Helping Your Student Manage School Paper Overload

Parents receive stacks of paperwork from their child’s school throughout their education, often leading to a school paper overload and helping your student manage this abundance of graded homework, artwork, report cards, and other documents can prevent them from drowning in paperwork and create a more organized environment.

We all have moments where we think, “I really need to sort through this stuff,” but few of us actually follow through. When we attempt to deal with it, we often ask, “What should I keep, and what should I pitch?” Parents need a strategy to ensure they don’t drown their children in paperwork. Some suggestions for organizing a school newspaper are provided below.

1. Take quick action.

After picking up your kids from school, it’s a good idea to sort through their schoolwork and throw out anything that isn’t particularly important before deciding what to keep and what to display. Here are some questions that could help make a choice: Is this a creative story or a one-of-a-kind drawing? My main concern is whether or not this will encourage my kid to keep exploring his artistic side. Is it indicative of his interests or hobbies at this time in his life? (In that case, only keep the representative sample.) Do you think this is a special report because of your teacher’s high grade and/or positive comment? Keep a few of your child’s best works and date, grade, and age on the back, so he always has a reminder of his accomplishments.

2. Get it done immediately.

Don’t put off signing a permission slip or an exam your child brings home because you have to do it right away. Sign it right away and give it back to your kid to put in their school folder, even if it has a few weeks before the due date. Those things that can be resolved quickly really should be resolved quickly.

3. Exam time only.

In case there is a discrepancy on the report card, you should keep any graded papers that you have reason to believe may be in question until the end of the marking period. Keep track of your kid’s absences and presences to double-check that everything adds up on report card time. Get rid of old school supplies after the final exam.

4. Identify and keep patterns.

Consider keeping samples of your child’s work to demonstrate concerning academic trends if you suspect he may benefit from a tutor.

5. Be prepared to deal with the unexpected.

Keep your child’s report cards, battery tests, and immunization records for as long as possible in case of an emergency during their school years. Keep at least three years’ worth of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and any fact sheets that document medical evidence or his initial diagnosis if he is enrolled in a special education program.

6. Fully decked out for display.

Helping your student manage school paper overload can be achieved with creative display options like magnetic whiteboards, bulletin boards, picture frames, and even clotheslines strung across your kid’s room. Let the kids pick the items they want to show off, and don’t limit yourself to one style of writing; include works from various disciplines, while developing a procedure for replacing the currently displayed pages with fresh ones and keeping only the documents you intend to keep or need as you replace them.

7. Keep for the ages.

Helping your student manage school paper overload can be made easier by putting important documents in sheet protectors and then into a binder with clear, three-hole punched sheet protectors. Create a photo album or add the images to the binder, and use a binder to document your child’s academic progress as they progress through the grades, filling out a page with information about them for each year of school.

8. Practice downsizing.

Help your child learn to determine which papers have long-term value and which can be discarded safely and regularly. Your child’s teacher will appreciate it if you keep his accountability for document tracking and delivery at a high level. Doing so will help him establish a pattern of cleanliness and responsibility that will serve him well throughout his life.

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