While it is kind of funny on the outside, and we do get a little chuckle when students open up these seemingly bottomless pits of wadded up papers and food wrappers, it really is something that needs to be addressed!
Parents, please make it a habit to go through your child's backpack with them at least once a week. Papers should be organized in a binder or folder according to subject, and then by date. You may be surprised to find assignments they haven't turned in, because they couldn't find them! You may also find assignments that will be coming due, like a project, that your child hasn't started yet because the paper was lost in the great abyss! Organization is part of good study skills and habits.
It would also be a great idea to go over the planner to make sure your child is writing assignments in their planner. You can show them the correlation between planned work (from the planner) to completed work (in their binders) to grades (online grade portal).
Unfortunately, messy and unorganized backpacks aren't unique to any particular age group. Many of our worst offenders are our High School students! This is just one more way to plug into your child's success in school. Make it a weekend tradition!
