Monday, September 10, 2012

How to Organize your Homework.

I had a reader ask for some advice on how to organize homework.  Since I have 2 youths in the house, one in grade 8 and the other in grade 9, this topic is close to home.

My kids are both honour roll students.  They each achieved this last year, and now that my husband and I know they are capable of this, we kinda hold them to it! LOL!



You will find a large selection of homework organizing information available for grade school students in their primary years of school.  There are plenty of blogs that cover the younger grades.  Not as much out there for the higher grades.  I found this article on line, and while I considered re-writing it to my own words, the more I read it I felt that she says it all quite well herself.  Please find attached below an article with good solid advice for students in middle school, high school and beyond that will help you establish a firm base for your homework routine.

You can read below, but I have also provided the direct link HERE.

High School Organization Techniques for Homework and Studying

Organize for Less Stress and Better Grades

I remember when school use to be carefree. Frolicking, storybooks, and crayons were the tools I used to learn. Then, the fun stopped and I entered first grade. Once I got to high school, stress was an every day event, but then I learned some organization techniques that helped lower my stress and raise my grades.

Organize your High School Materials

Office Depot became my organizational friend in high school. While strolling through the isles one day, I devised an organization system that served me well into my college days. I started by choosing a color for each high school class. Green was for science, blue for history, and red for math. Based on my color selection, I purchased a 1" 3 ring notebook, big dots, and some dividers for each class. I also bought a large desk calendar. With my purchases in hand, I had the tools for high school class organization.
In the 3 ring binders, I placed ordinary notebook paper, some dividers and wrote the high school class name along the binding and on the cover. I named the dividers based on the class organization. For example, for my math class, I had a notes section, a class work section, and a homework section. I would hole punch any assignments or handouts and place them in the correct section. For classes that had a syllabus, I would place it at the front of the notebook for easy reference.
Once I organized my binders, I organized my large desk calendar. I took the syllabus from each high school class and wrote every assignment, test, and presentation on a big dot and placed it on the calendar according to the due date. At a glace, I was able to see when I had multiple homework assignments or tests on the same day. When I could see the ebb and flow of assignments, I learned to be proactive in my homework assignments and studying. By being proactive, I decreased my high school stress and ultimately raised my grades.

Organize your High School Study and Homework Time

In high school, I was the queen of after school activities. I was a tutor, took piano lessons, served in multiple organizations, and participated heavily in the Junior Achievement company program. With this hectic schedule, I learned to carefully organize my high school homework and study time.
For my homework assignments, I learned to utilize down time. For example, in many of my classes, I had a few minutes after the lesson was over before I had to change to my next class. During this time, I had a homework assignment handy and I would work until the bell rang for my next class. By doing this consistently, I usually had my math homework finished before school ended for the day. I also found times during lunch, or after finishing a classroom assignment to work on homework. For homework assignments that needed more attention such as writing an essay, I would jot down ideas that I could use when I sat down at night to work on the homework assignment.
Repetition is the key to learning most things in high school classes. When I studied, I would make note cards of key items that I could pull out and study anywhere. For many tests, I used my note cards to study on my way to school as well as the few minutes before a test started. These note cards served two purposes; they made me organize the key points, but also served as a way to refresh my memory before a test started. These note cards helped to reduce my stress, and raise my high school grades especially on tests.
Also, it is important when you study to find a place conducive to your study style. Some people need absolute quiet to study effectively, while others do best with some background noise. My best study time was when I had some music in the background and had no interruptions. Focus is also important when studying. It is easy to let your mind wander when you are studying, especially if you have distractions where you study. Find one place where you study routinely and remove any items that cause a distraction. When you sit down to study, tell yourself you will focus for a certain period of time and don't let your mind wander. Once you have organized your mind for studying, you will finish your studying faster and will retain more information. Overall, when your high school studying is organized, you will have less stress and higher grades.

Conclusions to High School Organization Techniques for Homework and Studying

Overall, if you want to have less stress and higher grades during high school, make sure to find an organizational system that works for you. While the techniques I mentioned worked for me, you must find an organization system that fits your schedule and style. Once you find your system, you will be amazed at how your stress level declines and your grades rise.
Reference: Trial and Error during my time in High School.
Published by Laura Acevedo
Laura Acevedo writes from a professional and academic background with experience in finance, information technology, marketing and international business. Acevedo holds an MBA in International Business from...  View profile

There you have it!  Start your school year off right.  

- Create a system that works for you. 
- Make time to be organized.
- Stick to your routine.
- If you need help, seek guidance from your teachers early.  Don't delay.

Thanks for reading.

Cassie

Friday, September 7, 2012

A quick note

Just want to say hi to my friends in the blog world.
The requirements of life have prevented me from pursuing a new blog entry.

I have some things in the works that will eventually make it onto this blog.  My mind returns to the blog  often as I really enjoy getting things done and making blog entries.

I am guilty of returning to the Yves Rocher store.  I might post on that tomorrow!

Until next time... keep organized and have a good day!

Thanks for reading,
Cassie


Thursday, September 6, 2012

Link Party #4

Today is the day that I hope you will share with me what you've been up to.
It's the weekly Thursday link party.  So grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair and take a few minutes to relax and enjoy!


Click on the link below to join in.




Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Punctuality

Just a few words on punctuality and that before school routine.



How is your routine going?  Yesterday we did great.  Today was much more of a challenge.

Here is a typical view of the morning collection in the kitchen.  The kids lunch bags, my lunch bag and work bag, sweater and phone.  We are adjusting to the rigors of a new schedule that has us getting up a solid hour earlier than we used to last school year.

Yesterday we were early everywhere.  In fact my daughter was almost 1/2 hour early for school.  I have to take her early in order to deal with the traffic as I drive south again after dropping her off.  Today I decided to to leave with her about 10 minutes later.  BIG MISTAKE!
I didn't factor in that yesterday was only the grade 9's at high school, and today would entail the traffic of the rest of the student population being dropped off as well.  In addition to this, there was construction on the road that was slowing down the traffic going south.  I waited 25 minute to get out of the drop off area!  aaahhhhh!
I had to phone my son and have him walk to school with a french horn, lunchbag and backpack.  He barely made it on time.  It's time to push the pause button and sort this out.

Why is punctuality important?

I would guess there is a lot of information out there on the subject of punctuality.  When we are punctual we reduce our own stress levels significantly.  When we make time to be punctual and organized, we can go into our day or meetings with confidence that we haven't missed important details.
Punctuality also leaves a positive impression in the minds of others.  It conveys to them that we have a few things together, and that we place a high enough value on our commitments to organize ourself to be on time for them.   This increases your odds that people will take you seriously and give you new opportunities also. 

Let's take a look a making the morning routine a punctual one. The morning routine will always work backwards from the arrival time required at each school and/or work.   Once you know what time you need to be at the school and/or work, you can calculate how much time you need to get ready.  You must also factor in time for traffic and red lights.

Steps to a punctual morning:


1. Prepare what you can the night before.  This includes getting the outfits sorted for you and the kids, and hubby too if needed.  Iron any clothing that requires it, and either set your clothes out, or ensure you have located what you plan to wear in your closet.

2. Prepare part of the lunches the night before.  I am a fan of making the sandwiches fresh in the morning, so this is part of what I get up early to do.  The night before I can add to the lunch boxes the juice box, cookies, and any other item that does not require refrigeration.  If you prefer to make your sandwiches the night before, you can leave them wrapped in the fridge.  Ditto for celery or carrot sticks, cheese sticks or yogurt.

3. Go to bed on time.  This will increase your odds of getting up on time more than anything else.

4. Obey the alarm.  Resist the urge to hit the snooze button.  Get up straight away and wake the kids and head for the shower.

5. Complete the rest of your morning routine.  This includes getting ready for yourself, helping younger children with hair and clothes, feed the pets, take your vitamins, make the beds, leave the bathrooms tidy, leave the kitchen tidy after breakfast and lunch preparations.

6. Start gathering everything to leave 5-10 minutes BEFORE you need to be wheels turning.  This is one of the most important parts of the morning.  I always tell my kids when it's close to that time.  I call down the stairs "10 minutes to the window" (as in, window of time closing).  I must admit that more times than I care to recall, this is where our perfect morning can fall apart.  We can all be doing great, and if we miss this step, it all comes undone!
You must keep in mind that you have to give your kids time to finish what they were doing, put on coats, shoes, winter gear when it applies, gather lunch bags, backpacks etc.  I have found that if we won't allow at least 5 minutes minimum, we end up leaving the house late.  We need more like 8-10 minutes in the winter time.
Why so long?  We are locking patio doors, giving the dog a cookie and gathering all the items previously mentioned.


There it is.  If you have also found that back to school have brought new experiences in your morning routine, just stay positive and learn from the delays you might have experience, and keep on re-calibrating that plan until you have it just right.

Thanks for reading.

Cassie

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