The questions students SHOULD be asking themselves

For parents, teachers, and students.

Hey, what’s up? My name is Seth Perler. I’m an executive function coach based in Boulder, Colorado, and I help struggling students navigate this thing called education.

Today, I’m going to talk about a worksheet that I use quite a bit in my office. I’ve also made an extensive video explaining why it’s so important.

I created this sheet after years and years of asking students the exact same questions. The reason I made it is because these are the questions students need to be asking themselves.

If you’re a parent of a child who struggles with executive function, a teacher working with these students, or a student trying to figure out how to succeed in school, these are the questions you should be asking yourself on a daily basis.

Most successful students—those for whom school comes relatively easily—ask themselves these questions almost automatically. Students who are naturally organized and have strong executive function skills tend to think through these things instinctively. They make sure no stone is left unturned and that they’re staying on top of everything that needs to happen.

The students I work with, however, often struggle with executive function. They tend to have missing assignments, incomplete work, late work, zeros, test corrections, and other issues. They miss details. They might complete an assignment but forget to turn it in. They may even forget to put their name on it and receive no credit.

Either way, details often slip through the cracks.

This worksheet breaks down the questions I want students to ask themselves on a regular basis.

Tonight, I’m only going to focus on one section of the sheet.

When students first come in and start making a plan for the evening, I want them to think through their night. Just like adults think through their day and ask, “What do I need to do today?” students should be asking themselves, “What do I need to do tonight?”

Of course, students who struggle with executive function aren’t always asking themselves that question.

I usually start by asking:

“What is your number one priority?”

Then I ask:

“Do you have work for your classes?”

“Do you have any make-up work?”

“Do you have any long-term projects you should be working on?”

Then we get to the final section, which is called the “Should” section.

That’s what I want to talk about today.

A lot of times you’ll ask your child, “Do you have any homework?”

They’ll say, “Nope.”

“Are you all done?”

“Yep.”

“Finished everything at school?”

“Yep.”

“I’m sure.”

And they genuinely believe they don’t have anything to do.

What they don’t realize is that there are other things they should be doing regularly—things that successful students do naturally but that students with executive function challenges often don’t do at all.

As a result, they fall behind and spend the rest of the semester trying to climb out of a hole.

So here are the questions in the “Should” section.

1. Should you check your portals tonight?

Many schools use multiple systems.

A student might have Infinite Campus, Google Classroom, and Schoology. One teacher may even have a separate website where assignments are posted.

It’s a logistical nightmare.

For students with executive function challenges, it can be extremely difficult to know where information is located and what they need to stay on top of.

So I ask:

“Should we check your portals tonight?”

When we do, I check them thoroughly.

For example, a student might say:

“Oh, I have an 82 in that class.”

I tell them:

“I don’t care that you have an 82. Let’s look at the details.”

The details reveal missing assignments, incomplete work, late work, zeros, and important patterns.

Maybe the student has an A because they turn in all their homework, but their test and quiz scores are low. That tells us they may need help with study skills.

The details give us valuable information.

2. Should you deal with your inbox tonight?

Many students rarely check their email.

When they do, they often ignore messages that require responses.

Sometimes they reply, but their emails are extremely brief and lack basic communication skills, such as proper capitalization, greetings, or courtesy.

In addition, many students have inboxes filled with spam, subscription emails, and hundreds of unread messages.

So I ask:

“Should we deal with your inbox tonight?”

3. Should you update your planner tonight?

In an ideal world, students regularly check off completed tasks and keep their planners updated.

By the end of the month, they should be able to look back and see a record of completed work and responsibilities.

Students with executive function challenges often don’t do this.

Updating a planner means more than simply crossing things off.

It also means asking:

• Do you need to backward-plan a project?

• Do you have extracurricular activities that should be added?

• Are upcoming tests recorded?

• Are future assignments written down?

• Do you know what needs to happen tomorrow?

All of that belongs in the planner.

4. Should you reset your backpack tonight?

Every week or two, I completely reorganize my students’ backpacks with them.

We take everything out.

We reorganize folders, pockets, supplies, papers, and materials.

And what do we find?

Missing homework.

Lost papers.

Assignments that were completed but never turned in.

Documents in the wrong folders.

Old papers that should have been recycled weeks ago.

The backpack often becomes a physical representation of executive function challenges.

So I ask:

“Should we reset your backpack tonight?”

5. Do you have any make-up work?

I know I already asked about make-up work earlier, but it’s worth asking again.

When students think about homework, they’re usually focused only on today’s assignments.

They’re often not thinking about missing work from last week or last month.

So I specifically ask:

“Do you have any make-up work that you’re forgetting about?”

6. Are you forgetting anything?

This is one of the most powerful questions I ask.

When I ask it, I want students to pause, think, and genuinely reflect.

I want them to look around, consider everything on their plate, and ask themselves:

“Am I forgetting something?”

Very often they’ll suddenly remember something important.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about…”

It’s a simple question, but it helps capture details that might otherwise be missed.

My goal is to help students catch the details and strengthen their executive function skills.

Many of the things I’ve mentioned are directly or indirectly related to executive functioning.

So, to summarize, here are the questions:

• Should you check your portals tonight?

• Should you deal with your inbox tonight?

• Should you update your planner tonight?

• Should you reset and reorganize your backpack tonight?

• Do you have make-up work you should be working on?

• Are you forgetting anything?

That’s all I have for you today.

Again, my name is Seth Perler. I’m an executive function coach based in Boulder, Colorado, and I help struggling students navigate this thing called education.

I hope you’re having a great day.

If you like my work, please share it with someone. If you’re watching on YouTube, give me a thumbs up, leave a comment, and let me know what you think.

Are there any questions I’m forgetting—questions that students should be asking themselves to make sure they’re covering all the bases?

I’d love to hear what you do to help students stay organized and on track.

Take care, and I’ll see you soon.