Now that the dust has settled…
Back-to-school time is certainly hectic, what with all the shopping for supplies and clothes as well as preparing students’ minds and hearts for fresh adventures with new teachers and classrooms.
But, school has been in session now for almost a month. Hopefully the dust has settled, by now, for you and your family. With that in mind, let’s take a moment to see what is working and what is not.
Over the next few weeks we will look at four areas that probably need a little tweaking by now: 1) your student’s desk, 2) their locker, 3) their backpack, and 4) their notebooks.
First stop: the desk
How is your student’s desk looking now, one month in? Does a quick survey to scope out the lay of the land reveals piles of papers, stray candy wrappers, and last week’s pizza crusts?
- Have them start with cleaning the clutter from the surface.
- If you have not already done so, attach a swivel-arm lamp to free up precious desk space.
- A good calendar, either wall-mounted or desktop, is a cool tool to organize their time, club meetings, assignments, and sporting events.
- A bulletin board serves as a control center for notes and reminders.
- A must-have tool is an organizing center for the desktop, complete with trays and nooks for their paper and supplies.
- Add stackable storage trays, bins, and a caddy to conquer any desktop clutter that has found its way onto the desk.
- Now, empty the drawers, and insert a drawer tray organizer to aid them in fingertip retrieval of stapler, paper clips, glue and tape.
- Some desks boast a file drawer, which they can fill with multicolored files. If needed, add another file cabinet in the room to aid them further in their victory over clutter. Do you need a refresher on how to organize your paper files? Here are some great tips.
- Finally, if you have not already done so, add some much-needed shelving. Students need lots of shelves for books, supplies, and collectibles.
These days, most students I know own a computer. It has become an indispensable tool for our students. From word processing to Internet access, the computer is a tool most students find crucial. Since this tool will most likely take up a good portion of the desktop, make sure that your student also has enough room for the other important nontechnical items just listed.
Sue’s article 12 steps to an organized desk would be a good article to peruse as you undertake this important challenge. Remember to store items near the place where your student will use them. This will serve your student well and will model for them principles that they will carry with them into their adult life.
Now that we’ve conquered the desk, let’s move on to our next area of concern. Check in soon for the next installment where we will take a good hard look at your student’s backpack.