Start here
How this site helps you help kids
Hi, I’m Seth Perler, the guy behind this blog. If you want outside-the-box insights for outside-the-box students, you’re in the right place. My audience includes families with struggling students, progressive educators, therapists and students. I have two goals here: 1. Demystify the challenges struggling students face. 2. Offer massively valuable insights you can immediately use to help students of any age. There’s nothing worse than trying to help a child and feeling like you’re not getting anywhere. My life is dedicated to helping complex struggling students find solutions so they can create exceptional lives. When it comes down to it, my mission is all about education that teaches what really matters. What does that mean? It means students should get their needs properly met; socially, emotionally, cognitively and in terms of overall wellness. Students need the right tools in order to shine, but our educational culture often has us asking the wrong questions. A holistic view of what students need empowers us to ask better questions. And when we ask the right questions, we find the right answers. Fortunately, asking the right questions isn’t rocket science, it’s just uncommon given the dysfunctional nature of our educational memes. This site will help you find the answers you’re looking for. I’ll break it down so you can better help the kids in your life to have the happy and purposeful lives they deserve. It works to help kids experience the change they need.Zoom Out: The Real Purpose of Education
Intentional learning and life-crafting
Before we dive into helping students, let’s zoom out and get crystal clear on what we’re trying to accomplish with education in the first place. I created this site for people who want to see a world where education gives all kids the tools they need to truly write their own scripts in life, to live well and give well, to shine! I call kids who have this ability, “intentional learners,” and I call their journey, “life-crafting.” When you think about it, kids who are able to learn with true intention are the ones who are able to craft the lives they dream of, and that is what we want to give to all kids. Obviously, many students struggle to navigate the waters of schooling. My aim is to empower them to become intentional leaners, and I call kids who have learned this “turnaround kids.” They have turned around their educational experience and are on a new trajectory where they bow have the tools to, more or less, independently navigate their experience. They have developed an internal locus of control, confidence, an ability to self-advocate, skills to be a strong student, healthy social boundaries, tools for a healthy emotional life, an ability to pursue curiosities and learning, physical well-being. They are learning to craft a happy, purposeful and balanced life with clarity and intention. I struggled tremendously as a student and I get it. Quite ironically, I ended up dedicating my life to working with kids and I happened to be particularly good with students that struggled. As I honed my skills I saw that when these students were given what they really needed, they were able to shine. I absolutely believe in the power of education. However, after many years of teaching it’s apparent that there are many forces preventing schools from adequately meeting the needs of students, especially for kids that don’t fit into boxes well. And sadly, these students often end up feeling like there’s something wrong with them. This is not okay, as it’s the responsibility of schools to serve students, not the other way around. Needless to say, there is a completely unacceptable level of unnecessary suffering going on with students who struggle to fit into a box that wasn’t designed to accommodate their uniqueness. But how do we meet their unique needs?“When you think about it, kids who are able to learn with true intention are the ones who are able to craft the lives they dream of, and that is what we want to give to all kids.” “When these students were given what they really needed, they were able to shine.”
Zoom in: Subtleties are key
Often times when it comes to helping learners, it’s subtle details that make the difference. I’m particularly interested in using these details to help struggling students: those quirky, right brained, unconventional, interesting, complex, divergent thinkers who don’t fit in the proverbial box.“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” — John LennonThis blog is a labor of love. Every ounce of energy I’ve poured into it is motivated by the fact that education should empower all kids to be successful and happy- to live with clear intention, purpose and passion. Extensive experience working with students has made this mission become a driving force in my life. I’m fascinated by how extraordinarily diverse student’s learning needs are, and by the incredibly unique gifts all kids have. In fact, our world literally needs them to develop and share their gifts. This blog is also a response to my frustration with how often schools neglect to meet the needs of some of our most amazing, talented and interesting kids. Due to many influences, including the massively inflated value placed on standardized testing, kids fall through the cracks and tragcally, their strengths often go unnoticed and remain dormant. They often spend years going in directions incongruent with their talents, interests, passions, and skills. Here, you will find helpful insights regarding how to navigate these challenges as well. Kids absolutely do not need to struggle the way they do in school. Unnecessary struggles have the effect of limiting possibilities for students and holding them back from realizing their potential. The systemic problems are often invisible like a cancer, and this angers me because it hurts kids. Consequently, it hurts everyone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Schools are a result of well-intentioned people who tried to create a system that would help children have better lives (more specifically, they were designed to create compliant factory workers during the industrial age, but that’s another story). The system is in dire need of revision. Re-vision. How do you envision schools that empower kids become truly successful and happy in today’s world? So I began SethPerler.com as a container for these ideas and as a community where like-minded people could share successes, challenges, and solutions. I want a world where schools educate, where they provide students with the tools necessary to write their own script in life. I want education to value and develop the unique potential, strengths, talents, interests and passions of all children and to encourage students to develop in a manner congruent with who they are as individuals. I know this is possible because I see students create remarkable change all the time. They need a holistic approach which gives them the right tools, and fortunately, it’s not rocket science. It works.
What I Don’t Do
I don’t pretend to believe in letter grades (because I think they are archaic and wrong) or standardized tests (which cause more harm than good, and which you can opt-out of btw). I think they are morally wrong and that they ultimately hurt kids the way they are typically used. I’m not going to go into all of this here because the intricacies of this issue are outside the scope of this page. The point is hat I don’t agree with a lot of what’s going on in our schools and I will be frank and clear with you so you can make your own informed decisions. I do however believe in using forms of assessment which give students meaningful insights regarding their learning. I also support students in navigating the current system. My motives are to help them get as much out of education as possible so they can have happy and purposeful lives.How is my site organized?
I have 6 main sections, which when used in conjunction, should give you real tools you can apply to effectively help students. They are:- The Blog – this is the heart of my site. I post a new article every sunday, and if you’ve joined my blog, you’ll get a quick email each time I post.
- The 5 Pillars – I painstakingly crafted 5 pieces which are essential in giving you a solid foundation for helping struggling students. They map out the foundation of my work. I sought to demystify the most common problems and misunderstandings that hold kids back and provide a real framework for “what parents and teachers need to know.” Refer to the essentials often as they will carry more depth each time.
- DisruptEd – This page explains my ideas regarding improving schools. Unfortunately, schools fail students all too often and it’s never ok. If you are interested in being a part of change, sign up on this special list. I periodically post special notes just for this group. My goal is to create a conference which brings together education changemakers. I would like to have people like John Taylor Gatto, Sir Richard Branson, Alfie Kohn, Diane Ravitch speak there. Still in the dream stage.
- Offerings – This tells you about my current offerings; coaching programs, groups, webinars, I’m writing a book, etc.. I update subscribers each time something new comes along.
- About – There are actually a few about pages for you. In my bio, I really put myself out there. The “about coaching” is an in depth description of my private practice. Etc..
- Contact – Email goes directly to my inbox. I get a lot of email from readers, and I try to respond to every one. Say hi, tell me your story, ask a question, inquire about coaching. Actually, I’d love to hear from you right now. Send me a note and whether you’re a parent, teacher, therapist or student, tell me about something you are struggling with right now. I’ll give you real feedback!