I get a kick out of my 7th grade class because I have one or two students who are always asking for a pencil. The rest of their home school mates carry “extras” for them so they can be prepared. It reminds me of my own junior high experiences where I felt like I was scattered in a thousand different directions and really never quite able to stay on top of my organizational skills.
Do you have a junior high student that is disorganized, scattered, messy? Much of it is due to the fact that they are not mature yet. Here are some ideas to help them organize paperwork and supplies.
* Keep loose leaf notebook paper in a binder.
* Date papers for easy reference.
* Put a label on the edge of the binder with the subject clearly marked so it can be found easily. Label the front too!
* Choose one area to work in or if you have a student who likes to move around the house, ALL papers, books, supplies must be put away before moving to another location.
* Coordinate notebooks and binders to be the same color. For instance, if your student has a binder and notebook needed for history, choose red for both of them.
* Keep all supplies for class in a specific area. Train your student to put away the supplies when finished. It saves time and frustration if pencils are in a cup, on a desk, in a certain area.
* Find a home for things. (books, binders, notebooks, supplies, etc.) If there is not a home for it, the item will be put in a strange place and the hunting begins again 
I know! It happens to me with my belongings.
* Have your student help decide where things should go. Perhaps they need you to verbalize the process so they can hear how you organize. Also, if they get to help they will feel their opinions are valued and they may have an idea of why they want to keep an item in a certain place- within reason of course!
Happy organizing!
