Back 2 School: Organization & Study Habits

Call me crazy?! I am a little excited about this post. In fact, I've been planning and gathering for it for over a month. There is nothing I like more than Organization & Study Habits (well, except for the purchasing of school supplies!!)

With three kids in consistently different stages in their lives, we've been through so many homework phases. I can tell you that one thing I learned that I did wrong - and wish I had done differently - is that I did not train my older kids. Do you think 'train' is a little harsh? I don't. Let me tell you why.

I can tell my kids to do their homework. Which is what I did for many, many years. I can yell, kick, scream and threaten. But it's been PROVEN - that doesn't work. So what's my alternative? To train them. SHOW them what I expect each day. Show them how to prep for a test. Give them the tools to succeed.

I've learned, over the years, that studying and organizing does not come easy to my children. It came easy to me, so I assumed they got it. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Fail.

1. Provide a quiet place to study and complete homework assignments.
• Alex can work alone in his room or sit at the dining table to complete his assignments. However, I know Alex... and if I allow him to work in his room, more than likely, the TV will get turned on, and his homework plan tuned out. I intend on keeping Alex CLOSE. ;)
• No TV or Radio on.
• All iPods, Pads, and MP3 players are put AWAY.
• No cell phones. At all. 
• Computers are necessary, but I will walk by and check their web pages several times, if necessary. 
2. Create a schedule/plan. 
• Alex's school has a program called Jupiter Grades. The teachers use it to enter in assignments, tests, notes in advance. That means I always know what is assigned, if it's been completed and what the grade is. I created an alert so that I get a daily email and text message letting me know Alex's current grades, if he has any missing assignments, or if he's missed any classes. I love me some Jupiter Grades! 
• Because I am able to see all of this, I can help Alex create a plan. For example, if we know he has a Geometry test on Friday, we will add studying to his calendar for Wednesday and Thursday.
3. Set expectations.
• The first step in creating expectations is to talk to your significant other. Of course, I will have this particular conversation with MY significant other (not yours).  The husband and I need to be on the same page, so that we can share our expectations with Alex and then hold him accountable.
• We will work with Alex to create the expectations... he's almost 17, I am sure he's got an opinion. In the end, we will work together to come up with what we expect him to do, what he expects (would like) from us, and any consequences (good or bad). 
• Type up this information and keep it handy! You will be referring back to it often!
4. Provide supplies and tools (keep extras on hand).
• Remember this post: School Supplies? 
5. Be available to answer questions, encourage, and keep them on task.
• The biggest complaint from years passed is that I was not available to answer questions. What?! I am ALWAYS home, of course I am available! Yep, not the case. Yes, I am always home... but what was I doing?! More often than night, when it came time for the kids to do their homework, I was in my office working, blogging or crafting.  To my offspring, that meant I wasn't available. And their perception is 100% reality (to them). 
• In order to be available for the kids, I must keep my day fairly organized. More on that later!
• Bottom line, be REALLY available! Be their cheerleader! Be there.
6. Have additional resources available.
• I have two degrees, post high school; a Bachelors of Science in Business/Management and a Masters in Business Administration, but that does not make me qualified to answer every single question that comes my way from a high schooler. For example, I've never taken Geometry. Thankfully, I have an uncle who teaches College Math and who giggles at and adores all things mathematical.  If the kid is stumped and I am stumped, we call in the Uncle.
• We also use YouTube. It can actually be a GREAT resource - with videos on almost EVERY subject. 
• Another resource? The teacher! Alex's teachers have always been open to tutoring before or after school. They are also available via email to help answer questions.
• Check what your school has available.
• See if your children's school book has an online resource.
• We teach the kids about plagiarizing and where not to get info from (hello, Wiki!).

1. Provide a quiet place to study and complete homework assignments.
• Isabel has her phases, and more often than not, I can trust her to get her work done with zero issues. But this isn't ALWAYS the case. Because 8th grade is a big deal - and we are so close to High School, by having her create a work space, we are setting a precedence. 
• No TV or Radio on.
• All iPods, Pads, and MP3 players are put AWAY.
• No cell phones. At all.
• Computers are necessary, but I will walk by and check their web pages several times, if necessary. 
2. Create a schedule/plan. 
• Isa's school also has a program where teachers are able to enter in assignments, tests, notes in advance. That means I always know what is assigned, if it's been completed and what the grade is. I created an alert so that I get a daily email and text message letting me know Isabel's academic status.
• Because I am able to see all of this, I can help Isabel create a plan. She is my kid who LOVES calendars and lists! So, we can create a pretty, yet functional, plan that I know she will follow.
3. Set expectations.
• The first step in creating expectations is to talk to your significant other. The husband and I need to be on the same page, so that we can share our expectations with Isabel and then hold her accountable.
• We will work with Isa to create the expectations, allow her to provide input. In the end, we will work together to come up with what we expect her to do, what she expects (would like) from us, and any consequences (good or bad). 
• Type up this information and keep it handy! You will be referring back to it often!
4. Provide supplies and tools (keep extras on hand).
• Remember this post: School Supplies? 
5. Be available to answer questions, encourage, and keep them on task.
• Same as what I listed for Alex...the biggest complaint from years passed is that I was not available to answer questions. 
• In order to be available for the kids, I must keep my day fairly organized. Again, more on that later!
• Bottom line, be REALLY available! Be their cheerleader! Be there.
  
6. Have additional resources available.
• Isabel is a bit more disciplined than Alex, I know that she will reach out on her own for assistance. For her age group, I think the following resources are acceptable:
• Library
• Google
• YouTube
• Teachers
• School
• See if your children's school book has an online resource.
  
• We teach the kids about plagiarizing and where not to get info from (hello, Wiki!).

1. Provide a quiet place to study and complete homework assignments.
• This is ALL new for Nic. We are setting the precedence EARLY.He will never know how Alex and Isabel performed before, I will make sure of it (don't you love your second chance children?!)
• No TV or Radio on.
2. Create a schedule/plan. 
• We will set a timer so that we can show Nic how long we expect him to work on his homework. If he goes over, then he needs to work with more focus. If he works under, then he needs to take his time or work on other skills. 
• Based on Nic's level, he should have no more than 30 minutes of homework each night.
3. Set expectations.
• The husband and I will create easy-to-understand expectations for Nic.
• We will focus on the skill level of a Kindergartner, but also work to encourage a love of learning.
• Type up this information and keep it handy! You will be referring back to it often!
4. Provide supplies and tools (keep extras on hand).
• Remember this post: School Supplies? 
5. Be available to answer questions, encourage, and keep them on task.
• Again, at this level, I will need to sit side-by-side with Nic. There's no way I can expect him to know what he's supposed to do, while staying on task.
6. Have additional resources available.
• I HOPE I can manage Kindergarten level work, but for some reason I don't understand something, we will reach out to the teacher. I recommend a communication notebook; a place where I can write a note, send it in with Nic, and the teacher can respond back. This will serve as a year-long log of our commitment to Nic's success. 

All three kids are home before 4, with Nic being the last. That means I can spend about an hour with Alex and Isabel - Nic FREE! I will spend that time going over their calendar, their expectations and helping to answer questions. Once Nic gets home, I will have to balance all three kids (Monday - Wednesday), but will have my partner in crime available on Thursday's and Friday's to assist with homework time.

I know this has been a long post... but stick around for a few more moments, because I want to share something I found on Pinterest. Here is the original pin.

After I read through Math-N-Spire's blog post, I knew this was something I HAD to do with my kids this year! It's sad to say, but I don't believe Alex was at all ready for his final exams the last two years, despite my poking and prodding. Hopefully using this method, we will be ready and roaring to go!

Because I plan for the kids to use one notebook for each class, I purchased these Composition Notebooks when they were on sale. I think I bought about 50. Crazy, I know. But I wanted to be sure I had them on for replacements or subsequent notes.

I set up each of the notebooks very similar to the inspiration piece, although I wasn't able to add the page numbers in, etc. I figured that I could work with the kids each day to read through their notes and then add the section and page number to the table of contents. I feel like the table of contents is going to be one of the most important parts of the book.

And because school and organization and studying should be fun, I've created some cute labels that I plan on sticking on the front of each notebook. And because I like you... I have them as a free download! You can either modge-podge them on, or... print them on shipping labels!

You can download them below: