Get Your Students to Clean Their Desks
Friday December 5, 2008
It's hard enough to keep my own desk tidy. Sometimes it just about sets me over the edge when I see papers exploding from my students' desks! Our young students need to be taught positive organizational habits, so use these tips for tidier student desks and watch the positive results.
For the most hardcore messiness offenders, kick it up a notch with strategies for extremely messy students. Every little bit helps.
How do you help your students stay organized and tidy?
Comments
I wouldn’t suggest implementing the strategies for extremely messy students, as a parent, if my child came home and told me that happened to them in school I would take serious issue with it. If the basic strategies do not work, I recommend a conversation with the parent instead of trying to embarrass the child (having a desk monitor decide what they consider to be messy vs. neat and allowing them to grade another child based on their personal standard) and practicing segregational tactics (no desk for a child when everyone else has one or forcing them to use a box somewhere else in the room).
Simply reach out to the parent and make a decision on consequences together with the child.
As a teacher and the mother of two LD students I am thoroughly disgusted with your suggestion for helping the messiest of students!!!!! You clearly have no understanding of how the mind of a non-neurotypical, LD student works. They don’t actively choose to have their desk a mess…it is a skill that unfortunately comes with the disability! They require EXTRA patience and teaching, not humiliation. I guarantee you this, my sons would not choose to have a messy desk as it makes for difficulty in finding things. I see this problem with organization at home when they have to clean the playroom. I have seen my one son absolutely melt down with frustration and tell me, “Mom, I just don’t know where to start or what to do.” WIth some modeling and instruction, they have come to develop strategies for cleaning - and I not longer have to sit on the couch and supervise. But not without lots of patience and work. My oldest son now goes into school early in the morning to combat the messy desk and work on being able to take his time processing (processing is slower for him) what needs to be done. He has willingly taken this on himself and I am proud that he has done that. Had he had a teacher like you, with your humiliating tactics, I dare say he would be taking the responsibility on his own. You should be ashamed of yourself. As a fellow educator, I recommend you look into why you may have messy students…it may not be because they’re lazy…It may actually be an area in which they struggle. Get to know a little more about LD students before they’re labeled as undeserving of having the privilege of a desk!