Papers stuffed in backpacks, folders falling apart, pencil bags unzipped. As the year progresses, students get gradually and gradually less organized. More quizzes and homework assignments to store, more complex notes to keep. Everything just becomes a mess.

Keeping organized throughout the year is a difficult task for a lot of students. As more papers and folders are accumulated, and as the struggle to get to every class on time, putting stuff away nicely at the end of a class becomes less of a priority. Students use different methods to organize their things, varying from folders to binders to notebooks.

“I have a notebook and a folder for each class,” sophomore Quinn Smith said. “I am not too organized but not very bad about it.”

Junior Em Prozinski prefers folders, mostly because they take up less space. Notes on her computer also help her with remembering homework assignments. “I have a [folder] pocket for each class,” Prozinski said.

“I think some of my students do really well with organizing their homework, but some have trouble. I leave it up to the students how they like to organize their work,” Upper School math teacher Carl Corcoran said.

Freshman Isabelle Bukovsan has one big file folder that expands to hold her papers, and one notebook for everything. “I don’t look very organized, but I am [organized], because I keep track of my stuff,” Bukovsan said. “I color code my pens, though, which helps.”

Several students think that a more electronic-based solution for most class could help them keep their notes organized, instead of having to use notebooks to keep papers organized.

Smith thinks that it would be helpful to have more paperless solutions in classes. “I like where it is now though,” he said.

“If teachers went paperless it would be more helpful because it’s easier to keep track of computer stuff than things on paper,” Bukovsan said.

Prozinski agrees that it could be helpful to have work on her computer. “I kind of wish the math department put homework on OneNote because we get a lot of paper from that,” Prozinski said. “All of my other subjects are on the computer, which is easier.”

Corcoran uses a textbook to teach his pre-calculus class, and some of his students choose to use OneNote instead of paper or their notebook to record their answers. He doesn’t have a preference over which one they use. For his regular class, he’s used math websites in the past where they submit answers, but they require precise answers, which can be difficult. “In this department, we value the work leading up to the solution as much as the answer itself, and digital submission loses that work,” Corcoran said. “I don’t know if switching over [to electronic work] would help, though.

Some upperclassmen have advice for the classmates in grades below them about what methods they have used in the past that have helped them.

“Don’t throw things away because that won’t help,” Smith advised.

Prozinski agrees with Smith, “Don’t recycle anything until the end of the semester. Keep everything just in case you need it for studying. ”