First, I highly recommend this article: http://www.home-school.com
Second, I can only share with you the habits I tried and still try to instill in my boys to help them. So many boys I know simply can't keep track of their things -- paper, pencil, etc. So this is all I do to help. Other mothers might have better ideas.
First, each boy has their own 30 gallon "tote." In this tote is every thing they need for a school day: paper, pens, pencils, coloring pencils, notebooks, notebook paper, binders, markers, their books, etc.
This works better than a shelf for several reasons -- for one thing, it's hidden and out of the way when school is out so that our home is not a school but a home. Secondly, each child is responsible for his own stuff in its own space. There are no blurry lines!
Inside the tote is a sweater box where the "office supplies" are supposed to be kept. I say "supposed to be" because it's amazing how often, without Mom's vigilant prodding, that sweater box can sit in that tote empty.
Because my sons all have executive functioning issues, like their father -- that is, they cannot seem to organize themselves at all due to supposed add, adhd, and autism -- I try to make sure every single thing has a spot. There are little pencil boxes for the pencils, etc. Everything is marked with their name. There are no mysteries about what markers belong in what tote.
It takes plenty of prodding and encouraging and reminding when they are younger. But suddenly, you wake up one day and realize that your boy is actually putting things back where they belong!
Why is that important? Because, I cannot tell you how many minutes I have waited in classes where I teach other boys who cannot even find a pencil to get started. Truly. If you are blessed by having a boy who is super-organized, get on your knees and thank the Good Lord! That boy will have a much easier time learning than the boy who simply does not know "where he is in space."
Another thing I do is teach my boys how to organize their papers. This is a very difficult thing for a lot of boys and a big reason why so many boys drop out of school. They might do their homework, but they simply can't remember where it is, or that it needs to be turned in. Then, in spite of their hard work or their intelligence, they end up failing and that leads to dropping out of school. I know this because I work with kids like this. And it could all have been easily avoided if the boy had learned to be organized.
We have a pocket folder for every subject. It sounds excessive, yes, but it teaches them organization. We have a large three-ring binder for their finished work to be filed. In that binder are tabs that separate each subject. Boys I tutor will actually not understand that Spelling papers go under English, or that Algebra and Math are the same subject. This helps them learn how things are related, how they are unrelated, and how to categorize not only their papers, but their life.
This might sound very elementary to people whose children do not have add or adhd or other issues, but for these boys, I have to tell you, it takes them years to learn that certain things go in certain places.
If a boy is innately organized, he is not going to need all these modifications and adaptations to his school environment. But for boys who are not - these are real drawbacks on how they learn.
If you can start your children when they are younger, then by the time they are in high school, they are not only organizing their papers, but they are able to organize their life and thoughts. They will be able to think not just abstractly (as these messies often do!) but linearly. That is, first comes this, then this, then this.
My middle son does not think in a line. He thinks in three dimensions. So for me, his being organized with his papers this year and keeping track of every single one of them was a HUGE victory! He is 15 now and he has FINALLY grasped the concept that filing papers where they go helps him! He was able to keep track of a huge history project this year that last year would have been impossible for him. I cannot tell you how happy that makes this Mom!
This son also tends to "explode" everywhere he is. He has a difficult time putting things away when he's finished, and he is just in one specific moment on his own planet a lot of the time. So I do have to remind him. I just tell him, "Son, you have exploded all over the table again. Let's take care of the bomb." He laughs, I laugh and he gets it together -- but he needs reminding.
Another thing I provide students with is a file box of their own, where they can file their handouts, newspaper clippings, website research finds, etc., themselves. I tell them they may be a teacher someday and might need to use something out of that file box. I start this in Jr. High.
I'm sure this all sounds so simple, and yet, there are so many parents who bring boys to me who cannot learn in a typical classroom. And it's not because they aren't smart. On the contrary, these boys are actually quite brilliant and creative and artistic. They are just simply unorganized both physically and in their minds.
Having an organized home is also important for these kinds of learners. It teaches them that everything has a place, a spot, a home. It teaches them that there are certain things you can depend on -- pencils will always be in the pencil box, and books will always be on the shelf in the correct category.
I know this sounds very basic and simple, but it works!
And someday -- maybe this Mom will get HER house perfectly organized, too! :-) I'm not perfect -- just a work in progress like everyone else!
(A really good resource for messy Mommies is http://flylady.net)
Since "flying" with the fly lady I am proud to say it has been so much easier to keep my home organized and free of clutter!! (But I'll save that, I guess, for a different post!)
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