The class will start with a quick discussion about the skill we will be discussing each class.  It will change from every week but will include things like planning out assignments, dealing with disappointments, focusing on our work, dealing with losing important materials, active listening, and dealing with setbacks.  Additional topics covered will be things like sharing our thoughts and opinions in a kind way, how to handle being teased, taking responsibility for our choices, reading social cues, changing our mindset, impulse control, patience, being a problem solver, taking turns, the difference between tattling and telling, and being a flexible thinker. Since we will discuss a different topic every week you don't have to worry about your child missing anything if they are new to the class or if your child can't attend every session. 

This is a wonderful class for students to have a forum to discuss challenging social interactions and things that might impact our productivity. We will discuss the weekly topic, identify examples, and then discuss strategies to help us the next time a similar thing happens to us. 

We will read a story and I will encourage discussion and for students to make connections to their own lives.  This will be a judgment free zone and my hope is that all students will feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions.  My teaching style is laid back and informal so I hope that this will be something they look forward to at the end of a long week of learning.  
Here is a list of the books from Boys Town Press that we will read each week.  





May 2024 
Week of 5/6 What's In It For Me?  by Julia Cook
Week of 5/13 Missing the Meaning: Learning what "for no reason" really means by Jennifer Law
Week of 5/20 Cheaters Never Prosper by Julia Cook
Week of 5/27 Teamwork Isn’t My Thing, And I Don’t Like to Share! by Julia Cook

June 2024 
Week of 6/3 My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook
Week of 6/10 Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook
Week of 6/17 Kindness Counts by Bryan Smith
Week of 6/24 That Rule Doesn’t Apply to Me by Julia Cook

July 2024
Week of 7/1  **Please note there are no classes this week**
Week of 7/8  **Please note there are no classes this week**
Week of 7/15 I Just Want to Do It My Way by Julia Cook
Week of 7/22 The I in Integrity by Julia Cook
Week of 7/29 I Just Don’t Like the Sound of No (Accepting No and Disagreeing the Right Way) by Julia Cook

August 2024
Week of 8/5 Personal Space Camp by Julia Cook
Week of 8/12 Soda Pop Head: About Taming Tempers and Managing Anger by Julia Cook
Week of 8/19 Managing Sadness by Bryan Smith
Week of 8/26 It's Hard to be a Verb by Julia Cook

Sept 2024
Week of 9/2 A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue by Julia Cook
Week of 9/9 Baditude, What to Do When Life Stinks! by Julia Cook
Week of 9/16 A Flicker of Hope by Julia Cook
Week of 9/23 The Technology Tail: A Digital Footprint Story by Julia Cook
Week of 9/30 The Worst Day of My Life Ever by Julia Cook

Oct 2024
Week of 10/7 Catch the Ball by Bryan Smith
Week of 10/14  Thanks for the Feedback, I Think by Julia Cook
Week of 10/21 Well I Can Top That by Julia Cook
Week of 10/28 Opal Octopus is Overwhelmed by Ashley Bartley


Nov 2024
Week of 11/4 Stress Stinks by Bryan Smith
Week of 11/11 Freddie the Fly: Truth or Care: A Story about Honesty, Caring, and Using Your Social Filter by Kimberly DeLude
Week of 11/18 Remie in Overdrive by Ashley Bartley
Week of 11/25 **Please note there are no classes this week**

Dec 2024
Week of 12/2 Decibella and her 6 Inch Voice by Julia Cook
Week of 12/9 Green Eyed Goose:  A Boone Story About Overcoming Jealousy and Envy by Lisa Griffin
Week of 12/16 Good Things Come to Those Who Wait by Julia Cook
Week of 12/23 **Please note there are no classes this week**
Week of 12/30 **Please note there are no classes this week**





This class would be great for any child that has little things happen that turn into big things, difficulty beginning and completing tasks, a hard time letting go of something and moving on with their day, needs some strategies to be more mindful of their choices or needs support with planning and deciding where to start when given multiple tasks.  This is a topic that I am very passionate about because I literally believe these skills set up our children for future success.  

You may be wondering how a deficit in executive functioning skills might impact a child.  Some children just begin working and always seem to finish on time.  Others become so overwhelmed about where to start that they simply cannot begin.  They may have classic and amazingly imaginative work avoidance behaviors.  They may also start many tasks and but struggle to follow them through to completion.  Or they pick a task to start with and encounter some difficulty and shut down because it didn’t come easily to them.  These students may seek assistance very frequently because they are looking for some immediate feedback on their accuracy or reassurance that they are on the right track.  They are often rushing to finish their work and make errors that appear careless but that child may literally be in a panic to finish their assignment.  They may miss out on earned activities in school because they still have to finish their work.   

Students with executive functioning deficits need to build their self-awareness and require direct instruction on understanding how their actions impact others and themselves.  They may literally be surprised when you remind them about a rule they currently aren't following.  They need help to understand when it is a good time to ask an adult for assistance or talk with a friend.  They may have difficulty connecting that consequences are a result of their choices.  

If you see your child in some of these descriptions then this class will be beneficial for them.  I would also be happy to discuss setting up 1:1 tutoring to help your child with specific executive functioning deficits and to help you decide where to start.