Where to get school supplies

Back-to-school season is the second most profitable time of year for retailers. (After Christmas, of course). Advertisements, “special offers” and in-store displays are designed to throw you off course, entice you to spend more money, and specifically tap into your desire to “finally get organized.”

But, organizing “back to school” is much more about systems which is about stuff, so it doesn’t matter *where* you go to buy school supplies. What matters is that you don’t fall for the new “loaded” folder or the new “pretty” notebooks. There is usually a very high correlation between school supplies and paper management supplies: the more features something has, the more expensive AND inefficient it tends to be. Below is a list of supplies, broken down into three system categories: Time Management, Supplies Management, and Paper Management.

All of the items below are inexpensive and available at most retail stores and online.

**Time management**

Time management is a problem for students AND their families; it is very difficult for a student to manage her time well in a family that does not. Ten minutes a week can solve this problem. Grab the family calendar and have an informal “Sunday Summit.” Coordinate schedules for the week: upcoming sports practices, after-school activities, scheduled appointments, test and project due dates. Have your children take notes in their planners.

The key to an effective Sunday summit is to make it a conversation, not an interrogation. This means that you must also share your schedule. Do you have a big deadline at work? Are you planning to finally hit the gym for a workout? Share your deadlines and goals with your children. You will be surprised how responsive they will be! At a minimum, everyone will start their week on the “same page.”

supplies needed

• Family calendar (basic monthly calendar)
• An academic planner for each child (The best planners are slim, non-bulky, spiral-bound books with a monthly calendar and space for daily homework entries. Planners are often provided by schools.)

**Supply management**

Most homes have a “cutlery sorter.” This is a tray with designated slots for spoons, forks, knives, and serving utensils. In almost any home, you can quickly determine where to place your spoons based on the organization of your silverware tray.

This common household item inspired what I have called the “cutlery sorter theory.” This theory states that items will stay organized if there is a designated location to place them and they are Easy access.

How does the cutlery sorter theory apply to school supplies?

Supplies should have a specific storage place in the backpack and a designated place at home.

In the backpack, students can use a front pocket of the backpack or a supply case to store pens and pencils. If students are unable to carry a backpack during the school day, they can fit a 3-ring pencil case in their binder (see Paper Management).

At home, a designated bucket or basket for common household school supplies (pens, pencils, scissors, stapler, tape, markers, etc.) not only keeps items neat and organized; it also helps students manage time better. With an established storage location, students will no longer have to romp all over the house to find the necessary supplies.

It’s best to have a container with a handle so you can easily move it with one hand. This allows students to do homework in different places around the house as needed. Set up a specific location on a shelf, desk, or in a cabinet to store supplies at the end of the day. These designated locations help everyone keep things in order because everyone will know where things belong.

supplies needed:

• Front pocket of a backpack OR a pencil case
• Bucket or basket for household school supplies (There’s a good chance you already have the perfect container somewhere in your house.)
• Standard supplies. (Back-to-school season is a great time to take advantage of deep discounts and stock up on standard supplies, but don’t over-buy…you’ll create another organizational nightmare for yourself!)

**Paper handling**

Paper management is one of the most frustrating elements of school organization! Students are often required to have separate folders and notebooks for each of their classes. The average student has between 12 and 16 different folders and notebooks that they are expected to manage. It would be like trying to keep track of 12-16 different email inboxes each day!

The traditional practice of keeping several different folders and notebooks also violates the cutlery sorter theory because items become inaccessible. Because binders and notebooks look alike when stored in a locker or backpack, students commonly bring the wrong materials to class or home for homework. With so many supplies, it’s easy for them to leave a binder or notebook at home…along with a completed assignment.

The sheer volume of “stuff” sends students into a downward spiral of missing materials and assignments, which then leads to poor grades.

To solve this problem, students should keep only ONE folder for ALL classes. Believe it or not, they can cut a stack of 8 folders and 8 notebooks into a 1-inch folder. Simply replace two pocket folders with plastic folders inserted into the folder. Swap out spiral notebooks for loose-leaf notebook paper, using folders as subject dividers.

To keep the binder manageable, set up a paper station at home. The Paper Station is a dedicated place to archive graded papers, old notes, and other materials that will be helpful resources for unit tests and final exams, but don’t need to be transported daily. The Paper Station can be upgraded during your weekly meeting on Sunday.

Note: Students who see only one teacher during the day (generally K-4 students) only need one binder to get to and from school each day.

Finally, another very important paper management system is a routine called “Take Two”. Students take the first two minutes of their homework time each night to clean out trash from backpacks and organize papers in folders.

supplies needed

• 1 inch folder
• Plastic binder folders, one for each class
• loose leaf notebook paper
• Box or drawer to leave at home for the Paper Station

**Conclusion**

Use these tips to set up some systems for yourself this back-to-school season. Then when you’re in the store and see a beautiful display of new school supplies, you can trust that it’s your systems, not your stuff, that keep you and your kids organized.