Please CLICK above to share Below is a post using your experience so we can help others based on this question. I have enjoyed reading your excellent responses and the honest vulnerability you shared. Thank you for taking the time! -Seth THE QUESTION FOR PARENTS: "Knowing what I now know about Executive Function, what key advice would I give to my younger self about how to support my child with executive function challenges?" (teachers, feel free to chime in here as well and adapt it to … [Read more...]
Happy Mother’s Day Quotes
Here's some gratitude for all the mom's out there. I want to send a sincere thanks to you for being an awesome mom, for everything you do behind the scenes, for your time, effort, energy, and love. Here are some of my favorite mom quotes... "They are not kidding when they say that mothers are strong women. We need to be strong in more ways than our children will ever know." — M.B. Antevasin "Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all." … [Read more...]
Biography of a Struggling Student: My Story
This story may be more than you need to know, but I like to be transparent. I hope this is helpful. Messages As you know, I'm Seth, and you probably won't be surprised to learn that I was the struggling student that I work to help nowadays. Yep, I was "that kid." Kindergarten was fine, but here are some rave reviews quoted directly from my 1st-grade report cards: "Slow worker. Very easily distracted. Loves school. Wants to be helpful. Very short attention span and never really gets into his … [Read more...]
How to trap a monkey (video)
There's an old story called "How to trap a monkey" which is a great metaphor for life and for working with your obstacles. It's one of those stories you can apply to your life and that you'll remember for many years. 💚 Give: Love my work and want to donate? 🎦 YouTube: Visit my official YouTube channel here. Please subscribe, like & comment to support my work. 👉 Share: To support me, please *CLICK* at the bottom to share on FB or Pinterest. ✏️ EF101: Here's my jumpstart course … [Read more...]
Finally! (A personal note to you)
Hello! Here's a more personal video for you, my awesome audience. Please check it out. What's it about? Finally, I finished my Student Success Toolkit minicourse. It's intended to give brand new subscribers 5 of my favorite tools. But if you are subscribed to my blog already, I want you to have access as well. I will be sending the series to you via email for the next 6 days (day 1 is the intro, days 2-6 each cover one tool/day). I hope you like it, and I'd LOVE to get your feedback! In … [Read more...]
Final exams- a different way to study
Yesterday, I was working with one of my students and we spent some time on a different way for him to study. He loved it. I have taught many of my kids this method and it's really powerful. There are a few things that we traditionally associate with studying: note cards, reading your notes over, memorization, etc.. But there are so many more ways to integrate learning. This one involves a digital recorder. (I use the Olympus 801 . Digital voice recorders cost between $30-$100. Try to get the … [Read more...]
Pushing buttons
In the late 1990s, I was working in a kindergarten class with a brilliant teacher named Candy. The class was filled with bright eyes and curious minds. There was one particular 6 year old who really knew how to push my buttons. Whitney knew just what to say or do to pull the rug out from under me. My efforts backfired, nothing worked, I was stumped. Fortunately, I was in an introspective place and journaling a lot, which helped me learn a few things: Buttons are meant to be pushed. If someone … [Read more...]
You're not crazy
Seriously, you're not. I don't know if there's something in the air or what, but I've had so many students, parents and teachers tell me stories lately about broken schools, I have to share it. Know this: if something feels wrong, it probably is. There are a lot of people going through the same thing. So often we feel alone, wondering if we're off base, if we worry too much. Too many students struggle and suffer needlessly, and you're not crazy, even though systemic dysfunction would have you … [Read more...]
The problem with writing papers
One of the college students I work with recently emailed me this: "I need to produce an outline for a term paper this semester (completing the outline is an actual assignment, due Monday, April 7) and I would like to meet for your assistance on that. We do not have to worry about quickly moving past the outline, like we did on that last paper. I also plan to meet with the professor Monday and Wednesday mornings to discuss overall concerns with the paper beforehand and get a better idea on how … [Read more...]
Hate to beat a dead horse…
I recently received an email from a teacher of one of my middle school clients. It opened, "The binder I ask students to maintain has sections for: (1) Literature Notes, (2) Writing & Grammar Notes, (3) Vocabulary, (4) SSR entries, and (5) Texts - the short stories and myths I've passed out." I see this often- highly organized teachers who require students to maintain highly organized binder systems like this. While I appreciate the intention behind this, it is overkill and … [Read more...]
The homestretch
There's a lot going on at end of the school year: Spring fever diverts energy, everyone's getting excited for summer. Although standardized testing is pretty much over, teachers are now stressed about "covering" the remaining content for the year. There is often a lot of top-down pressure making it worse. Students who are in the swimming-up-stream cycle are burnt out, resistant, fading. Parents are scrambling to help their kids pull it together as the red flags pop up, often too late. A few … [Read more...]
Two Types of Kids
Detail oriented and structured. Linear, sequential, step by step, left brained, focused, organized, good listeners, strong students, on top of things, responsible, concrete, practical, regulated, likes rules, facts, safe, on time, follows directions, knows the right answer, good with systems, uses planners, puts things back, good with folders and binders, turns in homework, studies. Not good with details. Global, big picture, holistic thinkers. Right brained, random, distracted, disorganized, … [Read more...]
Clean Slate
New semester = clean slate. I work with a lot of students right before a semester begins so they can get a strong start. From grade school to grad school, here's what I do with many students: Backpack Empty it, clean it out. Ask what they use each pocket for. This raises awareness that they are choosing "homes" for things such as books, supplies, folders, money, etc. I don't necessarily care where they put things, I care that they have intentionally chosen the place, because it's all about … [Read more...]
Overkill
Yesterday I met with a new student who wants help with organization. I asked her to tell me how she tries to organize and she showed me her 3 ring binder. Any of you who know me know I'm not a fan of the binder for most of the kids I work with. It's a simple matter of ROI (Return on Investment). For kids who aren't naturally organized, it's a lot of paper pushing investment for what's often little, if any, return. And they know it. Same Old Story This case is the same story I've seen so many … [Read more...]
Quick Organizational Overhaul
Some students seem to get organization through osmosis, but many need a great deal of direct and specific guidance in order to develop their style. Simply speaking, some kids systematize more naturally than others and regular overhauls make a big difference for the “organizationally challenged”. Here’s a rundown of how I often begin sessions with students who are still developing their systems. This quick overhaul can be done with any age, elementary through grad school. It’s good to do this at … [Read more...]
Just Throw it Away.
Look, teachers pass out a lot of "stuff." Whether you’re working with a first grader or a grad student, help them develop the habit of taking a half hour every weekend to go through the backpack/locker/desk and eliminate the clutter. This includes old assignments, trash, broken pencils, etc.. Of course there are reasonable times to keep things, but ask students to consider if it’s really valuable or if it can be recycled. In this world of material abundance, letting go of the right stuff is an … [Read more...]
Great Teachers
Great teachers don’t teach school, they teach people. They don’t “control” their classes, they lead individuals to thrive. They don’t get kids “caught up,” they meet learners where they’re at and inspire curiosity... Without judgement or shame. They don’t depend on “data to drive instruction,” they inspire people to fall in love with learning. They aren’t concerned with “accountability” because they’re entrenched in authentically caring that students feel like worthy and capable human … [Read more...]
World Domination
It's July 5th, 2013 and I'm heading to the World Domination Summit in Portland, OR. This conference has had a tremendous influence on how I've built my blog. It has been life-changing to be surrounded by the energy of a bunch of people trying to dominate the world with good work. WDS is a group of 3000 amazing people who do good for the world in various capacities (with a tech twist). Last year I met and saw some incredible speakers: Chris Guillebeau - is the ring leader of WDS, a man who … [Read more...]
Plan C
Plan A Kids go to school, conform to the system, learn what they need in order to be "happy & successful", have a great experience, live happily ever after. If that doesn't work... Plan B Get interventions to help the student conform to a broken system that doesn't serve them properly. More tutors, therapists, extra busywork, more testing, special programs, punishments, threats, lectures, etc.. Hopefully they won't learn to resent school. Hopefully they won't end up feeling bad about … [Read more...]
"I'm not smart."
I was recently working with a high school sophomore. Noting her strengths, I gave her a genuine compliment about her intelligence and ability to come up with uniquely creative solutions and viewpoints. She looked at me and said, "but I'm not smart. I get bad grades." My eyes burst wide and I said emphatically, "what do grades have to do with anything? You're not your grades and you are very smart." It's a crime when kids feel this way. Grades are tiny, blurry snapshots, not big pictures. … [Read more...]
Teach with Passion, not "Packets." And a Thanks to Jeff Bliss
By Seth Perler: A parent of one of my former students forwarded this video to me today. The student in this video is my kind of kid. As Jeff Bliss of Duncanville High is getting kicked out of class, he beautifully articulates what too many kids go through. In the video he's talking to his teacher, expressing his frustration about how they're being taught. He says to his teacher that kids need to learn "face to face", that "if you want kids to get excited you gotta make em' excited." "You want … [Read more...]
The Writing Process
"My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip." --Elmore Leonard I've taught writing in various capacities to hundreds of students, from 3rd graders to graduate students. There are numerous systems designed to teach kids how to write, all claiming to be "the way." I prefer to teach the following paradigm, as it provides a fantastically solid foundation. This is a universal approach that works with all ages, so don't … [Read more...]
"Our Natural Sleep Cycle"
Here's a short post which links to a 4 minute TED video about sleep by Jessa Gambale. As I work with families, I try to figure out how well a student is sleeping because of it's effect on his/her daily life. In this clip, Jessa refers to sleep and our internal clock as, "the most underrated force on our behavior." It certainly has a tremendous impact on a student's learning and concentration. In order to keep it simple, I usually start the sleep discussion with a question that gives me enough … [Read more...]
Unitasking vs. Multitasking: What's Best for Students?
Although multitasking has it's place, it's often nothing more than doing several things in succession with diminished quality. When it comes to struggling students trying to learn in our fast paced society, multitasking usually gets in the way. When I unitask, when I am fully present for what I am doing, I find that less is more. More fun, more productive, more interesting, more valuable and even more efficient. Many years ago, I got ahold of a book called The Miracle of Mindfulness by … [Read more...]
6 Supplies Students Really Need
So you get the school supply list and assume that all of the items are necessary. You visit the office store, spend a ton of money to get everything and feel good about crossing this huge task off your list. But your gut wonders if all items were really necessary. You wonder about the impact on the environment. You wonder if your child will use all the supplies. You wonder if you're wasting money, time, energy. You wonder where the teacher will store 25 boxes of tissues and why the school … [Read more...]
“Runnin’ Hot” How to work with Stress in School
School is an emotional experience For many students, school is an especially emotional experience. This is critical to remember during transitions. The students I work with are often sensitive to begin with. Their baseline of stress is already a bit high and they can be easily triggered, therefore experiences often feel more intense than they might really be. These students are often sensitive to other distracting stimulus, which further complicates matters: sounds, touch, light, color, … [Read more...]