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School Organization

NOTICE: The following posts are taken from the Christian ADHD List. The names, e-mail addresses and locations of all parties involved have been removed to protect their privacy. The posts have been used with permission, but are copyrighted by ADHD of the Christian Kind.

Part of creating the organizer for my son was identifying what we wanted it to do. We took a 3 ring binder and the 5 or 8 tab dividers and started there. We then purchased the remaining sections. I carry a Franklin, my husband has a Nino (palm top computer). We found Day Runner had the pieces that best fit our needs (and budget). All said, the home made organizer cost almost as much as purchased starter kit, but it met our needs to a "T".

Key points for us were having my son involved and then making it fun. I wanted to design something that would cover both school and home. I wanted something that would have meaning or purpose to my son.

His "organizer" consists of a monthly calender laid out w/1 month over two pages (plenty of room to write). This is where we log birthdays, holidays, "no-school" days, candy drives, events he'd like to attend, etc. This is followed by his "Daily Tasks" (section 1). We selected Day Runner daily pages (2 pages/day). These pages are for scheduling, listing homework assignments, home tasks/chores and notes to/from his teacher.

The remaining sections address his classes and assignments. He has two weekly log sheets that were constantly getting lost. Not any more :-) Completed assignments go in the front of the folder for his teacher. Any papers he needs to bring home go there also (it is the info exchange).

Suggestion by Rhonda McKinley.

If creating an organizer interests you, check out your local office/school supply store and see what is available. To be honest, when I started this project, I had only a vague idea of what I wanted, but as I viewed my options, it became crystal clear

Some of the suggestions I have heard used before were:

-Color code books/notebooks by subject (Reading is RED, Writing is BLUE, etc). Index tabs for notebooks coincide. Color code schedule to be put inside backpack, locker, notebooks etc to keep them on track.

-Assignment book is a MUST have - teacher/mentor student to initial that the student got the assignment written down (correctly).

We have a 3-ring binder for my son. Everything that goes to the teacher that day is put in the front pocket. This included notes, assignments, whatever.... Everything that he brings home is in the back pocket. Well - it's usually in his backpack somewhere and I have to find it when he gets home and organize it. He only attends class two days a week so I just check his binder the night before and then when he gets home. Unfortunately- the work of keeping him organized falls on my shoulders because he could care less. But he is getting better. The other thing we did with another son- we had three big manila envelopes in his backpack.. one was marked "Take To Teacher" , "Bring Home (Notes from Teacher and Work)", and "Completed Work".... Same thing though... I had to stay on top of it ..... it's a parental discipline thing.... after a while ds#2 was able to handle it himself and does fine now... it's such a training- training- training issue!!!

_____'s teacher and I use a spiral notebook for notes to and from each other. That way they stay together in "digest" format for a tracking history. We also use three pocket folders, one for math homework, one for reading homework, and one for work done at school that she is just bringing home. _____ can't keep herself organized, so teacher and I do it for her. I believe _____ will learn organization in time.