My husband and I just returned from a cruise to Antarctica. I feel extremely fortunate to be among the few who have experienced this remote and beautiful part of our planet, and I feel genuinely refreshed from my exposure to pristine landscapes; magnificent blue waters; crisp, fresh air; immense, free-formed icebergs; and playful penguins and whales – all in a largely untouched environment, free of litter.
As I reflect on my adventure in this unspoiled world park, I am reminded of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, that nature universally flows from order to disorder unless we actively resist that flow. The largely untouched glaciers of Antarctica are, literally and figuratively, miles away from our world here, which is cluttered with reminders of our wired, fast-paced environment. On my street alone, I see utility poles and litter every day. Because of the stark contrast between these two environments, I readily recognized that the more immersed we become in our hectic world, the more we tend to ignore growing clutter. In other words, disorder breeds disorder, or entropy increases over time. We can, in some ways, become acclimated to a littered, disorganized existence if we do not activity resist it.
On a macro level, we need to be concerned about our environment, about how global warming is destroying Earth. On a micro level, however, we need to focus on the next generation; we need to build our children’s awareness that they can resist disorder. And that resistance begins with us, teaching our children to take responsibility for themselves and for their material possessions.
Consider our children’s backpacks, for example. There are, in my experience, generally two types of students: First are the students who recognize that intelligence and success are linked to organization. My strongest students are very organized: They never miss a deadline, they are not missing papers the night before a test, they are not rummaging through a stack of unfiled papers in the front of a three-ringed binder, hunting for that lost assignment, and they prepare for tests well in advance. Second are the students who may be even smarter than the first group but who fail to reach their full potential, at least in high school, because they suffer from a lack of structure. They often maintain a single binder, because, well, it’s easier and lighter. The front pocket of that binder is pulled from its seams because it is so full. This second group of students swears that they turned in “that missing assignment,” but a week later, the assignment is found, rumpled and torn, at the bottom of their backpacks amid lunch crumbs and wrappers. Typically, their backpacks are not the only signs that I see of their disorganized existence. These same students often take little pride in their personal appearance. Once they hit puberty, they may start to reverse these trends, but by the end of puberty, their slow reversal may have already taken a toll on their academic records.
The first group of more successful students recognizes that organization takes time and energy, but the pushback pays dividends. Their beautiful binders put them in the right frame of mind to attack their work and have carryover effects, enabling them to absorb material in a more ordered framework.
Many parents fail to recognize that disorganization has such a significant impact. These parents are understandably tired of nagging their children to make up their beds and to clean their rooms, or these parents have attempted to organize their children’s backpacks and lives themselves. To successfully break the pattern of disorder, though, children must take ownership of their materials and must see first-hand the connection between actively resisting disorder and becoming more productive, retaining more information, and earning better grades.
With the return to spring, I am hopeful that our children can experience an awakening. Taking ownership of material possessions, maintaining a clean and organized workspace, and taking pride in personal appearance will result in stronger school performances. Moreover, these same children who recognize that we must act with intention to break the cycle toward disorder might just be able to save our planet, too.