” But he is already grinding his teeth,
scowling as he announces “I can’t do it.”
Still calm, I attempt to appeal to his
reason with no luck. Within seconds, I am shouting “Fine. YOU’RE GROUNDED FOR A
MONTH!”
Sound familiar?
Disorganization
and Success
What my son was probably communicating after
school that day was “I feel distressed, mom. I have no idea how to get
organized for this test.” Unfortunately, like so many parents, I let myself grow
overly emotional and failed to truly listen to his fear and concern.
Organizing
the Disorganized Child (2009) by Martin Kutscher and Marcella Moran provides
a helpful guide for explaining in plain English how disorganized habits
interfere with school success and create chaos within the home. The following issues
addressed in the book were ones in particular I believe are relevant to helping
your child develop healthier habits and achieve more.
Understand
Why They Procrastinate
According to Kutscher and Mora, kids
often adopt an “I’ll get to it later” habit and put off school projects or
studying for several reasons. Sometimes they simply have a poor concept of
time. Other kids have poor memory for ways procrastinating has failed them in
the past. Still others are too easily sidetracked and unable to resist
temptation to do something more appealing.
The authors remind parents that most often
these issues are “the fault of the undeveloped brain, not the child” and urge
parents not to yell or punish. Instead, stay positive, offer support, and help
them break larger tasks down into chunks. They offer these tips to get
organized:
1.
Write
down assignments in a planner.
2.
Ask
the teacher or a buddy to double-check their planner to be sure it is correct.
3.
Place
all materials touched that day into a take-home section of a folder.
4.
Mark
a calendar with completion dates for step in preparing for a project.
5.
Put
completed work in a Take to School section of a folder.
6.
Weekly
purge the backpack and folders of papers no longer needed.
Teach
Them to Question Everything
The authors of this guide believe in
addition to good note-taking and study skills, the key to your child’s education
is questioning everything. Teaching your child to ask the following questions
will enhance your child’s learning:
1.
WHAT
DID THE TEACHER JUST SAY?
2.
WHAT
DID I JUST READ?
3.
WHY
IS THAT SO? IS IT TRUE?
4.
WHERE
HAVE I SEEN INFORMATION LIKE THIS BEFORE?
5.
HOW
IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM MATERIAL I’VE PREVIOUSLY LEARNED?
6.
HOW
CAN I SUMMARIZE THIS IN AS FEW WORDS AS POSSIBLE?
7.
HOW
CAN I VISUALIZE THIS IN PICTURES OR FLOWCHARTS?
8.
WHAT
ELSE DO I NEED TO LEARN ABOUT THIS?
9.
WHAT
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ARE LIKELY TO BE ON THE TEST?
10. WHY IS THIS
IMPORTANT TO ME AND THE REST OF THE WORLD?
11. SO WHAT?
Test
Taking Smarts
All students can use a refresher for how
to best manage time on a test, and the following strategies are recommended by
Kutscher and Moran:
1.
Turn
over the sheet and jot down keywords, dates, formulas, and phrases you
memorized.
2.
Look
over the entire test quickly to anticipate what’s coming up.
3.
Read
directions carefully. Underline keywords of the directions.
4.
Answer
easy questions first.
5.
Place
a question mark next to answers you guess on.
6.
Sometimes
the answer to one question is contained somewhere on the test.
7.
Sometimes
you may be able to get help or clues from the teacher i.e. “Can you rephrase
the question.”
8.
If
you have leftover time, check your answers and scan for careless mistakes. Only
change an answer when you’re certain the new response is correct.
9.
If
unsure, guess.
In terms of helping your child become a
more organized student, the authors remind parents “We can’t completely fix
everything overnight. We can, though, expect continued progress over a
mountainous terrain toward an ultimately successful future.”
M. Ranard has a husband, two children, and a master’s in counseling.
Resources:
Kutscher, Martin L. and Marcella Moran.
2009. Organizing the Disorganized Child:
Simple Strategies to Succeed in School. Harper Studio.
