Blog - Seth Perler Executive Function Coach

Advocating via email

Unfortunately, many advocacy efforts have little effect, so it's important to make every step count as much as possible. In this post I will explain how I help families write advocacy emails at the beginning of the school year. This is mainly for elementary through high school but can be applied to college students as well (see end of video, go to … [Read more...]

8 Quick & easy ideas to start school off right

Make no mistake, the patterns that are set in the first 4-6 weeks of school set the tone for the entire school year. If students hit a wall 6 weeks in, and red flags start popping up, chances are they'll be afflicted with S.U.S.S. for the rest of the year (Swimming Up Stream Syndrome. Not fun). Therefore, it's critical to hit the ground running … [Read more...]

WDS & Fizzle

I know, unusual blog title. Here is a video about a conference I go to every year called the World Domination Summit, a podcast I am crazy about called Fizzle, and some thoughts regarding the world our kids are growing up in. Hope you are having a phenomenal summer. Seth … [Read more...]

Great article

One of the things that keeps me up at night is the state of the economy we are leaving to our children. This is a great piece with some great insight. It's called The Pitchforks Are Coming... for Us Plutocrats and was written by Nick Hanauer. Enjoy and share what you think on the comments here. … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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, … [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 … [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 … [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, … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [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 … [Read more...]

Parents, Trust Your Gut

Gut feeling Your gut. Also referred to as the heart, soul, inner voice or intuition. Regardless of what you call it, it’s very different from your mind. It carries a significantly quieter voice from deep within. The mind is LOUD. It chatters incessantly, always trying to ‘figure things out’. Although it has great ideas, we can’t always rely on … [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 … [Read more...]