Book Review: That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week
Book Review: That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week
In our travels at numerous events this year, we discovered a pattern among many middle school parents, particularly parents of boys. It seemed that many boys were struggling with organization and study skills in the Raleigh area during their adolescent years leaving many anxious and frazzled families and students out there. If you ask any middle school teacher, he or she will validate that, indeed, organization is laborious during these years.
That Crumpled Paper was written by Ana Homayoun, an innovator of motivational organization and time management strategies for junior high and high school students. In her book, she talks about goal setting with your child to set the ground work for organization. Then she talks about identifying you son’s (dis)organization style. She gives eight possible archetypes.
The Over-Scheduled Procrastinator – This is a student who is generally doing fine academically and may even get his work in on time, but typically waits until the last minute (after midnight the night before) to begin working (or finish working) on his assignment, causing various levels of stress for the entire family.
The Scattered Charmer – A student who is generally fun to be around and doesn’t seem to stress, but is forgetful, messy and finds it difficult to prioritize.
The Tech Master – This student loves computers, gadgets, and modern technology. Sometimes he can become too involved in a project, neglecting all other work. He often forgets assignments and is messy.
The Seriously Struggling Student – This student works hard, but does not have the academic results you might expect for the amount of work. He struggles with low self-esteem and may have a diagnosed learning disability or challenge.
The Creative Wonder – This student is creative and an abstract thinker who gets lost in the details and misses the big picture. He seems scattered and may spend hours on homework, focusing on small details.
The Intellectual Conversationalist – This student is an active participant in class and very verbal. He interacts easily with adults, but has a greater challenge with peers. His struggle is with basic organization.
The Sincere Slacker – This student thinks he is working hard, but his effort in actually far less than what is needed. He becomes confused as to why he is not doing well and focuses on quantity over quality of work.
The Seemingly Satisfied Underachiever – This student seems like he doesn’t care about school and characterizes himself as a low achiever. He seems unengaged and motivated by school.
As the book progresses, Ana talks about making a schedule for homework and looking at the time spent on various activities along with organizing your notebooks. She really develops a great framework for working together with your middle schooler to tame the homework and organization lion. It was definitely worth the money and time spent to read this book! If you have an adolescent in a similar situation it is well worth it! Check out the reviews at Amazon.com here.
Have you read The Crumpled Paper used some tips or do you have another resource you have used? Share it below.
Check out our free organization tips download here.
Written by Jennifer Benoit, co-owner of Tutor Doctor-Tutoring in the Triangle serving Raleigh, Apex, Chapel Hill, Durham, Cary, and surrounding areas. She enjoys reading books to gain better organization skills.