Let's start with the truth: most of us don't get the fresh start we're promised at the beginning of the school year. By October, routines have already started to slip. By December, you're in survival mode. And by March, you're just trying to make it to June without completely losing your mind. But here's what nobody tells you—new beginnings in the classroom don't have to wait for August. You can create a reset moment any time you need one. And honestly? Sometimes you need one

Let's start with a scene you might recognize: It's January, a child announces they're going to read 100 books this year, practice piano every single day, and make straight A's. Two weeks later? The books are gathering dust, the piano is silent, and everyone feels a bit defeated. Sound familiar? Here's the thing, goal-setting with kids is tricky because we're often working against two extremes. Either the goals are so vague they're meaningless ("I want to do better in school")

Why Most Goals Fail (And What to Do Instead) Every January, we do the same thing. We set ambitious goals. We feel motivated and hopeful. We tell ourselves this year will be different. Then February arrives, and most of those goals have quietly disappeared. The students who promised to turn in homework on time are back to old patterns. The reading goal you set for yourself gets buried under lesson planning. The intention to incorporate more movement into your classroom falls a

Why Resolutions Don't Work (Especially for Kids) Every January, we do this thing where we declare what we're going to change about ourselves. We're going to exercise more. Eat healthier. Be more organized. Read more books. And then by February, most of us have given up. Now imagine that cycle for your child. They declare they're going to "get better at math" or "make more friends" and then... nothing really changes. Because declarations without plans are just wishes. And fail

Why Winter Break Transitions Hit Different Let me paint a picture you probably recognize: It's the week before winter break. Your carefully established routines have dissolved. Students are bouncing off the walls. Half your class is already mentally on vacation, and the other half is stressed about changes in their home routines. Meanwhile, you're trying to finish assessments, close out the semester, and somehow maintain instructional momentum when everyone—including you—is r

Why Your Child Needs Structure (Even on Break) There's a reason why kids start to get a little... extra... a few days into winter break. It's not that they're being difficult. It's that human beings (especially young ones) thrive with some level of structure and predictability. When winter break routines completely disappear, kids often struggle. They don't know what to expect. They have too many choices and not enough direction. They stay in pajamas until 2pm and then feel w

Why Some Celebrations Miss the Mark I used to think celebration was simple. Praise the A students, applaud the test scores, hand out the awards at the end of the year. Done. Then I started paying attention to student reactions. The kid who shrank when I called attention to their perfect score. The student who worked incredibly hard to move from an F to a C but got no recognition because a C isn't "award-worthy." The ones who achieved amazing social growth but never heard abou

The Achievement Trap We're All Caught In We live in a culture obsessed with measurable success. GPA. Test scores. Competition results. College acceptance rates. And look, I'm not saying those things don't matter. But when they become the only things we celebrate, we send a dangerous message to our kids. We tell them that their value is tied to performance. That being a good person counts less than being a high achiever. That effort only matters if it results in visible succes

The Real Story Behind This Semester's Growth Let's be honest—when December rolls around, most of us are running on fumes. We're thinking about winter break, planning for next semester, and maybe counting down the days until we can sleep past 6 AM. But before we close the books on this semester, there's something worth doing: helping students reflect on where they've been and how far they've come. And I'm not just talking about academic progress, though that matters too. I'm t

Why Reflection Actually Matters (And Not Just as a Feel-Good Exercise) Look, I get it. Adding one more thing to your parenting to-do list probably sounds about as appealing as volunteering for cafeteria duty. But here's why helping your child reflect on growth  is worth the effort. When kids take time to look back on what they've learned and how they've changed, something shifts. They start to see themselves as capable. They begin to connect effort with outcomes. They develop

You've tried everything. You've set up a homework routine. You've talked to teachers. You've tried rewards and consequences. You've helped with organization. You've been patient and supportive. And your child is still struggling. Here's what's probably happening: you're addressing the wrong problem. Not because you're doing anything wrong, but because it's really hard to see what's actually getting in the way. When a child struggles academically, we tend to jump straight to s

From Understanding to Action You've learned to recognize executive function and SEL skill gaps. You've observed patterns in your students. You understand that academic struggles often stem from these foundational skills, not content knowledge. Now what? Because noticing the problem is only half the battle. The real question is: what do you actually do when a student is struggling? That's what we're tackling today. Practical, targeted strategies that address the most common ac

Picture this: Two kids take the same test. Both get a C. One child looks at the grade, feels disappointed for a minute, and moves on. They ask the teacher what they got wrong and make a plan to study differently next time. The other child sees that C and falls apart. They cry. They shut down. They declare they're stupid and school is pointless. They refuse to even look at what they got wrong because it feels too overwhelming. Same test. Same grade. Completely different reacti

The Problem with Prioritizing Compliance Let's be honest. Most of us were trained to value compliance in the classroom. The "good student" sits quietly, raises their hand, follows directions the first time, and doesn't disrupt the lesson. The challenging student questions rules, has big emotional reactions, or can't seem to "just do what they're told." We've built entire classroom management systems around compliance. Behavior charts. Clip systems. Reward programs for followi

Let's start with a scenario you've probably lived through a hundred times. Your child sits down to do homework. You've set up everything they need. Books, pencils, a quiet space. They know what they're supposed to do. But 20 minutes later, they're still sitting there. Staring at the page. Fidgeting. Getting up for water. Starting and stopping. Getting frustrated. Meanwhile, that same child spent three hours yesterday building an elaborate world in Minecraft. Completely focuse

Why Observation Matters More Than Assessment You don't need a formal assessment to understand which executive function skills your students are struggling with. You need to know what to look for. Because the truth is, students show you every single day. They show you when they can't get started on an assignment. When they forget materials even though you just reminded them. When they rush through work or shut down during challenging tasks. When they struggle to work with peer

The Student Who "Should Be" Doing Better Let me guess. You have at least one student right now who's confusing you. They're clearly capable. They participate in discussions. They understand the concepts when you explain them. But when it comes time to actually do the work? Something falls apart. Maybe they can't get started. Maybe they rush through and make careless mistakes. Maybe they shut down the second something gets hard. Maybe they're disorganized, distractible, or con

Let's talk about something that's probably keeping you up at night. Your child is smart. You know this. Their teachers know this. But somehow, school is still a struggle. They forget their homework. They lose track of assignments. They study for the test but freeze when it's time to take it. They can explain a concept perfectly at home but can't show what they know on paper. And everyone keeps telling you the same thing: "They just need to apply themselves more." "They need t

Life throws challenges at all of us, and kids are no exception. School pressures, friendship struggles, and big changes at home can all bring stress. While we can't remove every challenge, we can give kids the tools to handle them with confidence. That's where resilience comes in. Building resilience in kids isn't about pushing them to "be tough." It's about teaching healthy ways to manage stress, solve problems, and keep going when things get hard. And the good news? Familie

I used to think my job was to help kids feel better as quickly as possible. Remove the stressor, solve the problem, ease the anxiety. Turns out, I was accidentally teaching kids they couldn't handle difficult emotions on their own. Building long-term resilience isn't about eliminating stress from children's lives - it's about helping them develop confidence in their ability to navigate whatever comes their way. What Long-Term Resilience Actually Looks Like Resilient kids don'