Which schools teach organization skills in lower and middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grace Episcopal taught our child the Cornell notetaking method in 4th or 5th grade. Grace taught kids to use planners, and our other kid in public school was also taught to use a planner, both starting maybe in third grade. If you're looking for how to use mnemonics and highlighters, though, I don't think you'll find a lot of this anywhere, in part because lots of schools, both public and private, don't let you mark up the textbooks so they can use them next year.

Thank you. This is the school in Virginia or Maryland?

[Anonymous]

Holton Arms does. They start early in lower school with planners and prep but in 7th grade (first year in middle) they have TFL class (tools for life) once a week. It is basically study skills and common sense skills to get you to better plan your time, homework, activites and life. Beyond basic study skills, they all figure out what type of learner and test taker they are. They talk about managing stress, balance activities with homework and so forth. This teacher also works indirectly and directly with the kids on a personal basis if needed. It was HEAVEN for my daughter who barely needed to study to get good grades and then quickly become overwhelmed with studying/time management. This teacher meets with her every week to go over how she is using her planning, managing her homework, where the red flags are etc... Yes, we teach her at home but sometimes we are just annoying nagging parents and a teacher stepping into help made all the difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grace Episcopal taught our child the Cornell notetaking method in 4th or 5th grade. Grace taught kids to use planners, and our other kid in public school was also taught to use a planner, both starting maybe in third grade. If you're looking for how to use mnemonics and highlighters, though, I don't think you'll find a lot of this anywhere, in part because lots of schools, both public and private, don't let you mark up the textbooks so they can use them next year.

Thank you. This is the school in Virginia or Maryland?

Grace in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Lowell does and uses several of the strategies described above starting in 4th. GDS does also. The one on one that the PP describes about Holton is interesting.

[Anonymous]

Grace Episcopal in Kensington and St. Andrew's Episcopal in Potomac. I would agree that most privates teach organizational skills, although these two (the only two I have direct experience with) use school-wide methodologies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grace Episcopal in Kensington and St. Andrew's Episcopal in Potomac. I would agree that most privates teach organizational skills, although these two (the only two I have direct experience with) use school-wide methodologies.

Thank you. Can you please describe the school-wide methodologies they use?

[Anonymous]

Holton used to have a separate study skills class in MS. Probably still do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holton Arms does. They start early in lower school with planners and prep but in 7th grade (first year in middle) they have TFL class (tools for life) once a week. It is basically study skills and common sense skills to get you to better plan your time, homework, activites and life. Beyond basic study skills, they all figure out what type of learner and test taker they are. They talk about managing stress, balance activities with homework and so forth. This teacher also works indirectly and directly with the kids on a personal basis if needed. It was HEAVEN for my daughter who barely needed to study to get good grades and then quickly become overwhelmed with studying/time management. This teacher meets with her every week to go over how she is using her planning, managing her homework, where the red flags are etc... Yes, we teach her at home but sometimes we are just annoying nagging parents and a teacher stepping into help made all the difference.

This happens to many kids in middle school. I'm impressed that Holton recognizes this and takes a proactive approach instead of watching them crash and burn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lowell does and uses several of the strategies described above starting in 4th. GDS does also. The one on one that the PP describes about Holton is interesting.

The 1 on 1 has to be initiated by either the teacher, student, parent or other teacher. It isn't like each child gets 1 on 1 with the teacher every week. They are in a class setting of about 15-17 girls learning study skills and time managment. If they want to see the teacher separately (or a parent or other teacher would think it may benefit the girl) then they start meeting every so often to do more in depth "where are you going wrong?" type of personal approach. There is also a guidance class once a week too that helps with self esteem, stress, etc... They also have advisory groups (1 teacher and 6-8 girls) that meet twice a week for 15-20min to talk about life, things that are happening, support each other. The advisory groups also decorate each other's lockers for birthdays. I really think it preps them for not only all the work they are going to receive now until college but also makes the girls understand each other's differences; we aren't all alike and that is okay kinda thing. I think it would be tough to do the more personal stuff in a co-ed school but it really works here and is such a positive thing. They do everything they can to make middle school less awkward than it normally can be.

[Anonymous]

My kids went to NPS. They didn't have a formal program for this (or at least not one that had a name - could have been something they worked with the specialists on and I don't remember), but it was definitely cooked in to their education in increasing doses as they went through the years. They both wound up with good study skills when they moved on for 7th, even my son who is a bright enough kid, but a bit of a scatterbrain.