My Life in Binders – Episode 1: From Crisis to Clarity

 “Binders saved my sanity—and my sons’ education.”

I started using binders when my oldest son was just six years old. He’s now eighteen. What began as a desperate attempt to manage appointment overload quickly turned into a life-changing system for organizing our family's medical, educational, and personal needs. My binders were more than paper and tabs—they were our roadmap through chaos.

My sons had frequent appointments at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Each binder included printed appointment summaries, test results, medication changes, and a running list of questions I needed to ask doctors. That way, nothing got forgotten—especially during high-stress visits. Later, as both of my boys qualified for IEPs, I created separate binders for each of them that held evaluations, progress reports, meeting notes, and even behavior documentation. I knew their stories better than anyone, and these binders became a powerful tool to advocate for what they needed.

According to educator and organizational strategist C.B. Aviles (2020), “when students and families have a clear and consistent system for managing paperwork, their anxiety decreases and their confidence increases.” I saw this firsthand. My kids learned to flip through their own binders to find what they needed. It gave them ownership. It gave me peace of mind.

This blog series will explore how anyone—parent, teacher, or student—can use binders as simple but powerful tools to bring order to what often feels like educational chaos. Whether you're managing IEPs, lesson plans, behavior charts, or just your family calendar, there's a binder system that can work for you.

Next Episode: Setting Up a System: What You Really Need to Start Binder Organization in Your Home or Classroom