Please CLICK above to share. Parents, here's how to help your student finish fall semester strong. (NOTE- In-depth, free webinar coming soon on my site to help you help your child at end of semester.) If your child is struggling at this point in the semester, it WILL NOT FIX SELF. Don’t give up, and pick your battles wisely. Here are some quick notes: Know it’s EF: they want to do well but don’t know how. Compassionate support. RELATIONSHIP: 3:1, fun, connect first, encourage them, … [Read more...]
The questions students SHOULD be asking themselves
Please CLICK above to share. Students with executive function challenges benefit from being taught directly about strategies for school and life success then implementing them for a looong time. After many years of working with these kids, there are definitely a handful of ESSENTIAL questions they SHOULD be asking themselves on a daily basis in order to effectively track the systems they need to be maintaining. When students DON'T learn to ask these questions, things fall apart, they … [Read more...]
Spring Fever – the wheels are coming OFF!
Please CLICK above to share. Parents, what do you do when it's SPRING FEVER time, the wheels are coming off, grades are suffering, and motivation goes down with the nice weather and the end of the school year? Spring Fever can overwhelm students as they deal with makeup work, current work, end of semester projects AND less motivation because it's spring. Don't give up! In this video with Debbie Steinberg-Kuntz from the Bright and Quirky summit, we dive deep into 4 big steps that will … [Read more...]
Math Disability Dyscalculia? What you need to know.
Please CLICK above to share. Parents and teachers, in this vlog I interview two math specialists about Dyscalculia, the "dyslexia of math". If your child struggles with math, you'll want to check this out to see if it resonates. Today, two math nerds join me to talk about Dyscalculia looks like and why Math is so hard for your kiddo. You’ll hear from Adrianne Meldrum, a certified teacher who’s invested her time and money into learning multisensory math and Kara Scanlon who is an … [Read more...]
HOW to handle work over THANKSGIVING break
ps- If you liked this, please click above to SHARE and be sure to subscribe to my blog! There are some VERy predictable problems associated with Thanksgiving Break. This video goes into it in a few steps: 1. Understand the problem: What is PEPR? Understand that many students are inaccurate and unrealistic with knowing what needs to be done. Ineffective strategies to do what needs to be done. 2. Do not take your child's information at face value. Get clarity through the portal and … [Read more...]
7 Summer School Tips
Please CLICK above to share. The old patterns HAVE NOT CHANGED. Still unrealistic with the time/energy needed to manage the work. Plus distractions of summer! Don’t believe the story, the nervous system is simply resistant, so what to do about it? Don’t enable, learned helplessness. Set firm, clear boundaries. The same principles work. Do this: Frontload everything you can, it makes things easier. Keep using the planners to track details, not your brain. Block reasonable focus … [Read more...]
P.E.P.R.: How to help your child with LONG TERM assignments
The end of the school year is a time when a lot of students struggle to manage the overwhelming amount of work they need to do. It's incredibly important to understand the role of PEPR assignments so you can help your child navigate this time. If you like this vlog, please CLICK a share button. Thanks! Seth … [Read more...]
SPRING BREAK. Do this. 7 easy things.
Please CLICK above to share. Hey parents (teachers, you might like this one too), Here's a quick video I made to break down some of the things you might want to keep in mind as your child enters spring break. As we know, this is an interesting time of year because the end of the year comes up QUICK, and it's easy for students to fall further behind. When kids get too far behind and they can't recover from it, they have to retake classes and deal with other consequences. This video … [Read more...]
STUDENTS: Do THIS to save your semester (video)
It's crunch time again and you want to pass all your classes. Here's how: Be honest with yourself and others. Own it. Excuses. Print your grades (the pages WITH the details) Email your teachers with honesty and integrity Go to office hours Overhaul your materials Update your planner Make a SANE master plan Get accountability Start (sss, timers, plans) Start again Umm, now start again Repeat each weekend Be proactive with finals, projects, readings and … [Read more...]
“He loses most worksheets, project rubrics, classwork, etc!”
A mom writes about her son: He's 13, in 8th grade. He loses most worksheets, project rubrics, classwork, etc! He has a binder with sections for each class, some things make it in, and many others don't. When they do make it home, I make copies of important stuff that he needs for fear of them being lost. He doesn't know where the lost things go, help! He is missing an important worksheet due tomorrow and words/definitions they did in class that he needs to study for a test. How do we … [Read more...]
My #1 Study Tip, and It’s Actually Fun
The problem Most of the struggling students I work with come to me with no realistic idea of how to “study”. They simply don’t spend enough time or energy on studying and the quality/type of studying is ineffective. For example, many of these kids think that studying means rereading notes a bunch of times, but this is usually unengaging, inefficient and unproductive. One solution Literally one of the very best ways to learn is to teach what you're trying to master. Since it’s time for … [Read more...]
High schooler gives up [includes email template to send teachers]
Here's a real email one of my students sent his mom last week: Ok. I have given it everything and i have nothing I can do. My 100% just isn't good enough to pass. It is too late to do anything. There goes that trip. I'm done. There are so many kids with EF challenges who are going through similar overwhelm right now. Of course there are things he can do. Of course it's not too late. But it's important to deeply understand that this is how he feels. He is emotionally overwhelmed. Here's a … [Read more...]
Homework over break!?
Uh-oh! It's already that time of year again, Thanksgiving break is upon us. At this point in the semester, many of the students I work with struggle with a very definite and predictable pattern: Swimming upstream - These kids are in "swimming upstream" mode. They are "behind" and are often getting "extensions" on late work. This is never good and only adds to the overwhelm and confusion regarding where to even begin. Naturally, they avoid making any real traction, full of … [Read more...]
PEP – 3 Things you MUST keep an eye on in the final weeks of school
PEP Papers. Exams. Projects. Unfortunately, many students fail classes at the very last minute. And, unfortunately, parents often don't find out until a week or so after summer break begins, when grades go out. Parents are often completely unaware of upcoming (and heavily weighted) Papers, Exams and Projects. Heck, many students are completely unaware (or avoiding the stress of remembering). You need clarity. Period. What can you do? Check grades daily from now until the end of school. … [Read more...]
Parents – A script for what to ask your child to make sure they are on track for the end of the semester
This semester is going to end in the blink of an eye, and the stakes are high. Many kids who struggle with executive function are at risk of failing classes, which sets in motion a string of consequences. So what can you do? Do this sometime today: Do not lecture, argue, yell, or use logic to convince your child to "get it together" when they are in a defensive or otherwise emotional state. It will fall upon deaf ears and cause more frustration and shame. Have a heart to heart "strategy … [Read more...]
How to bring up grades in a crunch
Note: The vid is 17 minutes long, but trust me, it'll save you so much time and energy, it's absolutely worth it. And... it's pretty good! Download and Print PDF here: Daily habit questions cheat sheet By Seth Perler It's the end of the semester again... It's the end of the semester again, and the predictable pattern for many outside-the-box students rears it's ugly head again. It goes like this... Suddenly, someone, usually a parent, notices that grades have plummeted (even though … [Read more...]
Students: Are You Going Through “The Dip” Again? [Video]
"The Dip" is a completely predictable pattern for many outside-the-box students. Here's how it goes: The semester starts strong. Organized, optimistic, ready. Classes seem to go well for a couple of weeks. A couple of things go wrong, but no cause for alarm. Maybe you forgot to study for a couple of quizzes, forgot to do some reading, forgot to do a couple of assignments. BAM! 6-8 weeks into the semester, everything suddenly falls a-p-a-r-t. Perhaps teachers just updated a bunch of … [Read more...]
What To Do When You “Think” You Have No Homework (Printable PDF)
“Do you have any homework?” “Nope. Did it in school.” “Are you sure?” “Yep, I’m positive! I have nothing to do.” If this sort of conversation leaves you with an uneasy feeling, it probably should! It takes years for most kids to gain a realistic understanding of what it means to be a “student” and your hunch that something's missing is probably valid. There are many skills to master as a student, and no instruction book on the topic. Many kids pick them up naturally, but many … [Read more...]
2 Essential Tools for Planning Your Writing (Video)
Throughout my 12-year teaching career, writing was, by far, my favorite thing to teach. No, I'm not a great writer myself, but that's not as important as you might think. What is important is that I fell in love with writing, that I understand it's immense value and that I have a toolbox for writing that works for me. And those are my goals for all students I work with: Empower students to fall in love with writing Genuinely and deeply value the art of writing Build a reliable … [Read more...]
FICTION WRITING: Elements of Story (Video)
You MUST understand elements of a story, regardless of grade level, if you are going to be writing fiction at all. Basically, there are 5 elements that every story must have, or it's not a story. The elements are: Character Setting Plot Theme Point of view This video breaks it down in plain English. 💚 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 … [Read more...]
Down to the wire – How to pull it together at the end of the school year
Please CLICK above to share. As far as the school year is concerned, it's down to the wire, the pressure is on, the stakes are high. Just a couple more weeks and school is out. If students don't pull it together right now, they will end up retaking classes, going to summer school, missing graduation requirements, etc.. I know because I see the exact same patterns every year. Struggling students are swimming upstream, overwhelmed, don't know where to start, don't know how to study effectively, … [Read more...]
Why every student needs a “Blocker app”
We live in a time when there are more distractions than ever before. So much is vying for out attention and this makes it really challenging for kids to focus on schoolwork (or anything else for that matter). We need tools that work. Computers present a unique challenge because much of the schoolwork students do is done on them. While using this technology for schoolwork is great, there is a strong temptation to think you can multitask with other tabs or apps in the background. Unfortunately, … [Read more...]
The Homework Continuum Deluxe (why homework isn’t just one thing)(Video)
Please CLICK above to share. Odd as this may sound, students who struggle with homework aren't just struggling with homework. They're struggling with many things that have a lot to do with "executive function." Executive function refers to the brain's ability to "execute" a complex task. In the case of homework, which sounds like 1 single task, there are actually many subtasks that must be done in order to successfully complete it. This series of subtasks is what I call The Homework … [Read more...]