Organizing the Disorganized Student

When I was in Junior High School my principal, Mr. LaDuca provided me and my fellow students with time to focus solely on organization.  I can still vividly recall "Backpack Resets" and "Locker Clean Out."  In most schools locker clean out takes place on the day before the last day of school as a time for each student to assist the maintenance crew in preparing the lockers for the next school year.  Mr. LaDuca on the other hand, allowed his students fifteen minutes during the school day every ten weeks to straighten out our individual storage nightmares.

Prior to drafting this blog post, I asked Middle School Dean, Mr. Dion to open some sample lockers so that I could see if my recollection of a messy eigth grade locker has endured the test of time.  As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, it has.  This picture is exactly what I saw in the second locker that Mr. Dion opened.  I do not know who it belongs to, but I know that it is indicative of a topic that needs to be addressed. 

The truth of the matter is the biggest challenge many students face is not learning to read or mastering matematical computation but rather getting organized. Many students have good reasoning ability and well-developed academic skills, but they get failing grades when it comes to the nuts and bolts of learning tp bring the proper materials to class, keep track of papers, use time wisely, write down assignments correctly, and turn them in on time. 

With this in mind the Ralph C. Mahar, Orange Elementary, and Petersham Elementary Parent Advisory Council will sponsor an event directed at helping parents help their students get and stay organized.  The Workshop entitled: “Organizing the Disorganized Student” will be offered in the Eileen Perkins Media Center on December 7, 2010 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Participants in the workshop will learn the organizational styles of their children; learn how to choose school supplies most compatible with your children's organizational styles; learn how to effectively organize a school locker; and learn how to get homework home, back to school and into the teacher’s hands.

Workshop presenter, Victoria Elliot, is a licensed School Adjustment Counselor who has worked at Mahar Regional School since the fall of 2006. Mrs. Elliott has worked extensively with a number of students who have struggled or are currently struggling with organizational issues. Since students' grades are often negatively impacted by disorganization, the Mahar Counseling Team decided it would be beneficial to the community for Mrs. Elliott to share her organizational strategies for students in this parent workshop. Mrs. Elliott received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College and her Master’s Degree in clinical social work from Smith College.

For those unable to attend a daytime program, the workshop will be repeated in the evening January 24, 2011 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.  Light refreshments will be served. For further information contact: Mrs. Page or Mrs. Elliott at 978-544-2535.