tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633980721157783964.post7637218424426543842..comments2022-09-03T10:10:02.610-04:00Comments on Organizing by STYLE: Reconciling School Supply Lists to StylesLisa Lawmaster Hesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643391477229539125noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633980721157783964.post-971689300455692172015-08-26T19:46:02.224-04:002015-08-26T19:46:02.224-04:00The clamps are usually pretty tough, and they hold...The clamps are usually pretty tough, and they hold a substantial stack of papers. I used to bring one to class and pass it around, and it got a lot of wear and tear from the boys who wanted to try it out...but it survived quite well.Lisa Lawmaster Hesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12643391477229539125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633980721157783964.post-6194612398800017112015-08-19T12:57:54.404-04:002015-08-19T12:57:54.404-04:00...or for it to break...
I'm going to keep th......or for it to break...<br /><br />I'm going to keep thinking. I do like the clamp idea.Barb Szyszkiewiczhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00329184613713551475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633980721157783964.post-24960714525885985832015-08-19T11:59:03.666-04:002015-08-19T11:59:03.666-04:00The red "binder" above is an example (un...The red "binder" above is an example (unfortunately, they don't come in big sizes). Usually pressboard or plastic, they have a spring-loaded clamp inside instead of three rings. I think it's probably a presentation folder. The boys in particular loved the clamp -- it was cooler than rings. Not sure how long it would take for the novelty to wear off....Lisa Lawmaster Hesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12643391477229539125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633980721157783964.post-53396639942729617902015-08-19T11:54:29.265-04:002015-08-19T11:54:29.265-04:00You keep mentioning "clamp binders" and ...You keep mentioning "clamp binders" and I'm not sure I know exactly what you mean. Like a clipboard with a cover over it? Or something else?Barb Szyszkiewiczhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00329184613713551475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633980721157783964.post-49328344256271518402015-08-19T11:28:39.060-04:002015-08-19T11:28:39.060-04:00You're so right, Barb. I was so lucky to work ...You're so right, Barb. I was so lucky to work with a team of fifth grade teachers who welcomed me and my crazy ideas into their classrooms and who were willing to let the kids ditch the standard system for their own PROVIDED they could justify/use it. Then they went to MS, where some teachers were great and some equated binders with organization. They meant well, but didn't get that the kids NEEDED different tools. <br /><br />I've seen boys in particular gravitate toward accordion folders and clamp binders. I was so excited when I found a multipack of clear ones at Staples -- it dropped the price dramatically. I couldn't color code, but the clear covers made it possible to differentiate the binders in other ways, and the spines could be labeled. If I ever had any doubt about this styles approach, it evaporated when I brought stuff in for the kids to "play" with. The ones who were already organized traditionally were blasé, but the ones who struggled were like kids at Christmas. One young man "accidentally" stuck the accordion folder into his desk so he could use it! They loved my monthly giveaways. They had a chance to win something and I had a chance to put tools into their hands so they could experiment.<br /><br />No. I'm not passionate about this at all!!! LOL!Lisa Lawmaster Hesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12643391477229539125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633980721157783964.post-14429320645671157822015-08-19T11:20:49.589-04:002015-08-19T11:20:49.589-04:00As I begin my 20th back-to-school season with kids...As I begin my 20th back-to-school season with kids, I have to say that I wish teachers would be more openly flexible about supplies. I've done a lot of struggling with my kids as they try to use a "system" that just doesn't fit them, and I have hesitated to bring that struggle to the teacher.<br />Often in the younger grades, the teachers DO spend the time to have everyone put items in folders and help the children use the structured system they have put in place. But once the kids hit 4th or 5th grade, it's every man for himself and it all falls apart.<br />I remember that, as a sub, one of my first questions to the kids was, "Do you have a special folder to put homework/unfinished work/finished work/whatever this is in?" A chorus of "yes" indicated to me that the teacher was being proactive about making sure the kids used a system.<br />Sometimes those supply lists are made by a department rather than an individual teacher, or are inherited from a teacher previously in that position. My 8th-grader has been working from the same list for 5 years. Some things do not work for him. I'm going to try AGAIN this year to find something that does, because all the STUFF crammed and jammed into that backpack gets out of hand quickly. And since I know all of his teachers well, I know that no one will give him a hard time if his tools don't look exactly like his classmates'.Barb Szyszkiewiczhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00329184613713551475noreply@blogger.com