It's always a good idea to put organization at the forefront of your mind - or so everyone says. Teachers, parents, great-great grandparents will all preach to you what a novelty having organization is for a young pupil, and I agree... To a certain extent.
I was having a conversation with my grandmother the other day, who, might I mention, is always very enthusiastic to see how I'm doing at school. Without having talked to her for more than five minutes, she was already unzipping my backpack and criticizing the way that I had my things lined up. "Jazmin, why on Earth do you have your phone all the way in the back pocket of your backpack? What sense does that make? How can you reach it? You really need to put it in the front of your backpack. Now, you know I'd rather you have a purse, but if you want to do it this way..."
Now, I know my grandma, and I know where these types of conversations lead -- if I end up supplying my own point of view, I usually end up frustrated and nothing is gained. So, in keeping the peace and moving along with life, I responded, "Okay, yeah, that sounds like a good idea."
But that whole situation got me thinking about organization and how organization is proposed in schools. Up until high school, I had always been told just how something needed to be organized, whether it was related to school or home. "Homework should be in folders, which are color-coded per subject!" cries the first grade teacher from a metaphorical rooftop. "Papers cannot just be kept in your backpack!" insists the seventh-grade teacher, gesturing to a model student whose papers are not kept open in their backpack. And, the most stressed, particularly Subfreshman year at Uni High: "Write all of your assignments down!" Though this was all in the nature of trying to prepare the student, subbie Jazmin found it ridiculous that a teacher could possibly take off points for not having their assignments written down.
This isn't a rant against organization by any means. I just find that when someone else's ideals are forced upon someone, the results are counterproductive. Would I keep literally every subject in one binder, like I've known some of my classmates to do? No. Is that a good idea, for me? No. But does that mean that it can't be a good idea for them? No! (In fact, I'm amazed at the fact that one particular friend somehow manages to know where everything is without some subject-based organization. Go them!) There's a type of organization that works best for everyone, and maybe that is a lack of organization. The only thing that matters is the endgame -- being able to have the wherewithal to ace that exam or keep homework turned in or finish a group project. The plan, which is how that is accomplished, doesn't matter as long as it's the easiest method for a particular person.
Now, I choose to have my phone in the back pocket just because of my bad habit of haphazardly leaving the front pockets open, and the fact that I prefer not to bring my purse to school. But, in the words of some person I don't know, "you do you," and I'll do me.
Great first post! Well written, and nicely focused and developed. You are very smart not to argue with your grandmother on this point and points like it (both because, as you note, you'll end up in a long, frustrating conversation that goes nowhere, and also because life is too short, and your time with your grandmother too precious). I agree wholeheartedly that, while being organized is great, the same system of organization doesn't always work for everyone. Actually the same thing is true of organization in writing, which is part of the reason writing is a challenge to teach, and to learn. But (like life organization) it can be learned (in part by figuring out what works for you, through trial and error and practice practice practice).
ReplyDelete(I got the 2DCC song reference) But yeah, I agree. For a lot of things, you just have to find your own way of doing things and sometimes someone else's methods do help but other times they don't. (Actually, I write all my assignments down religiously now because then I could forget all I want and it doesn't matter)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. It is completely up the to the person about the way they want to stay organized and even though personally certain ways of organizing wouldn't work for me, doesn't mean it wouldn't work for other people. Like Anglea said, you have to find a way that works for you. Anyway, good post! Can't wait to read more!
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