Middle school, with lockers, multiple classrooms, and more independence, brings new challenges to even the most dedicated students. Grades are usually lower than in elementary school and the level of student stress is higher. Grade six is especially demanding as new middle school students are expected to learn the self-management and study skills necessary to keep track of homework and prepare for classes taught by several different teachers every day.
Although teachers are responsible for helping students learn how to organize a locker, use an agenda, take notes, study for a test, and follow directions, there is a lot that parents can do at home to support their child’s development of good organizational and study habits. The single most important thing a parent can do is create a home culture in which education is valued. Helping your child establish educational goals, asking about school, providing the necessary school materials and correct uniform, reading the Middle School Handbook and In the Middle weekly newsletter, being a role model for learning yourself, maintaining contact with teachers, attending school functions, and helping your child study all contribute to the message that education is important.
There are concrete steps you can take to support your family’s education. First, your child needs the right place to study. Most of them seem to have a desk in the bedroom, but surprisingly, the bedroom is NOT always the ideal place to study. For those who are easily distracted, the bedroom is far too entertaining. It might be better to set up a study place at the dining room table or even in the kitchen where parents can offer assistance and help keep the child focused. The desk or table surface should be big enough to spread out papers and books. Make sure essential supplies such as pens, paper and calculator are close by.
Each CDS middle school student was given a beautiful agenda on the first day of classes. This agenda is the student’s most important organizational tool, but in order to be helpful, it must be used. Sixth grade teachers require students to bring it to class daily and do provide a few minutes during class to write down assignments. Teachers of older students usually expect them to use the agenda without telling them to do so. If you notice that your child is not using the agenda, then make an arrangement with the teachers that they check the agenda and sign it regularly, as will you at home. Help your child get in the habit of writing down each daily assignment in each subject and checking it off when it’s complete.
Help your child develop a system of keeping track of papers. I recommend a 3-ring binder, although some students prefer a single accordion file with various sections. The accordion file works providing the student takes time to keep it organized, otherwise it becomes a bottomless pit where everything disappears. Whether the student uses a binder, folders, or an accordion file, the most important thing is to use it consistently and not lose it.
Parents are experts at asking the question, “Did you do your homework?” And students are experts at getting parents to stop asking with responses like, “Oh, I did it in class,” or “I don’t have any homework.” If you are noticing low grades or missing assignments and yet your child rarely seems to have homework, clearly something is wrong. Follow up! Talk to the teachers, check edline, and check your child’s agenda.
Your child may need a crash course on time management. People are productive at different times of day. Help your child find the times that his efforts will be most effective and then establish a well-structured homework routine. Our CDS sixth graders are expected to have about 60 minutes of homework daily. Seventh graders have 70 minutes and eighth graders have 80 minutes. Each student is also expected to read an additional 30 minutes daily. If your child is spending more than this on homework, it is possible that he is not just focused on homework, but also on FaceBook, using the cell phone, taking frequent breaks to surf the web, playing video games, or downloading music. Research shows that multi-tasking may increase “homework” time by up to 400%. I strongly recommend children complete all homework that does not require a computer first and that they not be allowed to be on social networks or use cell phones while doing homework unless they are online with a classmate who is actually helping study. Parents, you have the right to ask what your child is doing with the computer and if it isn’t homework, you should limit computer access until the homework is done.
Students also benefit by studying together; I know of students who have gotten great help from each other by posting their own study guides on FaceBook and Skyping a friend to quiz each other. The only danger here is getting off task, but if the students really do stay focused, studying together online can be beneficial.
In middle school, students start getting long term assignments. Help your child learn how to break these bigger projects into smaller chunks and plan how he’s going to tackle them. Children often underestimate the size of a project and procrastinate until there’s not enough time left to do a good job. Help him learn to manage his time by making sure he does some work each day instead of leaving it all until the end.
Younger students really have no idea how to prepare for a test or quiz. Sometimes they don’t realize that when a teacher writes something on the board or tells them to take notes, it’s because it is important. And if it is important, it may show up on a test. Some students just don’t know where the questions come from. They might glance over class notes again, but rarely think of rereading a textbook chapter or making a study guide or flashcards. I highly recommend parents sit down with a child and reread a chapter and all class notes together, paying special attention to chapter and section headings, review questions at the end, and words in bold. The student should also make flashcards for key concepts and vocabulary words. On one side goes the vocabulary word or a question and on the back is the definition or answer. The child should be making the flashcards, not the parent, because it is the physical act of making the flashcards that often helps the child remember what is on it. Some teachers provide study guides on edline and these are invaluable. The student should make sure he looks up everything on the study guide and prepares the related flashcards. Flashcards and mnemonics can also help when materials have to be memorized. Mnemonics are images or tricks that help us remember information such as My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas to remember the correct order of the planets, back when Pluto was still considered the ninth one.
If your child is really struggling, you may want to ask for help. Start by talking to the teachers. Teachers are aware when a child is struggling and can give you concrete advice. Sometimes all that is needed is getting organized or paying attention. In other cases, there may be a learning disability and you may want to get your child evaluated. In addition, our guidance counselor, Isabel Urrutia, has a list of tutors. Some high school students are also available after school for a reasonable rate. If your child is struggling with organizational skills, talk to Ms. Urrutia or teachers about what might be causing the problems and brainstorm approaches to solve them. If the work seems too difficult for your child or the workload too great, contact the school. There are times when a child is placed in the wrong level of math or Spanish and just needs to be moved. Often children don’t ask for help because they’re afraid of looking dumb. Remind your child that it’s the smart people that ask the best questions!
The points I’ve touched on in this posting are a sample of some of the ways you can support your child’s education at home, but if you would like more detailed information, I’d like to recommend two books. That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week by Ana Homayoun is a fabulous book written for the parents of distracted boys; however, many of the tips can help girls as well. If your child appears to be chronically disorganized, you might want to read The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg and Jennifer Zwiebel. It gives detailed instructions on how to get work turned in before it gets lost.
Finally, you are cordially invited to my presentation for parents, “Help! My Child Is So Disorganized!” on Oct. 25 in the middle school assembly hall from 8:15 to 9:30.