Organization tool earns statewide grant for Parcells teachers

GROSSE POINTE FARMS/WOODS — It might sound like a simple thing, but a folder is making a world of difference for fifth graders at one Grosse Pointe public school.

A 10-in-1 folder that had been used successfully with fifth graders at Maire Elementary School in the past was something that three teachers at Parcells Middle School in Grosse Pointe Woods decided to try with their fifth graders when they saw students struggling to stay organized. Fifth graders used to be in the elementary schools but were shifted into middle school about three years ago, when the Grosse Pointe Public School System closed a couple of schools to address budgetary issues.

Parcells fifth grade teachers Christina Pearson, Kim Hool and Jennifer Corbett received a National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Helen Pounch Memorial Fund Classroom Grant to pay for the folders that students this year are using. Their ingenious solution was one of only two projects from Michigan to receive one of these grants.

“The impact that (this organizational system) will have on these kids is so important,” said the Louisa St. Clair Chapter of NSDAR Community Classroom/Educational Resources Chair Barbara Davis. “I think (the awards selection committee) saw the organizational need, especially with these two crazy COVID years.”

The teachers were recognized at a Sept. 26 Grosse Pointe Board of Education meeting at Brownell Middle School in Grosse Pointe Farms.

Middle school students were initially asked to put their schedules and schoolwork in three-ring binders, but the teachers said the binders were too unwieldy for the fifth graders.

“The binder didn’t work for them because they didn’t even have the dexterity (to use it),” Pearson said.

But the smaller, more manageable folders — with each student’s class schedule on the front and back, and tabbed sections for each class/subject — enabled students to keep all of their homework and worksheets organized and in one spot, so they wouldn’t lose a loose sheet of paper in a backpack.

“We know this (system) works for fifth graders,” Hool said.

The problem was that the 10-in-1 folders weren’t on the list of school supplies that parents needed to get for their kids. Although the cost per folder wasn’t large — Hool said it ended up being about $4 apiece — it was just one more thing parents would have needed to get for their kids, at a time when costs for everything, from groceries to gas, have gone up. The $500 grant covered the cost for Parcells fifth graders this year.

The folder is a good tool for parents, as well.

“I think it also helps parents to know what their child is doing,” said Deann Newman, treasurer of the Louisa St. Clair Chapter of NSDAR.

Davis is, herself, a former fifth grade teacher, having retired from Maire in 2020 after a 33-year career.

“It’s just a more age-appropriate way to organize things,” Davis said of the folder.

The folders keep the students on track and reduce confusion and lost or forgotten homework.

“An organized child is able to focus on academics,” Pearson said.

The folder also contains other important information students need, including their locker numbers. Pearson said the kids “are actually using it,” and it has helped them as they navigate their first year of middle school.

“I’ve seen no issues (with the folders),” Hool said. “They’re not searching for missing work (anymore).”

Parents next year will have to purchase the folders for their fifth graders, but the teachers said the folders will be listed on the school supply list, so they can make sure they budget for them.

The same teachers won’t be eligible for the grant next year, because it’s awarded to different educators each year. Louisa St. Clair Chapter members are encouraging other educators to apply, though. Each NSDAR chapter can nominate one teacher or group of teachers each year for one of these grants, and the Louisa St. Clair Chapter covers the east side, so teachers in schools from communities like the Grosse Pointes, Harper Woods and St. Clair Shores are welcome to complete applications. Applications will become available in February 2023 and will be due in early spring; the exact dates hadn’t been announced as of press time.

“We would love to sponsor more people,” Newman said.

To submit an application or for more information, teachers should send an email to louisastclairchapter@gmail.com.