By Priscilla Ortega
Going into my senior year of high school and attending my last registration, I noticed that students did not receive planners this year. This really upset me because we have come to expect the school to provide its students with planners. So for them to suddenly stop this year without warning was a little disappointing.
A student planner is necessary in order to create organization and better goal-setting skills. Since the purpose of high school is to help us learn these skills, the school should provide its students with planners because they help students to keep track of their assignments, set personal goals, and enhance communication between teachers, students, and parents.
Organization does not come easily to most students. It requires a conscious effort and a great deal of planning, qualities which many students lack. Most often students get confused and frazzled with having to keep up and plan for their classes, assignments, test dates, and so on. Due to lack of organization, students’ work and grades often suffer.
Student planners provide an easy and creative method for taking note of commitments and deadlines. They give students a systematic approach to record necessary information on a daily basis. They are then referred to over the course of time, enabling students to prepare and be ready for their class requirements and activities.
“I am disappointed that we don’t have planners this year because I did actually use mine, not daily but for important things and it genuinely did keep me organized. My school life was and still is so hectic that it’s nice to be able to write down everything in my planner and be able to look over it at a later time,” senior Darielle Martin said.
Student planners also allow students to keep track of their goals. As students accomplish their goals throughout the week, they are able to build momentum and be inspired to work harder in their classes. Goal-setting is a great skill to learn not only for school work, but also for succeeding in life after high school. According to a study done in 2015 by psychologist Gail Matthews, people are 42 percent more likely to achieve their goals when they write them down. That becomes harder without a planner.
We did not get planners this year because the company that provides them would not negotiate a reasonable price, refusing to budge from a three-year contract with a price point of about $18,000 a year, according to Chief Academic Officer Dilmit Singh.
In realizing the cost of the planners, I propose students should be given the option of whether they want a planner or not. This could be a form that could be submitted at registration to reduce the cost of planners and the waste of unused planners. No matter how they go about it, the school should make every effort in bringing back the planners.
Having a planner gives students opportunity to plan, organize, and keep track of their work to the best of their abilities. Planners have a dual benefit in that they increase students’ accountability to the commitments planned as well as providing them with a structure that contributes to their success. Using these planners, students will have an increased sense of accountability to complete all work the best they are able to.
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