Time to Get Organized!

Organizational skills do not come naturally; they are a learned ability that can help your students in their academic and personal lives. With large class sizes and demanding curricula, most teachers barely have enough time to teach coursework, let alone study skills.
If your child is forgetting to do homework or assignments or failing to turn things in, their grades could seriously be impacted. Not being able to prioritize tasks and organize activities means they don’t leave enough time to study or do their assignments. When this happens, bad grades and a feeling of being overwhelmed can cause damage to confidence and self-esteem.

Roadmap to success
One of the biggest problems for students is simply forgetting upcoming tests, assignments and homework.  Providing your child with a planner or agenda book can be the first step to helping them stay on top of their work.  Encourage your student to write down assignments the MOMENT they hear they teacher assign them.  When there is no homework, write “None” so that every class has something under it’s name and you can be sure that you have kept track of everything.  Help your student to set weekly goals and discuss together ways in which they can achieve their goals each week.
 
Prioritizing tasks
One of the biggest obstacles to being organized is an inability to prioritize. If your child is falling behind, evaluate their after-school activities to see if they aren’t overloaded. If social or extra-mural activities are taking up study time, it may be time to reconsider.
Another important aspect is to say no to social interactions during study time. This means no texting or calling during times marked off for studying. Students don’t always have to say ‘no’ to social invitations, but they must learn to say ‘not now’.

The right environment
Creating an organized, quiet, well-lit and comfortable study area is imperative. If you want your student to be focused and to make the most of their study time, then provide them with a space that is free from distractions, noisy siblings and TV. If your home cannot accommodate this space, consider the library, a neighbor’s house or even a quiet coffee shop.
 
Get a tutor
At Total Tutoring Services we realize that sometimes a student needs more than just tutoring in one particular subject.  Every day we hear from students and parents about late/lost assignments, inefficient study habits, and “I thought I was ready for the test.” Working with students on improving their academic skills is at the core of what we do. Simply providing content-based tutoring for a subject may not directly address the real problems holding a student back. Our goal for every student is to teach him the skills necessary for success on his own. 
Key areas of academic skills coaching include:

• Organization
• Planning
• Time Management
• Note Taking
• Improving Test Taking Skills
• Managing Long-term Assignments
• Increasing Motivation
• Building Self-Confidence

Since each student is unique, our approach is tailored to fit the needs of each individual.  We all have different learning styles, different strengths/weaknesses, different levels of confidence, different backgrounds, different habits, etc.  While some students meet with an academic coach one/week, others may do better with meeting multiple times per week.  
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Our academic coaches teach kids and teens to plan, prioritize and organize efficiently and effectively. They prepare students for success not only academically, but for life!