Beyond Backpacks: Setting Up for School Success (Part 1)

As summer starts to wrap up and the back-to-school excitement kicks in, most of us are thinking about new backpacks, fresh school supplies, and meeting this year’s teacher. Those things matter—but there’s something even more important that often gets missed: executive function skills. These behind-the-scenes brain skills are what really help kids start the year strong, no matter what grade they’re in.

As a special education teacher, I know that school success isn’t just about what kids know—it’s about how they use what they know. That’s where executive function skills come in. Think of them as the brain’s “CEO”—they help kids plan, stay organized, manage their time, stay on task, handle emotions, and roll with the punches when things change. These skills are a huge part of how kids do in school, with friends, and even at home. And here’s the best part: they’re not set in stone. We can help kids build and strengthen these skills with the right support and practice.

With the start of a new school year upon us, now is the perfect time to intentionally cultivate these vital abilities. Here’s how you can support your child’s executive function skills for a smoother, more successful academic journey.

The Power of Planning: Establishing Routines and Organization

A predictable routine provides a sense of security and significantly reduces mental load, freeing up brainpower for learning.

• Create a Centralized “Command Center”: Dedicate a visible spot in your home (a bulletin board, a whiteboard in the kitchen) for a family calendar. Mark school holidays, extracurricular activities, project due dates, and even family appointments. For older students, encourage them to maintain their own digital or physical planner.
• Morning and Evening Rituals: Establish consistent routines for before and after school. This isn’t just about brushing teeth; it includes packing lunches, laying out clothes, organizing backpacks, and deciding on a consistent homework time. Write these routines down for younger children using pictures, or a checklist for older ones.
• Designated Study Space: Help your child set up a clutter-free, consistent workspace. This doesn’t need to be elaborate; it could be a corner of their room or a specific spot at the kitchen table. The key is that it’s reliably available and conducive to focus, equipped with necessary supplies.

Time Management: Making Time Tangible

Time is an abstract concept, especially for elementary students. Making it concrete helps them manage tasks effectively.

Visual Timers: For younger children, use sand timers or visual timers that show time ticking down. This helps them understand how long 10 or 20 minutes really is for a task.

• “Chunking” Tasks: Large assignments can feel overwhelming. Help your child break down big projects into smaller, manageable steps. Instead of “Write a report,” suggest “First, research topic. Next, create an outline. Then, write introduction.”
• Estimating Time: Practice estimating how long tasks will take. “How long do you think it will take to clean your room? Let’s set a timer and see!” This builds self-awareness and improves future planning.
• The Pomodoro Technique (for older students): Encourage focused work sessions ( 25 minutes) followed by short breaks (5 minutes). This can dramatically improve focus and prevent burnout. Check out your phone’s app store and grab a timer for free.

These executive function skills are not just helpful for school. They are critical for life. My next blog will describe the power of planning, how to sustain attention, and increase our child’s working memory.

Summer Boundaries for Kids!

It is summer and children are filled with enthusiasm and passion for adventure and wanting to try new experiences. Many parents struggle with how to keep their children healthy and happy during long summer days. Some families schedule many summertime activities and camps for their children. Others reinforce a more relaxed lifestyle with some special family planned activities and lots of free time for exploring. Some children are busy with sports activities while others spend endless hours playing online games and watching television. Summarized below are five considerations for family fun with a balance of structure and free play activities.

Keeping Balance in Daily Life

It is difficult to balance each child’s daily schedule when planning camps, sports activities, and family play. Some children thrive with lots of scheduled activities while others are overwhelmed and need lots of free time to relax and decompress from daily life. When our kids are overscheduled or bored, they fight more and are more anxious about daily life. Identifying an appropriate balance of activities for each child’s temperament and personality can be challenging for parents. Some helpful strategies include:

• Help each child identify 1 to 3 activities for summer play and make a plan to complete each activity.
• Adjust the daily schedule when activities are exhausting to allow time to relax and rest.
• Keep family life simple and relaxed during days of busy schedules.

Reinforcing Healthy Growth and Behaviors

During the summer parents can help their children develop healthy growth and behaviors by setting limits and consequences for positive behaviors and misbehaviors. For example, parents and their children can create a list of healthy behaviors that can be rewarded weekly with a special activity. Another list can be created for identifying misbehaviors that can result in timeouts or the loss of a daily privilege. For example, if a child acts aggressively towards his siblings, he may lose his screen time privilege for a day. The consequences for positive and negative behaviors should be reinforced by both parents to be fully effective and rewarding.

Maintaining Adult Supervision with Daily Adventures

Summertime offers abundant opportunities for children to explore nature with their family. Although children will not be formally learning academic subjects, many family outings can include science discovery and historical site visits. Camping, hiking, picnics, beach days, and visiting local and national parks offer extraordinary opportunities for children to learn more about their communities. When older children venture out into their communities to meet up with friends, it is important to have them check in with parents and caregivers on a predetermined schedule to ensure they are O.K. It is important for parents and caregivers to be accountable to their children as they begin to explore their neighborhood and community. Parents and caregivers’ responsible actions and availability can encourage children’s healthy development and confident independence.

Managing Screen Time and Summer Learning Opportunities

Children need a healthy mix of outside play, exploration, and learning throughout the summer. Learning should be fun and can include learning new hobbies, art projects, sports, academic subjects, and visiting family historical sites. These activities provide opportunities for reading and applying mathematical concepts. One child may create a vending machine mockup toy while another may create a masterful watercolor. Other children may spend their time practicing a sport, planning the family vacation, or learning how to cook a meal. Screen time can be educational but must be limited to ensure the children live balanced and engaging lives with their families and friends.

Honoring Sleep Schedules and Bedtimes

Many children’s sleep schedules are very relaxed during the summer. Some kids will stay up most of the night playing on phones or laptops. It is important to set a healthy sleep schedule for all family members to ensure that all can function in a productive way throughout the day. The added benefit is that children are more rested to tolerate stress and conflicts with parents, siblings, and friends. Additionally, children are able to adjust easily to getting up early for the new school year in the next few weeks. For example, we have our children leave their electronics charging in the kitchen at night after we go to bed to ensure none of us are interrupted from a restful sleep.

May the last weeks of summer be filled with wonderful memories of new adventures, play, and loving relationships with family and friends.

What Should Parents Know About AI?

As a product of the 80s and 90s, I grew up with a bit of uneasiness with the idea of AI.  It seems like a cool idea, to have robots and machines do all of our undesirable tasks.  But movies like Terminator drop a bit of fear of a robot takeover into the back of my mind.  The list doesn’t stop with Arnold, the killer robot: The Matrix, I, Robot, Bicentennial Man, Short Circuit, Wall-E.  They are all movies about how robots take over in some way, shape, or form.  It always seemed far-fetched or like a fantasy from a world too far in the future to become my reality.

Should We Limit the Use of AI for Kids?

But here we are.  AI is quickly becoming a pivotal part of the work we do and how we interact with the world every day.  AI in education is a hot topic of conversation.  Many educators fear the use of AI and want to determine how we can stop students from utilizing the technology to cheat on their assignments.  Of course, we want to make sure students can read, write, and think critically on their own; but is halting the use of AI all together the answer?

I would say no.  As a rapidly expanding technology, AI will continue to become more and more a part of our everyday lives and it is already a tool people use to help ease their workload and to make themselves more productive.  As a school principal, I use AI to generate draft emails, write letters to my school community, generate social media campaign ideas for my staff, and to generate feedback that I can use as seed ideas to share with my staff when I observe their classes.  Of course, I have the knowledge and experience to review the content AI creates for me, so I can use it as an effective tool instead of a way to cheat my way out of responsibilities.  And yes, students will inevitably use this technology to cheat.  However, it is important for parents and educators to embrace this new technology, so we can teach our students powerful, useful, helpful, and ethical ways to use it.

How Can Children Use AI Safely?

As parents, you are your child’s guide to navigating the world. Take the opportunity early on to think about how your child can use AI in a meaningful way.  Without you, they are likely to find all the negative ways to use AI on their own.  With you by their side, they will learn to use a cutting-edge technology to help them on their pathway to productivity and success.

Where Do We Get Started?

As parents, you are your child’s guide to navigating the world. Take the opportunity early on to think about how your child can use AI in a meaningful way.  Without you, they are likely to find all the negative ways to use AI on their own.  With you by their side, they will learn to use a cutting-edge tool to help them learn, grow, and succeed.  Here are some ways to get started using AI at home to show your child that it is nothing to be feared and how to use it effectively:

• Use ChatGPT to suggest a weekend itinerary, help generate ideas for a holiday celebration, and create a family meal plan for the week.
• Use AI tools to generate ideas for fun videos you can post on social media with your kids (you can also use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about Internet safety).
• Take a course together from an online platform like Coursiv. This way you can discuss what you are learning about AI together.
• Try learning some skills together using AI, including graphic design with Canva, or essay revision with Gemini.

No matter how you get started, just be sure to bring your kids along with you.  Don’t be afraid to learn together, and you’ll be amazed how far they go!

Internet Safety for Kids

When I was in middle school, I recall watching Channel One, a news program for teens, during my homeroom period every day.  The news and the commercials were designed specifically for kids and teens, and I remember one commercial that was played frequently in the early 90s during the daily broadcast of Channel One.  I recall a young girl at the front of the screen, and behind her was a road from the perspective of a driver.  It looked as though we were navigating very quickly through the curves of the road, as the girl narrated.  She talked in a British accent about “The World Wide Web,” something I had never heard of before.  Fast forward to high school when we were all on America Online (AOL) and AOL instant messenger.

We were the first generation applying to schools online and receiving our acceptance letters (at least some of them) via email.  We knew little about Internet safety, and we were more focused on the prospects of the Internet than the dangers.  What I experienced as a teen was just the beginning and I could never have dreamed how intertwined our lives would be with the web when I became an adult.

Internet Family Risks

Today, kids have the world at their fingertips.  They literally have unlimited information in their pockets at all times.  They are always reachable, always connected, and always entertained.  There is extensive research on how this is harmful to childhood development and how it negatively affects their ability to learn and grow.  There hindrances and barriers to happiness in the real world caused by a dopamine addiction that is fed through constant interactions on social media.  There is a strange dichotomy of having this level of access and information, and the negative effects and dangers of being perpetually connected online.

Internet Family Safety Plan

So, what can parents do to help their children learn to harness and access the powers of technology without exposing them to its potential darkness?  Here are five things all parents should do to help their children learn to use the internet safely:

1. Talk openly with your children about this topic.  Don’t shy away of fear that you are being too intrusive.  Discuss your expectations, potential benefits, and potential risks.  Consistent talks will help to build trust between you and your child when it comes to social media.
2. Make a rule that you will be checking your child’s social media interactions regularly.  It is a must that you are friends with your child and that you follow each other on social media.
3. Use a resource like Common Sense Media to help guide you in your conversations with your child.
4. Discuss the permanence of the internet with your child.  Once something is posted, it’s saved forever online.
5. Set rules for phone and internet use, including limits on how much time they can use their devices.  Set an example by following these rules for yourself too!  The whole family will be happier and healthier!

How Parents Help Each Child Succeed in School

As a special education teacher, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that no two children learn the same way. Every student brings their unique strengths, needs, and learning styles into the classroom, so a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching just doesn’t work. This is where differentiated instruction comes in. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to meet students where they are, provide the support they need, and help them progress at a pace and in a way that works best for them.

Understanding the role of differentiated instruction in your child’s education can be incredibly helpful. Not only does it help you understand how your child’s teacher tailors instruction to meet their needs, but it also offers insight into how you can support your child’s learning at home.

What is Differentiated Instruction?

Differentiated instruction is a teaching method that adapts the content, process, and products of learning to meet the varying needs of students. It is grounded in the understanding that students come to the classroom with different backgrounds, learning styles, interests, and readiness levels. Rather than teaching every student in the same way, I adjust my lessons to ensure that all students can access the material and demonstrate their understanding in a way that suits them.

Educational researcher Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leader in differentiated instruction, emphasizes the importance of considering students’ differences in readiness, interests, and learning profiles when planning instruction. The goal is to ensure that all students are challenged appropriately without feeling overwhelmed or under-stimulated.

Why Differentiated Instruction Matters

1. Every Child is Unique

In my classroom, I see students at different points in their learning journey. Some may grasp new concepts quickly, while others need additional support or more time to master a skill. For example, during a reading lesson, I might have a student who is just learning to read sitting next to a child who is ready for chapter books. If I were to give both students the same assignment, one might feel frustrated and give up, while the other would be bored. Differentiated instruction allows me to tailor the learning experience so that each child is challenged at their level without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Engagement is Key to Learning

Another reason why differentiated instruction is so important is that it keeps students engaged in their learning. When students are given tasks that match their interests and abilities, they are more likely to stay motivated and invested in their education. Engagement is especially critical for students who may struggle with certain subjects, as it helps prevent them from becoming disengaged or frustrated.

In my classroom, I often give students choices in how they demonstrate their understanding. For example in math, if we are learning about areas and perimeters, some students might design a zoo or bedroom, while others might prefer solving math equations.

By offering options, I ensure that students can approach the material in a way that excites them and plays to their strengths. Self-determination theory, developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, supports this approach, stating that students are more engaged when they feel a sense of autonomy in their learning.

3. Differentiation Promotes Equity

Equity in education means ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Differentiated instruction is key to achieving this. It’s not about giving every child the same resources or assignments but about meeting their individual needs and providing the right level of support. In math, for example, some students might benefit from manipulatives to visualize problems, while others are ready for more abstract reasoning. This flexibility ensures that all students can access the curriculum and make progress.

In secondary classrooms, this principle is just as important. As students prepare for life beyond school, differentiated instruction helps ensure that every student is challenged appropriately and has the skills they need to succeed in their life and career goals.

How Differentiated Instruction Looks in My Classroom

Differentiated instruction can take many forms depending on the subject matter and students’ needs. Here’s a look at how I apply it in different areas of my classroom:

1. Differentiating Content: I adjust what students learn based on their current understanding. In reading, for instance, some students may read leveled books, while others tackle more complex texts. The goal is for each student to be challenged but not overwhelmed.
2. Differentiating Process: This involves varying the ways students engage with the material. For example, during a math lesson, one group might work on hands-on activities, another might use digital tools, and some might receive direct instruction from me. These different approaches ensure that all students are making sense of the content in a way that works best for them.
3. Differentiating Product: Students demonstrate their learning in different ways. After a unit on historical events, one student might create a timeline, another might write an essay, and a third might develop a creative project like a video. By offering choices, I ensure that students can showcase their strengths and interests.
4. Differentiating the Learning Environment: The classroom setup also plays a role. I offer flexible seating options, including desks, standing tables, and floor spaces, so students can work in an environment that suits their learning style. Some students may need quiet spaces to focus, while others thrive in collaborative group settings.

How Parents Can Support Differentiation at Home

Parents play a crucial role in supporting differentiated instruction outside of the classroom. Here are a few ways you can help:

1. Embrace Your Child’s Learning Style

Every child learns differently. Some kids are hands-on learners, while others are more visual or auditory. Pay attention to how your child best absorbs information, and provide opportunities for them to learn in ways that resonate with them. For instance, if your child is a kinesthetic learner, you might use household items for hands-on math activities, like using coins to practice addition and subtraction.

2. Encourage Choice and Autonomy

Just as differentiated instruction in the classroom gives students choices, you can support this at home by giving your child options in how they complete their homework or explore a new topic. Offering them autonomy helps build their sense of responsibility and keeps them engaged in their learning.

3. Provide Additional Support or Challenge

If your child is struggling with a particular subject, work with their teacher to identify ways to support them at home. This might include additional practice with specific skills, using educational games or apps, or even working with a tutor. On the flip side, if your child is excelling, encourage them to delve deeper into subjects they are passionate about through extra reading, projects, or activities that go beyond what is covered in school.

4. Communicate with the Teacher

Differentiated instruction is most effective when there is open communication between home and school. If you have concerns about your child’s progress or if you notice they need more support or challenge, don’t hesitate to reach out to their teacher. Working together ensures that your child is getting the most out of their learning experience.

Differentiated instruction is at the heart of effective teaching. It allows teachers to meet students where they are, keep them engaged, and promote equity in the classroom. As parents, your involvement in supporting differentiation at home can make a significant difference in your child’s academic success. By embracing your child’s learning style, encouraging choice, providing support or challenge when needed, and maintaining open communication with their teacher, you help create a learning environment where your child can thrive both at school and at home.