I truly believe organization plays a HUGE part in student's ability to be successful in the classroom. If we had a consistent organizational system implemented in schools, we would see dramatic behavioral and educational results for the better. Read on to see how this system helped kids improve grades, reduce stress and increase standardized test scores.
I spent thousands of dollars purchasing every planner, notebook and filing system out there. Then I spent thousands more sending my son to a learning center for study and organizational skills. Nothing worked. At our wits’ end, we started to make our own system and once we figured out the right combination of tools, his grades went from Ds to Bs in one semester — no exaggeration.
The system worked great for him, but I wanted to see if it worked for other kids. To my husband’s dismay, I purchased enough off-the-shelf supplies to make and donate 300 systems for students in grades 3-5 at Monroe Elementary in Des Moines, IA (a School In Need of Assistance with over 75% of its students on free or reduced lunch programs). They agreed to test the systems in exchange for teacher, student and parent feedback.
The results were amazing. The teachers noticed a significant drop in missing assignments, improved self-esteem, a dramatic drop in anxiety and stress-related outbursts, increased standardized test scores and a jump in parent engagement. The kids loved the systems too — they were rarely forgotten or misplaced. 100% of the teachers wanted the system back and highly recommended it. Parents who had never attended a single parent/teacher conference for their child began to write notes to the teachers. A dialogue began that was previously non-existent. All of a sudden, everyone seemed to understand what they needed to do.
The teachers, parents and students gave valuable feedback on the bag, planner and folder designs. We took that feedback and over the past three years developed a patent-pending system that really works. It is completely customizable, because no two kids are alike. Each student can develop their own way of tracking their stuff; we just provide the tools to make it possible. Obviously, I love this system. I believe in this system. But in the end it's really just about the kids and helping them succeed.