At the beginning of many months, I find myself elbow deep in one of my students’ book-bags digging out empty folders, snack wrappers, the crumbs that once lived in those wrappers, broken pencils, cap-less pens, and, on the luckiest of days, pages upon pages of work sent home that looks more like paper kite practice gone wrong. It’s a past time of mine at this point. What is also consistent in these instances, is my students insistence that they “know where everything is in there”. 

There is this myth about organized chaos that many of them have given in to. But chaos, by definition, is not organized. My goal for each of them is that their spaces (rooms, desks, lockers), and their tools (backpacks, pouches, and even digital tools like computer files/desktops) work to help them succeed, rather than be a barrier to their success.

I often work with them to organize those things, but I wanted to offer a few tips to help you help them stay on top of it.

1. Schedule a specific day and time where you/they are cleaning and re-organizing. (Sunday and Monday is great because it helps set their week off strong).

2. Be sure to discuss findings- assignments, handouts, random items- so you also know if they need things like new writing utensils, or help with something due soon.

3. Regular locker cleanings- I recommend students do this each Friday, but you know what’s truly needed. While you can’t be there always to check- a quick photo, video, etc… as proof it’s done can be a great way to incentivize them doing this on their own.

4. Color-Coding supplies- an easy tip I’ve used for some students is color-coding for class. They always have, for instance, a green notebook and folder for Math, red for English, orange for Science, blue for History, and yellow for electives. Color association is easy to learn, and sometimes helps them more easily keep track of which item they need for which class, or placing the right documents in the correct class folder. It becomes one less thing they’re consciously thinking about.

Organization just requires consistency and oversight. If you have other tips for helping keep yourself, or your kiddos organized, I’d love to hear them! Drop a comment below!

Happy organizing!