Coaching

“The most impressive attribute of Seth is his steadfast dedication. He has never given up on our daughter, even when she has become overwhelmed and wanted to give up. He has taught her to believe in herself. She is now graduating and will walk in the December ceremony. Seth will be with us at the graduation and share the pride that we all feel. She could not have done it without him.” – Bonnie A., Los Angeles

Hi from Seth Perler. I offer Executive Function Coaching for small groups and 1:1 , where you get me working directly with you and your child. Here’s what you need to know …

1. Who is Coaching for?

• Middle school, high school, college students who feel unsuccessful.
• Students who struggle with Executive Function.
• Struggling, overwhelmed, unhappy, or frustrated students who need tools for school and life.
• Students with low grades and who have a lot of missing work, late work, incomplete work, zeroes, makeup work, etc.
• Students who don’t know how to study, do homework, or how to “do school.”
• The “Organizationally Challenged.”
• Students who struggle with focus, attention, or concentration.
• “Unmotivated” students who procrastinate, or are mislabeled as “lazy.”
• Students who struggle with time management.
• Students who have been told they aren’t “meeting their potential.”
• Students who can’t start, avoid school work, and resist help.
• Students with social-emotional challenges or high sensitivity.
• “Underachievers” and “At-Risk” Students.
• ADHD/ADD, Dyslexia, Processing disorders, Sensory issues, Asperger’s, ASD.
• Gifted and Talented Twice Exceptional (2e) students (most of my students are 2e).
• Students with IEPs, 504s, RTIs.
• Outside-the-box thinkers & learners.
• Students who need to learn how to manage school so they can become successful as adults.

“I am so in awe of how you relate to the kids.” – Christine C., Boulder, CO

2. Are we ready for coaching?

Here’s the bottom line: My intention is to help students create substantial changes so they can turn the corner to be able to be successful and happy in school and life. To do this requires commitment from the student and parent in order to get results.

You may be ready if…

1. Your child wants change, and is open to getting support.
2. You’re actively involved in your child’s life, learning, and development, and are willing to participate in this process.
3. You want honest and clear feedback from me, even if it’s hard to hear.
4. Not only do students need to learn new mindsets, systems, and skills, they need to develop new habits, which takes patience and persistence.
5. You’re not looking for a quick fix, and are willing to take persistent action.

3. Why you should not work with me?

1. I do things differently, and I’m not right for everyone.
2. Effective coaching is not quick, cheap, or easy. You get what you pay for, and the process takes time and persistent effort from students and parents.
3. I only work with involved parents. I’m not here to “fix” a child. I’m here to coach you and your child to learn strategies that will help them navigate school and life. It’s not a magic bullet, and it doesn’t work for uninvolved parents who don’t have time to invest in the coaching process or in relationships with their children.
4. I am honest and transparent with you, and don’t sugar coat things. If you hire me, I’m assuming you want my honest feedback.
5. I believe in education, but I don’t believe in everything that goes on in schools. There are a lot of things that I don’t agree with because they are remnants of an antiquated system and an educational culture that’s in desperate need of improvement. “Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way that they have been told to” – Alan Keightley
6. Letter grades are wildly inadequate and should be replaced by authentic forms of assessment that give families useful insights into the growth and needs of their students. This should have happened decades ago. Grades certainly improve with my coaching, but that’s not the purpose. The purpose is to help kids build skills to be successful, happy and healthy now and in their future. Therefore, the “metric” I’m most interested in is this: Does your child feel more successful, happier, and healthier? Are we helping them get the skills to build a better future while having a great childhood?
7. Standardized tests cause more harm than good, and are often misused and misunderstood. They are a necessary evil and that’s the only reason I care about them or help kids navigate them.
8. Public and private education are both typically driven by profits more than the needs of the students. Decisions are often influenced by people who profit from the status quo of the system, rather than educators, parents and students. Textbook, testing, curriculum and other companies perpetuate a false narrative about the best ways to educate our children in order to maximize profits, rather than do what’s best for kids.
9. I’m fun with my students and families. I do not create a sterile, academic environment. My “professionalism” isn’t based on conforming to traditional standards, it’s based on connecting with students and caring about them personally. My relationship with students and families is personal and genuine.
10. I’m not going to BS you. I’m going to give you my truth about helping your child.

“Many thanks for the invaluable support you give our son. His motivation for school has increased exponentially in the last year and a half and much of that is because you are helping him realize that he is capable of doing the work. He is more positive and confident in his ability to succeed at school than he has ever been before.” – Martha T, Boulder, CO, Mom of HS Junior

4. What are the benefits of coaching?

• Improved Executive Function
• Students feel happier and more successful
• Greater confidence and self-esteem
• Parents worry less and feel more confident that their child can build a brighter future
• Strong study skills: Work smarter not harder to navigate homework, studying, projects and tests more effectively
• Less stress, more fun, more laughter
• Improved relationships and social-emotional skills
• Greater emotional well-being
• Supportive reminders and encouragement
• Build the habits that all successful students need
• Tools to overcome resistance, avoidance and procrastination
• Better organization, planning, and time management. Turn in high quality work on time
• Increased responsibility and independence
• Enjoy learning more
• Improved academic performance and better grades
• Strong tools, strategies and systems specific to learning styles and preferences
• Stronger metacognition (better understanding of oneself as a learner, self-awareness, more reflective, introspective)
• Improved emotional regulation
• Improved critical thinking
• Ability to tap into deeper creativity

“Before working with Seth I was studying most of the day, every day, with little results to reflect my effort. As my second semester at college was ending, I felt I wasn’t cut out for school and was debating dropping out of college. Fortunately, my mother convinced me to work with Seth and give school 1 more shot. I’m glad because the difference is undeniable and the study skills, priceless. From time management to study space set up, as well as study techniques that commit the information to memory over time rather than cramming 3 days before an exam. My stress decreased drastically, I was able to enjoy life and do well in school, my GPA improved from a 2.4 to a 3.6 the first semester.  Now I enjoy the school experience!” -Nick B, College Student

5. Why Executive Function Coaching is my passion?

For me, there’s nothing better than helping a struggling student turn it around.

I like the challenge of working with complex learners, helping them see how awesome they are, discover their strengths, get their stress in check, and develop more positive mindsets.

It’s about helping students become happier and more successful. For my definition of “success,” I don’t care about grades or test scores, I care about my students’ happiness and well-being. Grades just happen to go up as a byproduct.

So what do I do exactly? Through coaching I empower struggling students to experience greater success and happiness. I do this by meeting academic needs with a critical twist; Academic needs are addressed in conjunction with executive function, social, emotional, and lifestyle needs. It’s a holistic approach that attacks the problem from many angles. I help students develop the specific systems necessary to overcome their unique challenges.

With extensive experience addressing extraordinarily diverse learning needs of outside-the-box thinkers, coaching is personalized to help individuals shine.

My real goal with all students is to reach a point where they do not need my coaching because they can independently navigate their educational experience, and thus create a better future for themselves.