So I get home last night to find my husband a little stressed out. Okay, a lot stressed out. The oldest child forgot to bring home half of his homework. Again. All of a sudden it's become standard practice to leave books and worksheets in his locker instead of stuffing them in his backpack.
After dinner I offer to run up to the school to see if I can get into his locker to retrieve said homework. The first few doors I tried were locked, but eventually I found a way into the school. I explain to the only person I see what I'm there for and they let me wander through the hallways. Finally, I make my way to the Fifth Grade hall and locate his locker. Twirl the lock until the three digit code is accepted, lift on the little silver handle, and pull the locker door open.
And see red.
No wonder nothing is coming home. He couldn't find his homework or his textbooks if he wanted to! Papers, books, folders, and a sweatshirt litter the bottom of the locker. It's a good foot deep. Now, he shares this atrocity with a fellow classmate, so it stands to reason this mess isn't all his. Luckily, I know who and where his locker-mate lives, so I decide to grab everything but the sweatshirt and the textbooks.
I take the mess home, ground the child for life, and then set about trying to figure out what's still relevant, what needs to be done for tomorrow, and what can be thrown away. I put the other child's work into a separate stack that my husband hand delivers to the child's grandparents, who are all "oh, you know how boys are...".
Yeah, we do. We also know they tend to respond well to a little discipline. Try it.
So the child finishes his homework, which was dramatically reduced by the fact he had completed his homework at school and it only needed to be double-checked. If he would have simply put it in his folder and brought it home, I would not have discovered the world's most appalling locker. He would not have been grounded or harped at about the need for a little organization. I would not have said I will be conducting random locker inspections.
Which I know have to do because I said I would be conducting random locker inspections. Gah!
After dinner I offer to run up to the school to see if I can get into his locker to retrieve said homework. The first few doors I tried were locked, but eventually I found a way into the school. I explain to the only person I see what I'm there for and they let me wander through the hallways. Finally, I make my way to the Fifth Grade hall and locate his locker. Twirl the lock until the three digit code is accepted, lift on the little silver handle, and pull the locker door open.
And see red.
No wonder nothing is coming home. He couldn't find his homework or his textbooks if he wanted to! Papers, books, folders, and a sweatshirt litter the bottom of the locker. It's a good foot deep. Now, he shares this atrocity with a fellow classmate, so it stands to reason this mess isn't all his. Luckily, I know who and where his locker-mate lives, so I decide to grab everything but the sweatshirt and the textbooks.
I take the mess home, ground the child for life, and then set about trying to figure out what's still relevant, what needs to be done for tomorrow, and what can be thrown away. I put the other child's work into a separate stack that my husband hand delivers to the child's grandparents, who are all "oh, you know how boys are...".
Yeah, we do. We also know they tend to respond well to a little discipline. Try it.
So the child finishes his homework, which was dramatically reduced by the fact he had completed his homework at school and it only needed to be double-checked. If he would have simply put it in his folder and brought it home, I would not have discovered the world's most appalling locker. He would not have been grounded or harped at about the need for a little organization. I would not have said I will be conducting random locker inspections.
Which I know have to do because I said I would be conducting random locker inspections. Gah!
okay-so he's getting a rough start here...don't come down on him too hard, just remember POSITIVE reenforcement :-)
ReplyDeleteSo were you thinking that dorky marker board just might be the trick? lol. Poor kid, he's just got to find a system that works for him.
Maybe the teacher would be willing to keep a folder in the classroom for him-have him put all homework in it right before he leaves class and then it's just to the bookbag? I'd at least see if they have any ideas.
Or carry a RED folder from class to class-one that he keeps with him all day??
ReplyDeleteHe never took the whiteboard with him, so we never tried it. It may very well be something we attempt.
ReplyDeleteRight now he's got a folder with all his homework in it. All he needs to do is grab this ONE folder and take it with him to each class.
Oh...???
ReplyDeleteOh my! I may have had a messy desk at home (and boy did I ever), but my desks and lockers at school were always neat. And I don't care "how boys are", it's better for them to learn organization NOW than when they're 24!
ReplyDelete