Dear Readers,

Please welcome Susan Mulcaire, the author of The Middle School Student's Guide to Ruling the World! a great resource for students to use alone or with help from parents. With humor and a spot on feel for how to engage students, Susan lays out how to become an organized student in a step-by-step easy to follow guide and tells why being organized is important for academic success. Links at the end of Susan's interview will take you to her site.

Thank you Susan for giving readers another tool in overcoming school stress and anxiety.

Warm regards,

Diane

Can you give my readers a synopsis of your book?
The Middle School Student's Guide to Ruling the World! is a work habits, time management and organizational skills workbook for students in grades 6-8. Text, comics and graphics tell the stories of five "chronically disorganized" middle school students who find themselves in humorous, but typical situations as a result of their poor work habits, time management and organizational skills. The reader follows along with the characters, to learn practical skills and strategies to be an organized middle school student.

What prompted the writing of your book?
My son wasn't doing well in 6th grade. There was no issue with his ability to learn. He was a GATE student. But, he was forgetting his homework, losing worksheets, not following directions, doing the wrong homework page, etc. I was tired of nagging him about it. One day, in the middle of my usual meltdown over his grades, the look on his face told me that he wasn't being lazy, irresponsible or intentional — he just had no idea how to get organized. It also occurred to me that if he didn't learn how to organize, he could possibly underachieve for the rest of his academic life.

What did you do to help him?
I began looking for resources right away. I was so worried. I searched and searched but found no age-appropriate resources dealing strictly with work habits, time management and organizational skills. At that time, I was still practicing law, and it turned out that practicing law and going to middle school are remarkably similar pursuits. So, I took a swing at adapting legal case management principles to his sixth grade workload and it worked! I ended up putting the program into a fun, and age-appropriate, workbook format.

How is being a middle school student like being a lawyer?
In both occupations there's so much information and paperwork to manage. Like attorneys, students have due dates, deadlines and directions which must be followed — to the letter. Binders must be organized a certain way, both need a reliable calendaring system, and project/case planning skills. A lawyer's work is reviewed a judge. A middle school student also faces a judge: The teacher!

Do you address study skills too?
The book deals strictly with work habits, time management and organizational skills. Often these skills are lumped in with "study skills," usually as an afterthought. I believe they are equally as important, but should be taught separately, and independent of classic study skills, such as outlining, memorization and test taking skills. I see far more students in the middle years underachieve as a result of poor organizational skills - not because they can't outline a chapter.

What are some of the skills and strategies students will find in the guide?
Often well-meaning teachers or parents give a student a planner and think if the student would just use it, he or she will be organized. (I call it "The Magical Planner Syndrome") Yes, a planner is important. But a good organizational skills program must be comprehensive. I address binder organization, planner/calendars, group project management, study buds, taking "to do" notes (for due dates, deadlines and directions), how to use a rubric, self-advocacy skills, memory techniques (to remember your stuff every day), long term project planning, workspace organization, homework habits, goal setting, and more.

What are some of the benefits of your program?
Many students transitioning into middle school have little confidence in their ability to handle the increased workload and responsibilities. This program helps them get some sense of control over the process and their abilities. It takes away some of the anxiety they feel about starting middle school. Also, it is particularly frustrating for a parent to have a child who, but for their organizational skills, would be doing well in school. It cause a lot of tension at home! The program diffuses that tension. Instead of just guessing at a solution, or fighting over the problem, both parent and student have strategies to follow and incorporate into the student's daily academic life.

Boys or girls? Who struggles more with organizational skills?
My observation is that boys seem to struggle more from poor organizational skills than girls. Girls can struggle too — when I teach this class (I am also a teacher) there are always a few girls enrolled. But, the boys usually outnumber the girls by 3:1. I am a mother of boys, and I know that boys are not, by nature, list makers, and will not spend a lot of time fussing over organizational matters or small details. When I developed this program I geared it toward boys who need simple "on the fly" skills and strategies. If they have to make lists, color-coordinate, or label things, they simply will not do it. I designed the program to be easy to follow, and the skills easy to incorporate.

Home or School? Who is responsible for teaching work habits, time management and organizational skills?
I am a huge proponent of teaching study skills in middle school as part of a college readiness program. Organizational skills fit neatly under the umbrella of study skills. In a perfect world, a student would learn work habits, time management and organizational skills in 6th/7th, then traditional study skills in late 7th/8th grade. I believe our students would be better prepared for the demands of high school and, ultimately, college. In the meantime, if your school isn't teaching organizationals skills I recommend teaching them at home. The skills they learn will apply in middle school right on up through college.

Has this project been fuel for other projects?
Yes. I created an Instructor's Guide with sixteen lesson plans and activities for teaching a work habits, time management and organizational skills program in the classroom, so the program has evolved into a full curriculum. We also recorded supplemental audio podcasts that bring the characters and the lessons to life. I'm currently working on a book called Welcome to the University of Middle School! Lessons & Activities for Creating a College Bound Culture in Grades 6-8.

What has been the most rewarding part of the creation process?
It's often a lack of organizational skills that trip up a middle school student. Two major reports recently confirmed that failure at the middle level can have lasting and some times irreversible consequences, and that organizational skills are essential for academic success. It's rewarding to have written a book that can help address some of these issues. The curriculum has sold all over the U.S. and even overseas. The books were recently added to the recommended book lists for the Dallas Independent School District and that acknowledgment was rewarding.

Contact Susan Mulcaire at mulcaire@adelphia.net, www.middleschoolguide.com, info@middleschoolguide.com, or 949-723-5131.