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Organization is a complex and challenging skill for anyone to develop, and it’s also an essential one for success. Middle school is a notoriously difficult time for organization, where students need to stay organized to keep on top of their schoolwork, but really struggle to develop systems that will allow them to keep track of everything they need to. There are a few reasons why middle school is a particularly challenging time to stay organized. This blog post outlines some of the specific challenges that come with staying organized in middle school and how you can support your middle schooler in getting organized.
One reason why middle school is a particularly challenging time to stay organized is simply the stage of development in which middle schoolers find themselves. Middle school brings puberty, which comes with many new feelings and thoughts to manage along with physical changes that can be overwhelming. The importance of their peers grows immensely, and middle schoolers must navigate complicated social dynamics that are both new and hugely important to them. In short, their world becomes much more complicated in middle school. This change comes with a new desire for independence and an emphasis on figuring out who they are and how they fit in the world. The result of all of these changes is a hugely complicated new world coupled with an intense desire to manage it themselves. Navigating this transition and developing supportive systems for themselves during this time can be extremely challenging.
When students enter middle school, in most cases they suddenly have more classes than they’ve had in the past. They go from having 1-2 teachers to having, in some cases, up to 8 different teachers. When it comes to workload, it can be both challenging and overwhelming to keep up with the work for every class and keep which assignment belongs to which class straight in their minds. Additionally, they now have different teachers with different expectations. It can be difficult to try to follow different expectations in different rooms and manage different ways of completing work, different ways of turning in assignments, and varied approaches to late work, behavior management, and assessment. The transition to middle school comes with a much more diverse and complex set of work and expectations, making it difficult to stay organized both mentally and physically.
A major contributor to middle schoolers struggling to stay organized is the mix of both digital and on-paper assignments. Not only do students have multiple teachers to hand in assignments, but they also have two different methods of turning in assignments. Most students have some sort of virtual learning platform where they turn in digital assignments. However, in most schools, students are also completing assignments on paper and turning in physical copies to a turn-n bin. For this reason, today’s students have double the work of past generations to keep track of all of their assignments, needing to check two places for each class to make sure everything is turned in. Oftentimes, students are great at one and not the other, resulting in them believing they are on top of all of the work when they are missing several assignments.
Most students in middle school are required to manage multiple digital platforms. They will have an online learning platform like Canvas, Google Classroom, or something similar. Within this learning platform, they will have a separate page for every class. They will also likely have digital skillbuilding apps such as Read180, IXL, and iReady, oftentimes using multiple of these. Middle schoolers will also likely have a Google Drive to create projects in Docs and Slides, as well as specialized platforms for electives like coding or Graphic Design. Managing so many different platforms is an extremely demanding organizational task that is very difficult for middle schoolers. However, keeping track of all of these different platforms, including their logins, is required in most schools, creating a significant amount of challenge for today’s students.
With middle school often comes new activities and responsibilities. Many students get involved in new sports or activities. They might sign up for school clubs for the first time or get involved with activities like the school play or school newspaper. At the same time, most parents begin increasing their expectations around things like chores, getting themselves up in the morning, and managing their own hygiene routines. All of these changes can be difficult to keep track of, and it can be challenging to do each one well all the time. If your child is feeling overwhelmed by all of the new activities and expectations of middle school, they are likely to struggle keeping track of it all.
Organization is an immensely important skill that is required to be successful in middle school and beyond. However, most schools are not explicitly teaching organizational skills and are assuming students have them, or will develop them on their own. Like any other skill, organizational skills can be learned and developed over time, but students need explicit instruction, examples, and tools to help them stay organized. When students are expected to figure all of this out on their own, they often struggle. When we expect students to know something we haven’t taught them, they tend to struggle.
Related to the idea of never explicitly learning organizational skills, many middle schoolers do not have good systems and tools set up to support their organization. A good way of tracking assignments is essential, whether it’s through a digital system or a physical planner. They also need systems for keeping track of paper assignments, keeping their backpacks organized, and organizing their lockers when necessary. If these items and systems aren’t provided by the school, they need to be acquired another way. Without the proper tools to stay organized, it can be extremely difficult to maintain organization.
Staying organized in middle school is a challenging task, but middle schoolers can develop organizational skills. These tips below can help parents support their middle schooler in developing these skills.
The most important thing to remember in helping middle schoolers learn organizational skills is to respect their independence. It’s essential to assume that they can be successful and allow them to manage as much as they can on their own. That doesn’t mean never stepping in to help, but it does mean taking a step back and supporting them in a different way than you would your elementary schooler. Focus your supports on things you can do that will help your middle schooler “do it themselves” rather than actions that have you managing their work for them.
Helping your middle schooler manage their own schedule is a great way to build organizational skills and develop their independence. They will need some sort of tool to manage it, whether it’s a calendar on their phone, a calendar in their room, or a planner. In any case, you can help them set up the tool and remind them to add new events to the calendar as it comes up. It can also be helpful to have a family calendar on the fridge or another central location that gives them visual reminders of events to add to their own calendar. When students know the upcoming events in their lives, they are better equipped to organize tasks and plan ahead.
A good tool for tracking assignments is essential for success in middle school. It is less important what the tool is, as long as it’s one that works for your child. In general, simpler systems are better. If your child is a more tactile learner, a physical planner or notebook is a great option. If your child is a digital native, they might find a digital system more supportive. If there is a system that your child’s school uses that teachers support, that system will likely be the lowest life for your child. Support your child not only in setting up these systems, but help them build a routine around checking their assignments, crossing them off when they’re done, and adding new assignments.
For managing multiple digital platforms, it can be very supportive for your middle schooler to have a central location to track all of their logins. There are many different ways to do this. If they have a physical planner, you can write it in the inside cover. You can also create a spreadsheet to which your child has access. If an additional layer of security is needed, consider a password manager plugin for your child’s school computer. However, be sure to keep track of the password to the password manager just in case. While this might seem simple, keeping track of multiple logins can be very challenging for middle school students. Therefore, lightening this cognitive load will help them stay organized and keep track of their tasks.
If your child has ADHD, Executive Functioning Challenges, or just seems to be slower than their peers in developing organizational skills, an Executive Functioning Coach or Success Coach can be incredibly supportive. This coach will work 1-1 with your child to understand their specific struggles related to organization as well as their needs and learning style. They will then work with your child to help them develop their organizational skills and systems that are supportive to their needs. For students in need of an additional layer of organizational support, a Success Coach or EF coach is a great option.
Some teens need more support than others when it comes to organization and other Executive Functioning difficulties. While parents can do a lot to support their child, sometimes they might need an expert to help. YA Success Coach offers 1-1 coaching sessions for teens to support them in building systems that are supportive to their unique needs and centered around building independence for long-term success. If you think your child might benefit from more specialized support in Executive Functioning, contact me today to learn about the different options available.
Having a conversation is the first step to helping your child realize their full potential and set them up for success!