Hasta La Ideas

Reader Clara submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

My 14-year-old son has ADHD like the girl you mentioned in [Tuesday’s] post. I’m going to put in a request to the school to rent two sets of books this year because I think that will help him. Do you have more advice for organizing with ADHD? We’re looking for lots of ideas as he heads off to high school in two weeks. Thank you!

One of my greatest joys during my years of teaching was working with students who wanted to learn but had hit a figurative wall with their progression. Whether that was because of a learning disability, boredom with the material, or some other situation that was pulling their thoughts out of the classroom. These students helped me to be more creative, more inventive, and overall a better teacher. Finding solutions for their specific needs was a lot like solving a puzzle, and I loved it immensely. Plus, the students flourished once they made it through their walls, and it was wonderful to watch their transformations.

I mention this because what has worked for one of my students might not work for your son. Be creative, get his input all along the way, and use these ideas as a jumping-off point. Keep things upbeat and remember that you can find solutions — it just might take time.

Note-taking

• If you haven’t already, check out the Cornell Note-taking System. Most students don’t follow the system exactly, but knowing about it and practicing it usually helps to improve whatever system ends up being used over the long-term. It also helps to get students to think like their teachers (which can improve test scores) and focused on writing down what the teacher is saying (which might not have been taking place previously).
• Give your son many different types of paper to use for note-taking — plain, graph, wide ruled, narrow ruled — and ask him to try using all of the different types. Some students respond better to a blank sheet of paper where they can locate information as they see it. Others work better with the structure of writing on graph paper. Your son will know which paper works best for him.

Getting to class on time

• Invest in a watch or cell phone that allows for multiple alarms to vibrate over the course of a day. Set the alarm to vibrate one to two minutes (based on distance he needs to travel) before his classes begin. I don’t suggest using an audible alarm because then his friends will hear it and then he has to explain and no kid wants that situation.
• I recommend that he arrive to school at least 15 minutes before his first class begins. This way, he’ll have a nice amount of time to set up his locker for the day. Books and materials should be put into order for how he’ll attend his classes so that he won’t have to figure things out during the fast-pace class changes. A laminated copy of his schedule posted inside his locker will be helpful, and so will a second, reduced-size copy for his wallet.

Focusing during class

• The truth of the matter is that not all teachers should be teaching your son. Talk with your son at the end of his first week of classes. If you notice dread in his voice about any of his teachers, explore that dread. It may be a sign that it isn’t a good fit and you may want to look into switching his section or hiring a tutor for that subject. I move around a lot when I lecture, and it bothered one student so much that she couldn’t take notes. We moved her into a different section and she flourished under the stand-behind-the-podium teacher.

Also, let me suggest that you seek out the help of a professional organizer who has gone through training with the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. You can find referrals in your area through their website.

Thank you, Clara, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column.

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