Spring is slowly arriving and the days are getting longer. While this is a welcome change from what seems like a long winter and way too much snow, it also means that we are hopefully getting outside more and enjoying the longer periods of daylight.
Faculty and staff understand this dynamic all too well and for years the arrival of spring has brought with it an
increase in students’ disorganization and sometimes even disruptive behaviors.
There are actionable steps that families can take to keep their students on track so that they can succeed in school and also maintain a healthy balance of personal and schoolwork time. This is applicable to all grade levels, because let’s face it, sometimes we all need reminders on how to stay focused so we can do outside and play.
5 Key Tips to Stay Organized for the Rest of the School Year
- Maintain (or create) a routine. This helps with learning time management.
- Have a designated working space that is optimal for your student(s) to accomplish their work. A place that is already ready for them to work is ideal.
- Write key dates down on a planner or a family calendar so more than just the student see when important due dates are coming up. Having checklists to correlate with these key dates is also helpful for the more independent students.
- Break larger tasks into bite-sized portions. The saying goes, you can only eat the elephant one bite at a time, so there is no need to take on a huge project all at once. Identify the necessary steps to accomplish the task and mark them down on your calendar (see step 3) for proposed due dates.
- Review what the next day will expect of them. Talking to your student about what the next day, week, or even month will look like for them offers a sense of ownership and sets up what is going to be expected of them. If a shift needs to be made, they can be a part of that conversation and expectations can be adjusted accordingly. This will help the student to learn to think ahead.
We would love to share your go-to tips to keep your student organized. Please feel free to share what they are by emailing Christine_Marriage@westiron.monroe.edu.