What's In Your Child's Backpack?

What's in your child's backpack? Papers from the first day of school crumpled up on the bottom? A half-eaten sandwich from two weeks ago? (Hopefully not!) There are those children who carry everything they own with them- even taking it all home. The backbreaking backpack tends to be of big concern for parents and students. The backpack has been a source of stress for middle schoolers since the beginning of time. (Or, more correctly, since the late 1960's when school backpacks were first produced).

We do teach the skills of organizing one's backpack in Sixth Grade Advisory, (see below), but students who are by nature disorganized have a hard time implementing the strategies for an extended period of time. Then there are our “nervous Nelly” students. They are afraid to leave something at home or to not bring something to class, so they will never let go of carrying everything- despite our best intentions in assisting them in doing so. Some of those students are our most disorganized who have discovered a way to cope with their disorganization- you'll never forget anything if you have everything!

What should the parent's role be in helping a child keep his backpack organized? How can we as parents ensure that our children are bringing home what they need and only what they need? I think the first response is that middle schoolers still need their parents! I know that first time parents of sixth graders often struggle as they feel their children are in middle school now and they should not have to take a hands on approach at this age. Realize your child is now balancing nine different teachers, with nine different expectations and nine different sets of supplies! Most disorganized students do need their parents to help them sort it out and monitor their progress at the beginning. Some might need that supervision longer. Typically speaking, the backpack is often the tip of the iceberg, and the disorganization is often more widespread.

How do I know if my child is disorganized? According to Donna Goldberg, author of The Organized Student, the organized student:

• Doesn't carry everything he owns in his backpack (I'd add to this, that if the backpack is neat, and your child says there are other reasons why the backpack is full- this may not be disorganization).
• Can identify and bring home the books, supplies, and worksheets he needs in order to complete his homework.
• Can locate his finished homework in class and hand it in on time (Yes, there are many students who do their homework and neglect to hand it in, or e-mail it to a teacher).
• Can study efficiently because he knows when tests are coming up, has set aside enough time to study, and doesn't waste time looking for class notes and handouts.

The disorganized student on the other hand,

• Frequently loses papers.
• Doesn't hand in assignments on time at all.
• Has a backpack full of crumpled paper and random objects.
• Can't break down long-term projects and misses deadlines.
• Leaves everything for the last minute.
• Disrupts home life with frantic searches, urgent requests for late- night help, and anxiety ridden meltdowns.

Like any other skills, organization skills can be taught. It is tricky when a parent attempts to share tips with a middle schooler. They would take the advice very eagerly from a stranger, but when a parent suggests it... not exactly. The less emotional we get about the process, the better.

Mrs. Goldberg's book is a great resource. I also want to share with you a bit of what we did this past week in Sixth Grade Advisory, as we began our Organization Unit focusing on lockers, backpacks and the home workspace. Parents of seventh and eighth graders should find this section helpful as well.

One method we discussed with them was the P.A.C.K. Method.

P=  Purge

• Clear enough space on the table or floor to spread out
• Have a large garbage can or bag within reach.
• Remove everything from your backpack and lay it  out.
• Throw things out that are obviously garbage.
• Make a pile of things you don’t need to carry around anymore.  

    A= Accessorize

• Make a list of accessories that will make it easier for you to stay organized. (ex. Pencil case, folders, binders, three hole puncher etc.)

C= Categorize

-Separate everything else that came out of the backpack into  piles- textbooks, notebooks, loose paper, planner or any other category you think.

- Make a pile of everything you need for the day. (If you are doing this at home, make a pile of what you need for homework)

- Sort all loose papers by subject.  Use paper clips to separate them if you do not have folders (yet).  

- Papers that you do not need anymore and can be filed, put in the folders that the Advisor gave you. Label the folders “To Be Filed-J.S.” and “To Be Filed-G.S.”

- Put back all your books neatly.  We recommend size order so it’s easier to find items.

- If your backpack has many sections, decide which section will be for what.  

- Extra-curricular stuff- like music, i-pod, cellphone, balls etc. should be in a separate section.

     K= Keep it up.

    -  You should go through your backpack on a regular basis. We would like everyone to go through their bookbags every Sunday evening.  

This system is great for lockers and backpacks.

We also focused on the following issues when it came to the heavy backpack. As we talked through their answers, we provided tips they can implement: 

Heavy backpacks at school

1. What do you actually need in your backpack?

2. When you get off the bus or after davening, how do you decide what you will be putting in your bag?   Do you need to take everything with you? (We want them to come away with the idea that they should look at their schedules and see what they have either that morning OR 1st and 2nd period- as they have a break between 3rd and 4th. They should only put in the items they need for those periods. Anything they don’t need for those periods should be put in their lockers).

3. The times to go to my locker to remove things that I don’t need anymore and to put things in from my locker that I need are…

Heavy backpacks on the way home

4. Do you need to take EVERYTHING home?

5. How do you decide what you need to take home and what you can leave in your locker?

6. Do you ever take home things you don’t need? Why?

7. What should you be taking out when you get home and leaving at home?  What should you be doing with things you leave at home?

As we answered these questions together we focused upon a number of strategies. I want to highlight two:

1. We had them take out whatever they use to write down their homework- either a planner or using their  myhomework app on their iPad- which they were shown how to use.  Instead of just writing what they have for homework, they need to write “materials needed” next to the item. If they use a planner:  If it’s helpful, they can use a different color pen to write the materials down so it stands out.  At the end of the day, all they need to do is look at that list to take home.

If they use the app- they can add this information where it says “additional info.” as they are recording the homework. They will have to click each homework assignment to check the items needed to come home. Unfortunately, some students do not write down their homework and rely on Parent Locker, as they wait to check their homework at home. This method clearly forces students to bring everything they own home with them or causes them to forget something in school.

2. Every child received a shopping bag to keep in their lockers. As the day progresses, if they have an item that needs to be taken home, when they go to their lockers they are to put the item in that bag.  That way, when they go home they know all those items are to go home. Alternatively, we asked students to organize their lockers so items that need to go home are kept at the bottom of the locker and can just be “scooped up” at the end of the day.

In Bamidbar 11:14, Moshe turns to Hashem and says, “I am not able to carry all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.” At times, our middle schoolers are carrying a load that they feel is “too heavy” for them- literally and figuratively. We hope that some of the organizational skills we teach them will help lighten that burden they feel. More importantly, we hope they realize that they need not carry the burden “alone”- the adults in their lives, parents and teachers, are there to support them. 


Advisory Update
Sixth Grade- Students began their Organization Unit. Half the students focused on backpacks this week, while half focused on lockers.
Seventh Grade- On Monday we were visited by the clinical director of the Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center for the homeless. His presentation launched our next unity in Advisory – Operation Respect where students will be preparing and learning the skills necessary for our visit during Chanukah week. We will be focusing for the next month on the skills of empathy and the role we can play in supporting others.
Eighth Grade- As eighth graders gear up for their high school interviews, we focused on interview skills essential for life.