Executive Function Strategies Blog

There are many things people never tell you about parenting. For instance, how many fingernails you’ll clip, or that you may have to tell your son to stop chasing his sister with moldy bread (okay that second one may be a “me” thing)... 

However, the one quirk that we all were definitely not told about is that we’d have to parent through a pandemic. As many of us have discovered, there’s no handbook to refer to, everyone has different opinions, and the plan, whatever that may be, will inevitably change - frequently.

It seems like just yesterday parents across the country breathed a huge sigh of relief that the challenges of remote learning were over and summer was finally here. Now, summer is winding down, the new school year peeks around the corner, and uncertainty seems like the only sure thing. Schools are preparing for a variety of scenarios as the fall semester is rapidly approaching and many are opting to start the school year the same way things ended in the spring - with remote learning. Some kids rocked distance learning and are excited to continue. Other families had a much different experience and now have countless questions about how to meet the needs of their kids, especially those that have 504 plans and Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

Predictability. Just the word itself provokes a sense of calm. Unfortunately, the world we live in at the moment is probably going to be the most unpredictable we have and will ever experience and none of it is in our control. We have a choice to allow this fact to overwhelm us or we can focus on what we can control. What can we do to make our personal worlds more calm, stable, and enjoyable?  

Every new college semester is a transition: New classes, new teachers, sometimes even new friends. This coming fall, however, will compound all of those changes with another one: A new way of learning. Yes, students do have a few months practice with the skill of learning-during-a-pandemic, but the spring semester was cushioned by lenient (and sometimes required) pass/fail options. With a much clearer picture of what to expect this fall, those safety nets will not be quite so forgiving.

So, how should students prepare for the upcoming semester? Different schools are taking very different approaches to the Fall 2020 term, each with its own benefits and potential Executive Functioning challenges. I’ll cover the major options below and let you know what to expect and how best to prepare for that style of learning.